1.                  Sewerage & Sanitation

1.1.            Underground Sewerage System

                        Nanded city has an underground sewerage system that was designed and developed by MJP in 1969-71.  The sewerage system was handed over to the then Nanded Municipal Council in 1974 for routine operation and maintenance. The sewerage system was designed for a peak load of 10 MLD.  The sewerage system has been mal-functioning for several years, with the 9 MLD treatment plant at Bondar virtually non-functional.  There is another sewage treatment plant near CIDCO township in south Nanded, with a treating capacity of 6 MLD.

                        The total length of the sewerage system is about 425 km, comprising about 25 km of main sewers and about 400 km of laterals.  While this may indicate adequate reach of the system compared to the total road length of about 425 km in the city, the fact is that only the core city area between the railway line and the river Godavari is adequately covered, while the rest of the area in North Nanded is inadequately covered.

                        There are two pumping stations – one at Old Mondha, near Gayatri Mandir (4 MLD) and another at Choufala Sul Tekdi (9 MLD).

                        Table 14 presents a summary of the sewage collection system in Nanded.

Table 14: Summary of the Sewage Collection System in Nanded

                          There are four trunk sewers serving the city which are designated as A, B, C, D and E, besides smaller branch sewers.  Major issues related to sewerage system relate to A, B & C sewer and there is a major bottleneck point near Vidyut Bhavan where three sewers meet and lead to the B sewer enroute.

a.       B Sewer: This is the largest sewer (42” dia) for the town and it serves the most thickly populated area of Nanded. Majority of sewage generated flows through this sewer. The chronic stretch of this sewer is from Bafna Junction up to the Chand Masjid area. Most of this stretch is built upon by slums encroached upon it. Thus the stretch of almost 1.4 Km is rendered inaccessible even for routine maintenance. This has led to severe silting inside the barrel of the sewer and the manholes blocking it completely in larger part of this stretch. The staff of NWMC has informed many collapses in this stretch in recent past. Complete blocking has resulted in the STP getting scanty sewage and it appears that the sewage from the line is percolating the ground - which is black cotton for a depth exceeding 8 to 10 m below GL and thus polluting the ground and ground water, which is available at substantially higher depths.

b.       C Sewer: This 36” dia sewer passes through the Veterinary college area in front of MAFCO compound. By the time the sewer enters the veterinary college it is heavily encroached upon by slums. Many crown collapses have been reported in this area by the NWMC staff. Fortunately, the collapses have not been below the hutments else it could have been disastrous. It is also noted that the fine grained soil – black cotton is eroding and entering in to the pipeline through openings thereby resulting in loss of ground support to the pipeline and this in turn is causing joint settlement and severe misalignment.

c.       A Sewer: This is a smaller sewer, which is showing blockages and resulting in inefficient functioning.

                        The overall sewerage network is over 35 years old and is in a very bad condition.  The foundation of the pipeline is highly dilapidated, resulting in cracks ion the RCC sewer mains.  Due to the predominantly black cotton soil in Nanded and ageing of the sewerage system components, the chambers and the manholes have also developed cracks. In addition, due to inadequate capacity, choking and substantial breaches in the system, the sewage discharged into the system does not flow as per plan.  Most of the sewerage and storm water drainage system are now intermingled and they ultimately discharge untreated sewage mixed with sullage and storm water into the river Godavari.

There are about 23,120 sewer connections (toilet seats connected to the sewerage system), constituting only about 36 per cent of the total number of property tax assessments.

View PDF Figure 6: Map showing key Components of the Sewerage System

1.1.            Public Conveniences / Community Toilets

                        NWCMC has set up 41 public convenience units at strategic public locations and in slum areas to provide safe and hygienic sanitation facilities to the floating population as well as to slum dwellers.  Such public conveniences are located at 33 different locations, offering about 323sets. 

1.2.            Initiatives under National River Action Plan

                        NWCMC had received assistance of about Rs. 13 crore under the National River Action Plan from the Government of India, to undertake works to prevent pollution of Godavari river.  The project components include:

a.       Interception & diversion of sewage (Rs. 9.95 crore)

i.                  Extension of Osmanshahi Nallah and construction of a 30 m long weir

ii.                 Construction of interception weirs across 19 drains

iii.               Improvements to connecting and branch sewers

iv.               Construction of interceptor sewer from MH to pumping station (4 km and 52 manhole chambers)

v.                Construction of pumping station with transformer yard generator room

vi.               Construction of 1.75 km of pumping main

vii.             Construction of approach bridge

viii.            Installation of pumping machinery and transmission main

ix.               Miscellaneous works (fencing, electrification, etc.)

b.       Sewage Treatment Plant (Rs. 2.77 crore)

1.3.            Key Issues & Strategy Options for Sewerage & Sanitation

1.3.1.      Issues & Observations

a.       The sewerage system in Nanded comprises about 425 km of sewer network confined to north Nanded.  However the system is virtually non-functional due to choking and breaches throughout the system. 

b.       The treatment plant designed for a peak load of 10 MLD is far below the estimated 40 MLD of sewage generated – it is non-functional though. 

c.       Over time, in order to ensure discharge of sewage, the sewerage system has been intermingled with the storm water drainage network and all the sewage, sullage and storm water are discharged into the Godavari river.

d.       Slum sanitation has not been a conscious priority and public conveniences have not been strategically provided.

e.       NWCMC is currently carrying out a detailed engineering study to improve the sewerage system in the city.  This study seems to be ignoring the existing system of about 425 km of sewer network, and is proposing a new system, while an effort needs to be made to integrate as much of the existing system as possible.

