Environmental Safeguards
Basic infrastructure projects like water supply, sewerage and sanitation shall undoubtedly contribute to the improvement of environmental quality as well as health and economic well being of the people. Benefits arising from safe sewerage system include:
- reduced pollution of water resources (ground and surface water)
- Improved environmental quality
- improved aesthetics
- better public health particularly reduction in waterborne and infectious diseases
- improved economic condition from better health conditions, improvement in economic man-days, and avoiding cost of alternative water supply
However, infrastructure facilities that are not well conceived/planned/constructed or operated, and which are also not socially acceptable or environmentally benign may lead to potential adverse impacts which may have far more implications than the benefits. Therefore it is important these are identified well at the master plan stage and are suitably integrated into all the stages from concept to construction and operation so that the positive benefits are increase manifold.
The following impacts/issues needs to be considered while planning/designing of sewerage projects:
- Water and land pollution risk due to inadequate treatment and improper disposal
- Improper selection of treatment process without considering local conditions
- Impacts due to improper disposal of sludge from treatment plants
- Impacts on soil and agriculture due to high operational and efficiency problems of treatment plants
- Contamination of treated supplies due to wrong placement of water supply and sewerage lines
- Creation of stagnant pools of waste water due to leakage and over flows
- Odour, flies and insect nuisance due to inappropriate location/design of facilities
- Groundwater contamination due to leaching from leakages from sewers
- Impacts due to improper location of disposal point such as locating near to the water intake point.
- Increase in energy loads
- Disposal of treated waste water