A long-pending proposal of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to upgrade old sewage treatment plants (STPs) has now gained fillip as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in his maiden budget, announced that 20 old STPs would be rejuvenated and modernised by the BWSSB at a cost of ₹1,500 crore.
BWSSB’s chief engineer (waste water management) B.C. Gangadhar admitted that the proposal had been in the pipeline for a couple of years. It was first proposed to not just prevent water pollution, but also included modifications to reduce the presence of biological nutrients in the water bodies.
Experts have for long stated that the one of the main reasons for overgrowth of microphytes and macrophytes, such as algae and water hyacinth, is the presence of biological nutrients (phosphorus, potassium and nitrates) that flow unhindered and untreated into the water bodies.
