Va Tech all set to pipe ‘ultra pure' water for Commonwealth Games

Nearly 8,000 athletes and officials from 71 Common Wealth Games Associations will be provided with ‘ultra pure' water at the 19 {+t} {+h} Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in Delhi during October 3-14, 2010.

Providing pure water was one of the main conditions laid down by the Games' committee, according to Mr Rajiv Mittal, Managing Director, Va Tech Wabag, which has put up the water treatment plant. The technology used at the water treatment plant will be “unique as we have used two-layered membrane process to make ultra pure for the first time in this country for drinking water,” he told newspersons.

“During the 1982 Asian Games only ordinary tap water was made available to all. However, at the CWG, treated water will be made available everywhere, including kitchen and bathrooms,” he said.

The plant will be ready for pre-commissioning in January and is expected to be handed over to the Delhi Jal Board in March. After the Games, the plant will be used to provide pure water to people settling down in the Games village. The scope of the work for VA Tech includes design, construction, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, trial run, one year defect liability and three-year operation and maintenance, he said.

Mr Mittal said the plant would have capacity to produce ‘ultra pure' one million gallon litres of water a day. The village consists of residential blocks, police station, hotels, cyber cafes, gymnasium and a community hall. Additionally, the plant would also cater to the water requirement of the Akshardam Temple.

The plant has been set up on the banks of the river Yamuna. As a back-up, the plant will also have a connection from Sonia Vihar water plant. This will act as a standby source to be utilised if and when the ground water is insufficient in quantity or of low quality.

Mr Mittal said the company was open to acquiring companies that can help VA Tech in future growth in the fields of technology, new markets and BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) opportunities. The company has nearly Rs 300 crore in cash, and has “capacity for acquisition up to Rs 1,000 crore,” he said. “We have appointed advisors, and should do the acquisition in the next six-eight months.”