In a bid to ensure effective monitoring for the cleaning of river waters in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave nod to install ultra-modern Management Information System (MIS) at all the Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in the state for maintaining a regular check on the BOD level of treated water. A decision to this effect was taken in a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister here at CMO this morning. Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister, while underscoring the need of an effective mechanism to ensure zero discharge of polluted water in the rivers, said that the MIS could play an instrumental role for this purpose as it would enable the officers to have daily monitoring of the BOD level in treated waste water.
Badal said that though a network of STPs have been set across the state but regular monitoring of the BOD level in treated water of these plants was must. He said that the state government has already prescribed the BOD limits in water to 10, which could be strictly monitored only with the help of an advanced system like MOS as it would give daily report of BOD limits in treated water to the top brass of the state government.In another significant decision aimed at reducing the wastage of water, the Chief Minister also gave approval to install meter connections for all urban households with volumetric based charging in cities across the state so that consumption of the water by every household was checked. It was apprised in the meeting that the city residents were getting more water supply then the amount 135 litre per capita prescribed by the Government of India thereby resulting in the sheer wastage of valuable resource of nature. So, Mr. Badal said that these meters must be installed as it would ensure the judicious use of water besides enhancing the income of the urban Local Bodies.
The Chief Minister also asked the Local Government department to explore the feasibility of collecting the waste water from kitchens, washrooms and toilets of the houses at a same place so that they could be properly treated in the STPs. He also asked the officers to ensure that the work of upgrading the existing STPS and the construction of new STPs was completed at the shortest possible time so that zero discharge of polluted water in rivers could be ensured. Mr. Badal also laid thrust on promoting the treated waste water for the irrigational purposes so that this water could also be optimally utilised.
Prominent amongst other present in the meeting included Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Secretary Local Government Mr. Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairman Punjab Pollution Control Board Mr. Manpreet Singh Chatwal, Deputy Commissioners of Jalandhar and Roopnagar Mr. KK Yadav and Mrs. Tanu Kahsyap, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Ludhiana Mr. GK Singh, Managing Director PSIEC Mr. Amit Dhaka and Member Secretary Punjab Pollution Control Board Mr. Babu Lal.