A multimillion dinar, state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant designed to ease the pressure on Bahrain's strained sewer system is set to be unveiled in Hidd tomorrow (June 25).

 

The Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and Conveyance System Project sits on 157,000 sq m of reclaimed land near Khalifa bin Salman Port and has the capacity to deal with an estimated 100 million litres of sewage per day, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

 

Once its pumps spring to life, following an official inauguration by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa tomorrow morning, the plant will cut demands on Bahrain's only other major wastewater treatment centre at Tubli - and could also help reduce flooding in parts of Manama, according to Works Ministry public relations and media director Fahad Buallay.

 

"The Muharraq STP is one of the most strategic projects for the sanitary sector - mainly because it covers the whole of Muharraq island, which houses a large percentage of Bahrain's population," he said.

 

"The project also covers new housing projects in Amwaj and other similar future projects.

 

"And most importantly, it would significantly reduce dependency on the existing major STP at Tubli, thus helping to reduce flooding in Manama - especially in the Hoora and Gudaibiya areas."

 

Sewage leaks in those areas of the capital have caused misery for residents on numerous occasions, with the GDN reporting on wastewater floods in both 2007 and 2009.

 

In late 2012, Works Minister Essam Khalaf revealed to MPs that the source of some of the sewage network's problems was the fact that the Tubli plant had been receiving more than 300 million litres of wastewater a day - or 1.5 times its current capacity.

 

The new Muharraq STP has a lifespan of 25 years, cost more than BD100 million ($263.9 million) to build and is designed with future expansion in mind so it can handle an additional 60 million litres of waste per day.

 

Ongoing expansion plans at Tubli STP, meanwhile, could almost double its capacity in the future.

 

Buallay told the GDN that the activation of the new STP would also "dramatically reduce the chances of flooding and unpleasant odours" from sewage as it follows on the back of the decommissioning of 24 wastewater pumping stations that were spread across Muharraq island.

 

"Now, with this STP in place, it will make life easier and also eliminate the chances of problems with the network in future," he said.

 

"The project is also unique in that it takes care of the odour released during water treatment automatically." Operations at the plant will be overseen by the Muharraq STP Company as part of a 27-year build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) scheme - the first of its kind in Bahrain. - TradeArabia News Service