Chennai Metro Water board’s pumping stations to get odour-control system

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is all set to install an odour-control system (OCS) at all major pumping stations.

There are 373 pumping stations within the city limits for safe disposal of sewage generated in the city, covering an area of 426 sq/km. The average sewage generated in the city is around 650 megalitres/day (MLD).

The CMWSSB has been receiving several complaints from residents from in and around the areas of the pumping stations, that the gases emitting from waste-processing not only causes a bad odour, it’s also hazardous to their health. So, the Metro Water board will install an OCS each at 46 pumping stations including Kodambakkam, KK Nagar, Jafferkhanpet, T Nagar and other stations in densely populated areas.

The board floated the tender to design, manufacture, supply and deliver the OCS, with the responsibility of maintaining it for five years after commissioning. “The successful bidder will be given 7 months – 6 for designing manufacturing, supply, and installation, and one month for testing and commissioning,” said an official from CMWSSB.

The OCS unit will have an activated carbon filter for filtration, single stage with activated carbon filter (ACF) and dual stage including ACF and bio-trickling filter (BTF). “The system will treat the odour gas that has hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in high quantity, which is a colourless gas with a very bad odour and highly corrosive in nature,” added the official.