Kolkata, Nov 26: The 1600 million litres of waste water generated daily by India, if treated scientifically, would yield nitrogen, phosporous, potassium and organic manure valued at over Rs 40 crore annually and could produce an additional 2.2 million tonne of fish per year.
Dubbing waste water as 'black gold', eminent aqua culture scientist Dr P K Mukhopadyhay told that the daily quantity generated contained 360 tonne of nitrogen, 130 tonne of
phosporous, 220 tonne of potassium besides and 5600 tonne of organic manure.
"The value works out to more than Rs 40 crores annually at present," said Mukhopadyhay, head of the wastewater aquaculture division at Rahara in West Bengal of the Bhubaneswar-based Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture (CIFA).
The waste water could also be harnessed to harvest animal
protein through culture of aquatic species and to raise
agri-horticulture products, he said in an interview.
Mukhopadyay said that waste water treatment was a global
concern with different methods being adopted, including
resources recovery-based systems.
India, he said, being an agricultural economy, could
benefit by recycling organic waste which offered immense
opportunity for the development of pisiculture.
Bureau Report
