Sludge is a gold mine for the country, according to the director general of the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
Issues regarding "Parameters and Feasible Technologies required to be installed for Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System in different categories of STPs/ETPs across the Ganga Basin" and "Characterization and Policy Framework Guidelines on Safe and Efficient Sludge management" were discussed at workshops on "Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS): Issues, Challenges, and Way Forward" and "Sludge Management: Issues, Challenges, and Way Forward."
The National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), state governments, academic institutions, researchers, international organisations, etc. all participated in the workshops.
Delivering the opening remarks for the OCEMS workshop, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Ashok Kumar emphasised the importance of the workshops in terms of getting reliable and replicable data. “There are projects worth more than Rs. 35000 crore that are going on under Namami Gange, out of which projects worth more than Rs. 29,000 crore are for sewerage management. These are big investments and if we don’t know the outcomes then it is not right,” He added, “The world is looking at us as exemplified with the recognition of Namami Gange as one of the top 10 world’s restoration flagships to revive the natural world. A lot of interest was also shown in the Namami Gange Programme during the UN World Water Day.
The DG, NMCG called on academicians and technological experts to finalise the parameters needed to measure source data, saying that as long as they are trustworthy and reproducible, they need not be restricted to Indian standards. “There must be some technology available somewhere ensuring that parameters are measured and transmitted in a reliable way. The bottom line is that you can get any technology from anywhere in the world, measure whatever parameters you want to but a solution needs to come out that can bring stable, reliable and replicable data to the computer screen without any bias, variation or fear and give the real picture on the ground,” he added.
PRAYAG, which stands for Platform for Real-time Analysis of Yamuna, Ganga, and their Tributaries at NMCG, was recently launched by the organisation.
Regarding sludge management, Kumar urged a shift in perspective to see sludge as a gold mine for the nation.
“The treating capacity of NMCG has increased in the last 7-8 years and it is being ensured that polluted stretches of the river are being properly addressed,” he said, adding, “This comes with a new problem of large volumes of sludge and in the last one-and-a half year or so, Namami Gange Mission has been focusing on various ways to monetize the reuse of wastewater and sludge under the Arth Ganga campaign, including the use of sludge as soil conditioner in Natural Farming in the Ganga Basin.”
NMCG looks to change how people view sludge. STPs have been renamed as ‘Nirmal Jal Kendras’ to connect the process of sewage treatment and Ganga Rejuvenation with the local people and farmers. He said that sludge should be used to generate additional revenue for the STPs and Local Urban Bodies. He also mentioned the National Framework for Safe Usage of Treated Water that has been launched by NMCG recently.
D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG gave the welcome address and made a presentation reflecting on the question of reliability of data that comes through various sources. During the OCEMS workshop, the discussions were held on techniques/ instrumentation for Online Influent and Effluent Quality Measurement using real time sensors/analysers, available technologies and suitability of technologies for different matrices of water quality, site selection/conditions, comparison of online/in-line sensors/analysers v/s Lab Analysis - sensor and analyser accuracy and allowed variability, validation, calibration frequency, comparison of BOD, COD, TSS, TOC sensors/analysers, reporting methods and data transmission and commercial viability analysis for various available technologies.
D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG, delivered the opening remarks and presented a presentation on the topic of the veracity of data from multiple sources. The OCEMS workshop covered topics such as techniques and instrumentation for measuring online influent and effluent quality using real-time sensors and analyzers, available technologies and suitability of technologies for different matrices of water quality, site selection/conditions, comparison of online/in-line sensors and analyzers vs lab analysis - sensor and analyzer accuracy and allowed variability, validation, calibration frequency, and comparison of BOD, COD, and TSS, TOC sensors/analysers, reporting methods and data transmission and commercial viability analysis for various available technologies.