City sanitation system gets ISO 9001 boost

Even as the sewage system in the city has been facing a shortfall in treatment and disposal facilities for a while, the civic authorities have managed to obtain the prestigious ISO 9001 certification for their marine outfalls and waste water treatment plants at Colaba, Love Grove and Bandra.

The certification obtained by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday will enable the civic body to meet the standards laid down by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for treating waste and will also increase the chances of improving sanitation facilities under the recently cleared Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project 2 (MSDP).

BMC manages a sewage network of 1500 km of sewer lines, 55,000 manholes, 50 sewage pumping stations, three marine outfalls, three lagoons and seven Waste Water Treatment Facilities (WWTFs).

“This certification will also help in improving health and environment conditions,” says Manu Kumar Shrivastava, Additional Municipal Commissioner (city).

Sewage collection, conveyance, and disposal system in the city is conducted in seven sewerage zones. Disposal of untreated sewage along the city’s coast is dangerous because the ocean has a limited capacity to accommodate this waste.

But Shrivastava adds that these problems in sewage treatment are expected to be tackled in Phase-II of the Rs5,000-crore MSDP.  With the certification in place the BMC will have to constantly upgrade its knowledge and skills, and also reduce the pollution load in water.