Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) on Friday reviewed the performance of a 1 MLD pilot sewage treatment project using Japan’s advanced Bio-Lace technology—the first pilot demonstration of its kind in India for treating polluted nalas.The project, implemented at the Fatehnagar Sewage Treatment Plant with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan-based TBR, aims to assess the technology’s effectiveness in treating polluted urban drains.HMWSSB managing director K Ashok Reddy said the pilot had produced encouraging results.“The pilot project has demonstrated significant improvement in water quality, indicating that the technology can serve as an efficient and environmentally sustainable solution for controlling pollution in urban drains,” he said.Reddy added that HMWSSB is working towards its goal of rejuvenating Hyderabad’s polluted nalas within the coming year. He said the board is also examining the feasibility of deploying the Bio-Lace technology directly in flowing nalas after a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot project.According to officials, the Bio-Lace technology has been used to restore more than 400 rivers and waterways in Japan. Compared with conventional sewage treatment plants, it requires 70–85% less land, reduces power consumption by more than 50%, operates without chemicals by using naturally occurring microorganisms, generates less sludge, and has lower operation and maintenance costs.Representatives of TBR said the Hyderabad pilot achieved a 90% reduction in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and an 85% reduction in Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The project also reduced foul odour and improved dissolved oxygen levels in the treated water.The Telangana Pollution Control Board will evaluate the pilot before a decision is taken on its suitability for future sewage treatment plants and nala restoration projects in Hyderabad.
