BENGALURU: A Smart Metering System that keeps a tab on every drop of water being utilised at the grand Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal at Baiyappanahalli is just one of the many initiatives undertaken to conserve water in this sprawling campus.
Also in the pipeline is an Automatic Coach Washing Plant, which will significantly reduce water usage for cleaning train coaches. Lost in the grandeur of the spectacular station are the major water conservation efforts quietly effected here which can serve as a model for other stations across the country.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Ajay Singh, Chief Public Relations Officer cum Chief Mechanical Engineer, Environment and Housekeeping Management, South Western Railway, said, “Unlike in the older stations where water consumption is being tracked manually, we have installed the SCADA system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) here, wherein there is real-time monitoring of the water usage. It is being tracked separately by engineers in the Utility department.”
The station has been installed with an in-house Sewage Treatment Plant that can treat upto 400 Kilo litres per day. The treated water is used internally for cleaning of trains, station area as well as gardening etc.
Further, installation of a Rs 1.6 crore Automatic Coach Washing Plant in pipeline would cut down fresh water usage by 80% as well as significantly reduce the time taken to clean a rake, the CPRO said. A whopping 300 litres of water is required to do exterior cleaning of each coach of a train . “ With a ACWP, nearly 80% of this water is recycled, with a top up of balance with fresh water,” Singh said.
“SMTB has in place Roof Top Harvesting structures covering 27,000 square metres and the water goes below the ground thereby boosting the water table level,” he said. There are 20 injection wells, running to a depth of 70 metre each, which play the role of recharge pits.
A Water Treatment Plant to clean the rainwater is also installed here, based on the Silica Sand Carbon Filter System, which helps in improving the used water to potable standards, the official added. With these efforts, the water footprint of the station has been kept at a minimum.