The water treatment plant at Dakhinpur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, June 26: A 20-million-litre per day (MLD) water treatment plant, which is expected to relieve the city’s water woes substantially, is ready for use at Dakhinpur on the outskirts of this town.

“We have made the treatment plant operational on a trial basis and it is working successfully,” said assistant engineer of the project Jayant Nayak.

The 20 MLD water treatment plant at Dakhinpur was constructed under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) at a cost of Rs 527.95 lakh, funded jointly by the state and the centre.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik was scheduled to inaugurate the project on June 16, but it was deferred because of the state cabinet meeting held on the same day in the capital.

“Now, we are waiting for the chief minister to fix the date according to his convenience so that the project could be formally inaugurated,” he said.

Construction of a cascade aerator for the project, a rapid mixing unit, a clariflocculator, a filter house, a backwash tank, a pump house, an underground reservoir with 2 million litres capacity, an electric substation and a chlorinator house have already been completed. Construction of internal road and beautification of the project site was also in progress, Nayak said.

Water is being treated at the plant with lime and ferric alum after it passes through 10 slow sand filter beds. Later, it is supplied to the residents of the town after mixing chlorine to make it clearer. The water treatment plant would operate round-the-clock, he said.

While Berhampur’s 4.50 lakh inhabitants require at least 50 MLD water, they have to remain content with 37 MLD at present. Thus, there is a shortage of 13 MLD of water. The city gets 37 MLD of water everyday from three sources, including 17 MLD from Dakhinpur, 16 MLD form Rushikulya and 4 MLD from various production wells. As the water levels at various places get reduced drastically during the summer, the total supply of water during the summer months reaches to around 27 MLD or even less than that.

“We were supplying 17 MLD water from Dakhinpur. However, we are now supplying additional 10 MLD of water after the treatment plant started working on trial basis. So, the total amount of water for supply from Dakhinpur has now increased to 27 MLD,” Nayak said.

The Dakhinpur reservoir, which was made in the British era and is a major source of water for this town, was recently renovated.