CB BureauUnited Way Bengaluru (UWBe), BBMP and Citizen’s Group have begun an initiative to construct an ecofriendly sewage treatment plant (STP) of 1 million litres a day (1MLD) capacity at the Mahadevapura Lake in Bengaluru. To be accomplished in partnership with various corporates in the city, the multi-stakeholder effort aims to rejuvenate the Mahadevapura Lake, which adjoins several offices at Bagmane World Technology Centre. The initiative is supported by Amazon, Mphasis, Dell Technologies, HTC Global and BORDA. The plant is now operational.
The STP is an ecofriendly natural solution and will tap and treat 1MLD wastewater flowing in an adjoining drain and discharge it into the lake every day. It is a chemical-free process that doesn’t depend much on electricity for treating the wastewater. The anaerobic process called DEWATS mimics natural processes by providing the right conditions for microbial action.
UWBe has already successfully executed its Wake the Lake campaign. Bengaluru-based Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society (CDD Society) has provided the technical expertise for design and implementation of the STP. The construction was led by Revlon Buildtech. BBMP is the owner of the lake and has helped to identify and allocate land for the construction of the STP and get necessary permissions and approvals from the government. It will also be taking over the maintenance of the STP after the organisations’ exit from the project, a spokesperson from Mphasis explained to CauseBecause.
Mphasis will fund the maintenance of the lake for two years (which will cover STP maintenance during the project period), with the twin objectives of enhancing biodiversity and empowering the local community to take ownership of the lake.
‘We have a responsibility to give back to the society we reside in and this project with UWBe and BBMP is one such effort. We hope this initiative will bring back the lake its lost glory. This is a classic example of collaboration to safeguard nature for our future generations,” said Meenu Bhambhani, vice president and head of corporate social responsibility, Mphasis, in a press release.
‘We hope that this project serves as an example for managing untreated wastewater that enters our lakes in large quantities. It is very commendable that corporates have come together to fund this project. The CSR financing allowed us to implement the project in a design-build model that provided for a more dynamic implementation approach to accommodate unforeseen site conditions,’ said PG Ganapathy, director (programs), CDD Society.