Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation ( GVMC ) is planning to augment its sewerage network in the area-based development (ABD) part of the city under the Smart City Mission.Besides revamping the existing network and filling the gaps, the Jalaripeta area will get a new sewerage network. In all, about 3,017 houses will be brought into the underground drainage network fold. A detail study, carried out by the GVMC, has identified around 8.6 kilometres of missing links within the ABD area.On the other hand, 7.5 kilometres of new sewerage network will be laid in the Jalaripeta area. While 70 per cent of the households in the area are connected to the sewerage system, the remaining 30 per cent are under the existing storm water network, which is discharged into the sea.The two existing sewerage treatment plants in the ABD area — the 25 MLD STP near Appughar and 38 MLD STP near Lakshmi Talkies — remain underutilised as the current inflow of sewerage into both the STPs is about 19 MLD each. Both the plants have secondary treatment facilities with extended aeration process.With the existing treatment technology, the quality of the treated water is not suitable for industrial needs. As a result, the treated sewerage effluent is let out into the sea. Now, both the STPs will be technologically upgraded to match up with the treated water quality requirements of industries as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) standards. These two plants will also be completely automated with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) operating system with sensors and other measures to determine quantitative and qualitative parameters of influent, effluent etc.A GVMC senior official informed that “the project will fill all the gaps in sewerage network of wards 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the city so that the households which were left out of the network will be also be connected to it”. The pumping stations at Pandurangapuram and Shanti Ashramam will also be upgraded to serve the upgraded STPs. The nearly 1 km sewerage gravity line from Durgalamma temple to the 38 MLD STP will also be replaced, he said.

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