Bhubaneswar: The housing and urban development department has directed the Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board to identify land for a third sewerage treatment plant here to ensure proper sewer management.

The city is already constructing two such plants at Kalinga Nagar and Basuaghai. "We have decided to construct a third plant to tackle the city's sewerage burden," said a housing and urban development official.

The directive the sewerage board asks it to look for land in the city's sixth sewerage district. Sources said the plant was likely to be constructed around VSS Nagar. "We had plans to construct the first plant at VSS Nagar, but some environmental problems prevented us from going ahead," said the official.

"The pollution control board had raised some concern about the area. But there is need for a sewerage treatment plant in the area," said another official.

They said if not in the heart of VSS Nagar, available options in the surrounding area would be explored.

Officials said like the other plants, the third would also have the capacity to treat about 40 million litres of wastewater a day before releasing the same into the river. The plant will be constructed and operated using decentralised water treatment technology or Dewat, an effective and efficient wastewater treatment solution that minimises water and soil pollution. It is based on the principle of low cost and maintenance, sources said. "Dewat is the most accepted system for sewerage treatment plants," said environmentalist Alok Mohanty.

Mohanty lauded the government's efforts and said there was a need for more such facilities in the city. "Bhubaneswar generates gallons of wastewater every day. The authorities should calculate the amount and construct the plants accordingly to save people from water-borne diseases," he said.