N.S. Bhosaraju, Kodagu District In-charge Minister, recently inaugurated the Mobile Septage Treatment Unit (MTU) vehicles, which will be operational for the first time in the state and in Kodagu district. The District In-charge Minister flagged off three Mobile Septage Treatment Unit vehicles, which will operate in association with the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Swachh Bharat Kosh Trust, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), and the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat.
What is a Mobile Septage Treatment Unit: Kodagu district has introduced mobile sewage treatment vehicles for the first time in Karnataka. Sewage treatment plants have already been constructed and are functioning at Bhagamandala in Madikeri taluk and at Suntikoppa in Kushalnagar taluk.
While a conventional sewage treatment plant takes at least three months for solid and liquid waste to be completely separated and processed, a mobile sewage treatment vehicle completes this process in just a few hours. It purifies the water in the separated sewage by 60 to 70 percent. Though this water is not suitable for drinking, it can be used for gardens and plants, or discharged into drains.The remaining processed sewage, which is about 80 percent decomposed, can be used in the preparation of manure before being sent to the sewage treatment plant.
Funding: Three vehicles are already operational in the district, at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh each, amounting to Rs. 90 lakh in total. This expenditure has been fully met by the Swachh Bharat Kosh Trust.The vehicles will serve the Kutta, Napoklu, and Shanivarsanthe Gram Panchayat limits in Kodagu district. In the future, they will also be available for service at the taluk level.As these vehicles are being introduced for the first time in the state through Kodagu district, it is expected that other districts will also be inspired to adopt this facility.
The capacity of each vehicle is 6 kilolitres per day. Importantly, there is no need to transport sewage to a treatment plant for management and disposal, as the entire process takes place within the vehicle itself. The complete equipment system is installed in the vehicle, making it transportable and capable of carrying out treatment operations anywhere.
