Va Tech Wabag, a water treatment company, has won a ₹220-crore contract under the Ganga Action Plan Project to build and operate a sewage treatment plant.

The Chennai-based multinational will operate and maintain the 140 million litre/day facility to come up in Dinapur, Varanasi, for 10 years for the Ganga Pollution Prevention Unit of UP Jal Nigam, Varanasi, the implementing agency.

Rajiv Mittal, MD, Wabag, told BusinessLine the contract value includes about ₹170 crore for construction and the balance ₹50 crore for operation and maintenance over the 10-year period.

Power from waste

A key feature of the project is that it will be self-sustaining in power as it will generate electricity from waste to run the systems.

Using the activated sludge process, it will generate biogas, which will generate around 1.5 MW of power.

This captive green power will bring down the operational cost as the treatment plant will not depend on grid power, Mittal said.

The Centre has recognised that financially viable solutions are key to cleaning the Ganga.

It is roping in the private sector for long-term operations and maintenance.

The Centre has indicated that the river cleaning project is a mega initiative involving an outlay of ₹50,000 crore.