STP Nurpur Wastewater Treatment Plant, Baud, Himachal Pradesh

STP Nurpur is a wastewater treatment plant located in Baud, near Nurpur in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The plant was designed to serve a population of around 15,075 people, placing it in the medium-agglomeration category for Indian municipal wastewater systems. It is situated along NH154 in a region characterized by the foothills of the Himalayas. Although the plant is currently non-operational, Indian wastewater treatment plants of this scale typically employ technologies such as activated sludge process, sequencing batch reactors, or upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors, depending on local requirements. The regulatory framework for such plants is governed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, which mandates treatment standards for discharge into water bodies. The area drains into the Ravi River basin, which flows through Himachal Pradesh and into Pakistan, eventually reaching the Arabian Sea. The local watershed supports agricultural and ecological systems, and proper wastewater treatment is critical to prevent contamination of these downstream environments.

STP Nurpur is located in the Ravi River basin, a transboundary river system that originates in Himachal Pradesh and flows through the Kangra region. The river supports diverse aquatic life and is used for irrigation and domestic purposes downstream. The plant's non-operational status poses a risk of untreated or partially treated wastewater entering local streams, which could affect water quality in the Ravi River and its tributaries, ultimately impacting the river's ecological health and downstream communities.