With the inauguration-cum-commissioning of septage management unit (SPU) at Dzürüzou Merima here on Wednesday, Nagaland has become the first North-eastern State to commission septage management plant (SMP).
Adviser for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Dr Neikiesalie Nicky Kire officially inaugurated and commissioned the project. The project was taken up in the Northeast as part of the NE Region Capital Cities Development Investment Programme (NERCCDIP) by Government of India (GoI) through the Union ministry of housing & urban affairs (MoHUA).
In his brief address, the advisor thanked all the people involved in commissioning the SPU successfully and exuded confidence that just as GoI and Asian Development Bank (ADB) had come forward to generously finance it, he appealed to Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) to handle the project carefully.
He remarked that people in the State Capital experienced unpleasant feeling during rainy season as many citizens were careless with release of wastes from their septic tanks, which also affected human health. He hoped that with septage plant equipped with the capacity to process 90 kilo litres per day (KLD) of septic waste every day, Kohima would soon become healthier, cleaner and more environment-friendly.
Appealing to KMC to maintain the eight cesspools, Kire asked the municipal authority to check and ensure that its employees performed their duties with sincerity and dedication, adding the attitude of regular government employees who took their responsibilities casually should also be taken to task.
He stressed on proper handling of SMU to avoid pollution in KMC dumping area, while adhering to the prescribed standard for avoiding any complication.
In her technical report, chief engineer (R&B) Limanaro said State Investment Programme Management and Implementation Unit (SIPMIU), functioning under the State urban development department, was the implementing agency of SMU, which was supported by ADB.
She said the contract package was awarded to a joint venture consortium of M/s Vi-u Angami & Sons Tomco Engineering Pvt Ltd and Shaji PC Pvt Ltd for an amount of Rs 32.22 crore and work began in August 2016 and completed in June this year.
The major components of the contract package included 90 KLD capacity septage treatment plant, supply of eight cesspool vehicles, administrative building with workers’ rest room, laboratory for testing the effluent standards, six units each of staff quarters and operators’ quarters, vehicle garage, security cabin, approach road with drainage system from NH-2 to the site, two lakh litres capacity rainwater harvesting pond, construction of 11 KV transmission line and installation of 400 KVA, 11/0.43 sub-station, 100 KVA DG set, retaining wall around the site and facilities like internal roads, high masts, water supply, firefighting arrangement, compound wall, etc. The septage will undergo the processes of sedimentation, anaerobic and aerobic reaction, primary and secondary filtration, etc, and the solids/cakes produced in the process can be used as manure for agricultural purpose, while the discharged effluent (water) shall be as per BIS standards that can be re-used for washing, gardening, etc, or discharged in drains.
The operation and maintenance (O&M) of the plant by the contractor will be for a period of one year, which has come into effect from July this year, and the modalities for handing over of the facility to KMC during O&M period of the contractor shall be worked out. During the O&M period, KMC personnel will be trained to manage the facility.
Limanaro said since its operation from July, about 3.85 lakh litres (83 trips) of septage collected from the State Capital had been treated in this plant.
KMC administrator Kovi Meyase and Merima Village Council chairman Kelhoupralie Whuorie also spoke on the occasion.
The programme was chaired by principal secretary Urban Development & Municipal Affairs, Himato Zhimomi. Meanwhile, Kire also flagged off cesspool vehicles after the function.