Now Reading: Ganga mission signs pacts for two UP sewage plants
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Ganga mission signs pacts for two UP sewage plants
The National Mission for Clean Ganga has signed concession agreements for two sewage treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh. A 60 million litres per day STP at Lohta in Varanasi will intercept untreated…
The National Mission for Clean Ganga has signed concession agreements for two sewage treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh. A 60 million litres per day STP at Lohta in Varanasi will intercept untreated sewage flowing through Durga Drain into the Varuna River, which meets the Ganga near Adi Keshav Ghat. A 45 MLD plant at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar will treat sewage entering the Ganga through Railway Nala and Ganda Nala.
Both projects use the hybrid annuity-based public-private partnership model. Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam is the executing agency, with Varanasi Lohta STP Pvt Ltd and Varanasi DDU Nagar STP Pvt Ltd as concessionaires. The Lohta project includes 15 years of operation and maintenance. NMCG Director General Rajeev Kumar Mital urged the agencies to complete the projects ahead of their scheduled dates.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, generates an estimated 4,500 million litres per day of sewage but has treatment capacity for less than half of it. The two new plants add 105 MLD, a fraction of the gap. The hybrid annuity PPP model used here lets the state pay over 15 years instead of upfront, which eases fiscal pressure but requires that the concessionaire's construction financing is sound. Varanasi, a major pilgrimage city on the Ganga, has faced repeated court orders to stop untreated discharge. The 45 MLD plant at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar addresses two nalas that have been polluting the Ganga for decades. Completion timelines were not disclosed in the agreement, but the NMCG chief has urged early delivery. The next milestone to watch is the start of civil construction at both sites.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
