UK-based company Bluewater Bio said it has completed a multi-million dinar project to revolutionise the treatment of wastewater in Bahrain.

The upgrading of the wastewater treatment plant at Tubli Water Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) is one of the largest upgrades of its kind in the GCC and increases its capacity by 50 per cent, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Bluewater Bio carried out the work on behalf of the Works Ministry, which signed the BD8 million ($21 million) contract in July 2011.

"To be spearheading such a prestigious project, that in the long run will not only address the overloading at the plant but also make a major contribution to the environmental regeneration of the area, is very exciting for all involved," said Bluewater Bio founder and chief executive officer Daniel Ishag.

"This is a showpiece project and it's the largest upgrade of any wastewater plant in the GCC.

"It shows how Bahrain's government is set on dramatically improving existing standards; actions speak louder than words.

"The new upgrade will alleviate stress from the plant, which has been severely overloaded for a number of years, and make it 20 times more efficient.

"As the population of Bahrain has grown, its infrastructure hasn't grown at the same pace.

"We have now increased the capacity to meet the current population."

The plant receives in excess of 300,000 cu m of waste a day, but when it was built was only equipped to handle 200,000 cu m.

Its capacity has now been increased as a result of the upgrade to 300,000 cu m a day, significantly easing pressure on the plant.

The new-look facility was officially launched under the patronage of Works Minister Essam Khalaf yesterday.

The project is part of an ongoing development of Tubli Sewage Treatment Plant, which started in 2009. The full project will be complete by 2014 and includes further improvements at Muharraq Sewage Plant.

"We cannot say that we have managed to overcome all problems as this is related to the flow directed at the plant, which still exceeds its capacity," said sanitary engineering assistant under-secretary at the Works Ministry Khalifa Al Mansoor.

"Yet we can assure you that all this work is resulting in an evident improvement at the plant.

"The Ministry of Works' continuous efforts to improve the quality of sanitary services go hand in hand with Bahrain's keenness to improve infrastructure and keep pace with the social and economic boom in the country." - TradeArabia News Service