1.4.            Strategy Options

a.       NWCMC should carry out a diagnosis of the sewerage existing system and propose a new system integrating as much of the existing system as possible.  The sewerage plan should focus on the densely populated areas and potential development areas, while the fringe and under-developed areas need to be serviced through decentralized low cost sanitation methods in a manner that they can be incorporated in the mainstream system as and when the achieve threshold sewage flows required for efficient functioning of the sewerage system.

b.       A detailed slum sanitation program needs to developed and implemented.

c.       A comprehensive operations manual needs to be prepared and the municipal staff to be trained in operating the system in a scientific manner.

2.                  Storm Water Drainage

                        The storm water drainage system (SWD) in Nanded comprises of about 261 km of roadside drainage network of different hierarchies and types, as presented in the following table.  In addition, there are about 12.5 km of nallahs that drain into the river Godavari.  The SWD system is intermingled with the sewerage system and comprises the natural drainage system and the road side man-made drainage network. 

                        Table 15 presents a summary of the storm water drainage network in Nanded.

Table 15: Summary of Storm Water Drainage Network in Nanded

                            The city, specifically the core old city area is prone to frequent floods, as the low and high flood lines extend into the heart of the area.  There are other areas in North Nanded beyond the railway line and in South Nanded on the banks of the river Godavari, that are prone to flooding during the monsoons due to an inadequate storm water drainage network.

2.1.            Key Issues & Strategy Options for Storm Water Drainage

2.1.1.      Issues & Observations

                        The storm water drainage network is unplanned and mainly comprises roadside drains primarily intended to drain the road surface.  Substantial portions of the city along the riverbank on both sides and areas north of the railway line are prone to flooding and water stagnation in monsoons, resulting in loss to economy and health hazards.

2.1.2.      Strategy Options

                        NWCMC needs to develop an adequate storm water drainage network in a scientific manner, taking into consideration key parameters of precipitation intensity, catchments delineation, percolation characteristics and surface runoff.  The possibility of rainwater harvesting at the micro and macro levels needs to be explored and implemented.
 

3.                  Solid Waste Management

                        The total amount of solid waste generated in Nanded is to the tune of about 149 tonnes per day, at an average of about 300 gpcd.

                        While there has been no initiative to establish the waste characteristics, source-wise, about 73 percent of the quantity of waste is estimated to be generated from domestic sources, followed by about 23 percent from commercial establishments and markets and the rest from industries.

3.1.            Collection & Transportation System

                        The city is divided into five zones for the purpose of conservancy operations – street sweeping and collection.  There are 530 uncovered dustbins and 10 containers placed all over the city for collection of municipal solid waste. The corporation has about 20 vehicles of different types, for conservancy purposes, but most of these are non-functional and prone to frequent breakdown.  These vehicles are primarily used to service far-flung areas like the CIDCO Township and other fringe areas. 

                        Most of the collection and transportation activities are outsourced to a private contractor who is paid at the rate of Rs. 60,000 per day for collection and transportation of solid waste from all the zones.  The Municipal Corporation’s role is now largely confined to street sweeping and monitoring collection and transportation activities of the private Contractor.

                        The private contractor has deployed 20 hydraulic tractors, 2 covered waste collection vans, 1 dumper placer, and 150 Cycle rickshaws for door to door collection of dry and wet waste in separate containers.

                        There has been no attempt to measure / audit the waste collection system, but crude estimates are that the collection efficiency is to the tune of about 75 percent of the waste generated.

3.2.            Waste Disposal

                        Presently the Municipal Solid Waste is disposed in a dumping ground at Valmiki Nagar, near Maltekdi in an area of 3.32 Ha. There is no treatment facility, and the garbage collected from the city is merely dumped at this site.  This site has been in use since around 1975 and may need to be assessed for its capacity to handle more dumping, as well as to assess its suitability for installing scientific treatment and disposal methods.

                        The Municipal Corporation has sought to acquire a piece of land measuring about 7.20 Ha at Puvani, for development of a scientific engineered landfill facility.

3.3.            Bio Medical Waste

                        There are no estimates of the quantum of bio medical waste generated in Nanded.  NWCMC has engaged a private agency for the collection of biomedical waste from all the medical facilities in the city.  This agency collects biomedical waste from all the private facilities for a monthly fee of Rs. 300 per private clinic, and transports it to the Incinerator facility at the General Hospital for disposal.  The private agency pays a fee per unit weight of waste to be disposed at the Incinerator.  It is estimated that about 300 kg of bio medical waste is generated per day.

3.4.            Key Issues & Strategy Options for Solid Waste Management

                        The waste collection efficiency is to the tune of only about 75 percent of the daily waste generated.  The Corporation does not employ any scientific method for treatment and disposal of solid waste.  The current disposal site was intended to be developed as a recycling-cum-disposal facility with a compost plant, but it didn’t work  out due to heterogeneous characteristics of the waste, with substantial quantities of plastic and construction debris.

                        There is a need to develop a comprehensive solid waste management system in the city based on adequate investigations and estimation of quality and quantity of waste generated.  The proposed system should aim at applying best practices solid waste management, including in waste segregation at source, community-based collection systems, efficient transportation and scientific treatment and disposal of waste.  There are several models of privatization being practices in the country today – NWCMC could consider adopting most appropriate frameworks, methods and technologies for managing its waste.