DJB and NGO to recycle raw sewage into portable drinking water

New Delhi: Delhi Jal Board along with an NGO is going to start a pilot project 'Sujala Dhara' to recycle raw sewage into safe and portable drinking water.

The project which is set-up at Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant in Vikaspuri will be inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow.

DJB has partnered with charitable trust SANA to install a plant to convert raw sewage waste into safe and potable drinking water.

As per DJB this plant is powered by Solar Energy to ensure that the entire eco system of the technology is environment friendly and sustainable.

SANA has installed water purifying station which can produce around 4,000 litre of clean water in an hour. It can generate over 33,000 litres of water daily if powered only by Solar but up to 72,000 litres of water daily if powered by both Solar and electricity.

"Delhi is facing acute shortage of water and the state of ground water and water body is deteriorating. This technology can meet the drinking water requirement of almost 30,000 residents daily.

"We first take out physical things out of the sewage followed by Bio-filter process where it passed through 7-8 layers of organic and non-organic material. Then the treated water is taken for membrane filter to make it drinkable," Sanchaita Gajapati Raju founder of SANA told PTI.

DJB claims that water is drinkable which has been tested by them and in private labs.

"This is a pilot project to test the technology. If we succeed it will be implemented at large scale. We will try to make usage of treated water popular as in foreign countries," SS Yadav, DJB, CEO said.

DJB will also open counter in various parts of to promote the usage of treated water.

The DJB and SANA are exploring various options to distribute this water to the local community.

According to senior officials, the Chief Minister will drink treated water to break the myth that treated sewage can't be fit for drinking.

SANA will counter this by launching an aggressive social awareness campaign using role models, celebrities to break the taboo.