Team Herald
MARGAO: In a progressive step to combat pollution and address water scarcity at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, treated effluent water from fish meal and processing units is now being supplied to steel units in the area.
The fish meal plant, United Marine Ltd, and the fish processing unit, Quality Foods, have already started supplying treated water to the steel units. Abhay Keni, President of the Cuncolim Industries Association, expressed confidence that other fish processing units will follow suit after upgrading their Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs).
Keni explained that steel units at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate require approximately 700 kilolitres of water per day, which is currently supplied by tankers to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). On the other hand, fish meal and fish processing units consume about 500 kilolitres of water daily, which is either released as effluent or used for gardening. By redirecting this treated water to the steel units, both the water usage and pollution can be significantly reduced.
“This is just the beginning of our efforts to cap pollution. The water supplied by the fish meal and processing units has no BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) or COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), and its acceptance by the steel units, after laboratory testing, shows that the treated water can be effectively recycled,” Keni noted.
While the water used in fish meal and processing units contains effluents more hazardous than household wastewater, it is being treated to ensure its safety for reuse.
Although the water is not potable, it can be used for cooling slags and controlling dust at the steel plants. Usman Khan of Quality Foods shared that the fish processing units have been supplying treated water to steel units 2-3 times a day, with around 2,000 litres being delivered per supply. He confirmed that their ETP has been upgraded to handle this process.
Keni added that by the New Year, more fish processing units are expected to join the initiative and begin supplying their treated effluent water to the steel units. Previously, the treated water from the fish units had been used to support green forestry projects within the IDC, where around 5,000 trees were planted. A few months ago, the fish meal plants were asked to suspend operrations by the Pollution Control Board, after raw effluents were found contaminating local water bodies and fields.