Overview
Garden Reach wastewater treatment plant serves Maheshtala in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, West Bengal, India. It treats wastewater from over 317,000 people and has a designed capacity of 1.00 million cubic meters per day.
Garden Reach is a major wastewater treatment plant located in Maheshtala, within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area in West Bengal, India. Serving a population of over 317,000, it is a key facility for managing municipal wastewater in the densely populated South 24 Parganas district. The plant operates under India's environmental regulations, which require appropriate treatment for large urban agglomerations. Plants of this scale typically employ secondary or advanced treatment to meet discharge standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board. Treated effluent from Garden Reach is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges. The Hooghly River supports diverse aquatic life and is vital for drinking water, irrigation, and industry in the region. Proper treatment at Garden Reach helps protect this important river ecosystem and downstream communities.
Environmental context
The plant's treated effluent flows into the Hooghly River, a major distributary of the Ganges, which empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Hooghly River supports a rich aquatic ecosystem, including the critically endangered Ganges river dolphin, and provides water for millions of people. Effective wastewater treatment is crucial to prevent nutrient pollution and protect this ecologically sensitive river system.
Frequently asked questions
Garden Reach wastewater treatment plant is located in Maheshtala, within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India.
The plant serves a population of over 317,000 people, making it a large agglomeration under Indian urban wastewater management standards.
Treated wastewater from Garden Reach is discharged into local waterways that flow into the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges, which eventually reaches the Bay of Bengal.
The plant operates under India's Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and is regulated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, which set discharge standards for municipal wastewater.
For large agglomerations like Garden Reach, typical treatment includes secondary biological processes such as activated sludge or sequential batch reactors, often followed by tertiary treatment to meet stringent discharge norms for sensitive water bodies.
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