Patna, March 12: Leaking pipes and overflowing drains could be a thing of the past as Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) is planning to give the capital’s decades old sewerage a facelift.

The BUIDCo has set the ball rolling for an ambitious project that plans to revamp the sewerage across the capital. According to sources, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has handed over the project to the government agency, as it lacked adequate manpower and technical expertise to implement the plan.

A private consultant has already prepared a detailed project report for the job. The project envisages renovation of four sewage-treatment plants, construction of two more, a new sewerage, more community toilets and public conveniences, construction of a main drain, primary and secondary drains, removing encroachment over drains in market areas and creation of sump houses.

“The cost of the project will be around Rs 500 crore. Half of the cost will be borne by National Ganga River Basin Authority while the rest will be taken care of by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission — a central government scheme,” said a senior BUIDCo official.

The new system will be able to treat around 250 million litres per day (mld) of sewage. The official added that tender documents were being prepared to invite bidders for the project, which will be carried out in phases.

“We want to develop a system that can handle 250-300mld sewage. Every household and commercial establishment would be connected to the system,” the official said.

The estimated sewage generation in the capital was 224.6mld in 2011 and is expected to increase to 551mld by 2030.