GUDC inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Doshion Ltd, a water management service company, to this effect at the recent Vibrant Gujarat summit.

Under the MoU, the company will set up wastewater recycling plants in five major districts of Gujarat — Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bharuch and Surat— at the cost of Rs 800 crore.

P U Asnani, Director, Doshion Ltd, told Newsline: “Municipal corporations, especially municipalities, do not have the infrastructure to discard wastewater efficiently, leading to filth. We proposed this idea to the state government to use this water for industrial purposes.”

He further said they wanted to treat the wastewater and make it suitable for drinking , but since people in India are quite apprehensive of recycled water, they thought of using it for industrial purposes instead.

Doshion plans to supply the treated water to the special economic zones (SEZs) coming up in and around the five districts. Nearly 37 SEZ sites have been identified in the Gandhinagar and Surat belts. “With this initiative, SEZs will not have to demand water from bore wells or other sources. While they will get freshly recycled water, the municipalities will get a permanent solution for wastewater with no cost,” Asnani said.

Doshion will construct and maintain the plants, while GUDC will be the nodal agency governing the project and availing finances faster.

The respective municipalities will not have to pay anything for the project, as the Centre and state government will bear all costs. Thirty-five per cent grant will be availed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for new urban infrastructure development for small and medium industries. The rest will be borne by the state. “If the municipalities face any problem in getting the funds, we will pay for the gaps,” said Asnani.

Doshion has a tie-up with Veolia Water Solutions, a Singapore-based company, which has a wastewater-recycling project for drinking purposes in Singapore. Doshion will use the international knowhow for this project in Gujarat.

When asked about the views of the district municipalities, Asnani, said, “We will be tying up with the SEZs and municipalities. We have not spoken to the civic bodies yet, but after the talks with SEZs, we will approach them. This is a win-win situation for the municipalities, as they will not have to bear the expenditure at all. They just have to provide us space for setting up the plants.”

The company plans to expand the project to industrial hubs in small towns of the state with the aim to reduce water pollution levels, which is high in industrial corridors.

Earlier bid to recycle sewerage water
Akshydhar — a water management initiative — was proposed by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in 1997-98 to recycle sewerage water at the treatment plant in Vasna. After that, the water was supposed to be released in the Vasna Barrage for irrigation purposes through Fatewadi Canal.

In its proposal, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had planned to give six farms spread over an area of 100 square metres near the Vasna sewerage plant.