Cleaning up your mess

INSIDE Mumbai –
Love Grove plant, on its own, is an efficient system. But it has to battle with the city’s peculiar problems
Sriram Narayanan
Mumbai

Beneath the glitter and lights there’s a world most have never seen – systems, people, places that keep the city going. In the first of the
series, HT visits the Love Grove waste water treatment plant and discovers what happens every time you use the flush FOR OUTSIDERS, the Love Grove
waste water treatment facility is but a pungent smell that helps identify the spot on Annie Besant Road, Worli, as you zip past. What most of us don’t
realise is that this 24-hour, eight-hectare facility is what keeps the city going, processing and disposing the sewage Mumbai churns out day after day.

There is no escaping the foul smell, but for all the filth it processes, inside, Love Grove is lush green.

As you enter the biggest treatment facility in Asia, you see an old chimney, “a remnant of our old pumping facility, which relied on the archaic boiling
technology,” explains Prakash Sanglikar, officer on special duty from the BMC’s solid waste management department. Walking down the tree-lined
walkway, you see an enormous 32-feet tower, which goes 200 feet below ground level to dispose sewage into the deep sea.

In place since 1991, the plant works round-the-clock, handling sewage from Churchgate to Mahim and till Sewri. It has eight pumps that handle influent
(incoming sewage) waste, each of which can handle 260 MLD (million litres per day) sewage. There are five effluent (outgoing sewage) pumps that can handle 2,080 MLD outflow. “The most we get on a dry day is 300 MLD; our system can handle that easily,” says Sachin Tamhane, a sub-engineer with the facility. “When
it rains, we get 600-900 MLD. And during heavy rains we are on our toes,” he adds.

On July 4, the incoming sewage was 1,465 MLD. Much more than the 899 MLD on  26/7 last year. “We were meant to handle only sewage released from
residential and commercial premises. Water from pavements and roads feed storm water drains. But post 26/7, it was decided to divert waste from
drains through our facility,” ex plains P.D. Pahade, deputy chief engineer (planning and construction), sewage operation. That explains the rise in influx.

What’s most striking about the plant is the sheer scale of operations. At the heart of the plant is the four-stage solid waste removal system. Each
stage has a screen that filters out solid waste from the influent. And solid waste is the plant’s biggest problem. “Even a small gutkha wrapper can clog
a screen,” explains Pa hade.

Walking down deeper into the facility, there are open channels gush ing with turbid, black water. The heavy-duty blowers pumping in oxy gen does nothing
to the stubborn odour. “We feel weird breathing fresh air,” says Vithal Phule (46), an operator.

Things are better now.
Vijay Maruti Ruke (53) recalls how they used to wade into knee-deep sewage to make the pumps work. “Previously, everything was manual. We had to seal one opening with mud and wait for vacuum to be created to start the pump.” Ruke started off as a labourer in 1972 and is now a grade I electrician.

Today, technology has made life somewhat easier. But workers still have to deal with the strong gases emanating from the foul water. “After you work
for a few hours, your stomach gets heavy, you feel ill,” says Narendra Patkar (26), a labourer. The Love Grove plant, on its own, is an efficient system. But it has to
battle with Mumbai’s peculiar problems. “Everyone – from landowners, the Railways, military, Port Trust, AAI – follow their own plans and no one
co-operates, so if we want to lay new sewage lines or improve existing ones that pass though their land, it takes forever to get permissions,” says an
officer, requesting anonymity.

He explains: “AAI has built runways over water bodies that are critical catchment and outlet modes. Agencies like MMRDA, Mhada, MTNL, MGL dig roads
as they want. All this affects the working of the sewage system. And then the BMC is blamed for flooding.” A thankless job? Not really. Employees are
now proudly waiting for the IS09001certificate for quality, which the facility will soon be awarded.

“We have no problems with our work. In fact, we are proud of it,” says Ramesh Bhopal Kanade (40), another labourer. “But we want those who
criticize us to think of the things they themselves throw into sewers meant only for water and dust.” Kumar, a 27-year-old contract worker, chips in,
“We feel hurt when outsiders come here with a handkerchief covering their nostrils. It’s their own muck after all.” As I leave the facility, workers
here want to pass on a message to all our readers. “We have a simple request,” says Maruti, another worker. “Please stop throwing plastic and
other solid waste in manholes and toilets. We work round-the-clock to keep their bathrooms and toilets clean. Can they do this much?” Filtered facts 8
hectares: Area of Love Grove Waste Water Treatment facility 2,453 hectares of the drainage zone (from Churchgate to Mahim) catered to by Love Grove
WWTF 6 crore: Annual electricity bill at Love Grove 1,500 kms: Total length of pipelines in Mumbai 15 pumping stations in Mumbai 7 Water treatment
plants in Mumbai 55,000 Number of manholes 55,704 million required to overhaul Mumbai’s entire sewage system TIMELINE 1800 First sewage lines laid
in Colaba 1842 First basic pipleline laid in Bombay for sewage transport 1860 First treatment plant commissioned at Colaba 1880 Captain Tulloct
created the concept of separate systems for storm and sewage water 1880 Sewage plant using chimney, boiler system commissioned at present Love Grove
site 1890 Baldwin Lantham submitted a report on sanitation 1893 Report implemented and an ejector system (network for disposing sewage into sea)
built 1976 M/s Metcalf & Eddy submitted an Integrated Master Plan for Sewage collection and disposal till 2005. Was implemented at a cost of Rs 94 lakh
1995-97 Data on manholes comuterised. Only such data in any sewage system in India 1998 New commission for renewal of drainage system appointed 2000
Committee submitted report suggesting Rs 55,704 million required for overhaul DID YOU KNOW?

During the 1900s, gas, which was generated as a by-product of sewage treatment, was supplied as fuel (for cooking and other purposes) in certain
pockets of Bombay.

Workers at Love Grove have an annual medical check-up and treatment facility and are provided with gloves, masks, gumboots, washing and detergent soap.
Gumboots not required, except for very tough work. Housing is provided at the Sainath CHS, bang opposite Love Grove.

Sewage department can replace 200 m worth of pipes in a single day. Infrastructure such as ladders and other metallic objects need to be
replaced every year due to corrosion. Only Mumbai city (upto Sion and Mahim) have underground storm water drains (laid by the British). The suburbs have open storm water drains. Lack of funds cited as reason for lack of replacement.

Each of the 55,000 manholes is numbered with computerised data available for each of them regarding depth and water average water level. The only city in
India to have such data.

Pumps at pumping stations automatically switch on and off depending on water levels.

Trenchless technology was used between 2000 and 2003 to replace 20 kms of sewage lines between Mint Road and GPO to Love Grove. This operation did not
affect traffic and was completely underground.

Deepak Rane devised the filter screens when he was a Junior engineer in 1999. Earlier, underground screens would get stuck in the muck below and
workers had to go down to clean it. Now a Sub-Engineer, Rane had won a cash award for his simple, but useful innovation.

Publication: HT; Section: Metro; Pg:6; Date:7/8/06