JICA explores new avenues for cooperation in sewage management

VARANASI: The team of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), during its two-day visit, tried to explore new avenues of cooperation particularly in sewage management and water quality improvement in the towns situated along the banks of the Ganga in the region. The team also took note of the progress in the old JICA funded projects in the city.
JICA’s Ganga River pollution control project, one of the direct outcomes of the meeting between the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Japanese Prime Minister J Koizumi at Tokyo in December 2001, is now looking forward to expand its activities in PM Narendra Modi’s constituency and other neighbouring areas.
“The JICA team was here to explore further scope of funding for sewage management in the city as well as other adjoining districts,” JB Rai, general manager of Ganga Pollution Control unit of UP Jal Nigam told TOI. According to him, the JICA team was interested in taking up sewage treatment work in other towns including Chunar, Mirzapur, Ramnagar and Ghazipur. The towns like Mughalsarai, Saidpur and Jamania would also be taken up in the next phase.
The seven-member JICA team was on a study tour to the city on Thursday and Friday. During their stay they held meeting with officials of Varanasi Municipal Corporation and UP Jal Nigam. The team also visited different localities including Deenapur, where the work of JICA funded 140MLD sewage treatment plant is being constructed, and Ramna, a site of STP where presently municipal waste is dumped.
“We have already prepared a detailed project report of sewage management at Chunar, while the DPR of Mirzapur will be ready by February 28,” said Rai adding that the DPRs of other places including Ramna, Ghazipur and Ramnagar are in process. He said that the works of 140MLD STP at Deenapur have been started and it would be commissioned by March 2017. The other components of JICA project like construction of sewage line and pumping station are almost in completion stage. Initially, the JICA funded STP was to be established at Sathwa village, but it was later shifted to Deenapur due to strong protest of farmers against land acquisition.
It may be mentioned here that the JICA assisted Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-II project is in progress in the city under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) programme at the cost of Rs 496.90 crore. JICA had undertaken Development Study on Water Quality Management Plan for Ganga River in February 2003 after the meeting of Vajpayee and Koizumi in 2001. The city generates about 400MLD sewage against which the capacity of sewage treatment is only 102MLD, and remaining untreated sewage is directly discharged into the Ganga.
The pathetic condition of sanitation and poor management of municipal waste also attracted the attention of JICA team. The municipal commissioner Umakant Tripathi said that any new arrangement for solid waste management would be possible only when the dispute between VMC and A2Z company is settled. It may be mentioned here that for last two years the solid waste management is out of gear after A2Z stopped functioning following a dispute over payment of dues. “Any new arrangement will be possible only after the termination of agreement between the company and VMC,” Tripathi told TOI further adding that the things in this regard are in process.