Patna: Extensive plans have been made to set up sewerage and sewage treatment plants in major Bihar towns located on the banks of Ganga to reduce discharge of polluted water in the river.

With the aid provided by the World Bank, nine sewerage treatment plants are being built in Bihar in 10 towns. The plan is being executed in Munger, Hajipur, Buxar, Patna, Mokama, Bhagalpur, Barh, Naugachia, Sultanganj and Begusarai.

The Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) has been given the task to execute the project, which would cost around Rs 4,300 crore. While Rs 384.35 crore would be spent towards executing the project in Munger, Rs 367.20 crore would be spent on the project in Hajipur. On the other hand, Rs 210 crore and Rs 219.46 crore would be spent to set up the sewerage network and treatment plants in Buxar and Begusarai respectively.

BUIDCo managing director Amrendra Prasad Singh said: "All the plants will be completed by 2019. The agencies building the plants will take care of its maintenance for the next 10 years."

In a major step taken to develop adequate sewage treatment infrastructure in Patna to keep Ganga clean, projects worth Rs 1,050 crore have been awarded under Namami Gange programme in 2017. The amount will be spent for setting up two sewage treatment plants, renovation of an existing plant, construction of two pumping stations and laying underground sewage network of about 400km.

The projects not only aim to treat the current sewage generation in respective zones of Patna, but also take into account the sewage estimates of next one decade, considering the expected rise of population in the city, said an urban development official, adding: "The treated water can be used for different purposes such as irrigation, agriculture and floriculture."