Project Overview:

Location: Salaja Hospital, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India

Capacity: Designed for effluent treatment from 150 hospital beds

Executing Agency: Installed following norms of Pollution Control Board (PCB)

Background: Salaja Hospital, a prominent healthcare facility in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, serves a significant number of patients and requires effective management of wastewater generated from medical and sanitary activities. To address environmental concerns and comply with regulatory requirements, the hospital undertook the installation of an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). The ETP was crucial to treat hospital effluent before its discharge into the municipal sewer system or the environment, ensuring that contaminants and pollutants are removed to acceptable levels.

Challenges:

Complexity of Wastewater: Hospital effluent contains a diverse range of contaminants, including pathogens, pharmaceutical residues, and potentially hazardous chemicals from cleaning agents and medical procedures.

Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to stringent norms set by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) to ensure that treated effluent meets discharge standards and poses no environmental or public health risks.

Operational Integration: Integrating the ETP seamlessly into the hospital's existing infrastructure and operational workflows to minimize disruption to patient care and facility operations.

Solution:

Capacity and Design: The ETP was designed to handle wastewater from 150 hospital beds, taking into account the average daily wastewater flow and variability in composition due to medical procedures and sanitary activities.

Advanced Treatment Technologies: Advanced treatment processes such as physicochemical treatment (coagulation, flocculation), biological treatment (activated sludge process or sequencing batch reactor), and tertiary treatment (filtration, disinfection) were incorporated into the ETP design. These technologies were selected to effectively remove contaminants specific to hospital effluent.

Compliance and Monitoring: Throughout the installation and operation phases, the ETP operations strictly adhered to PCB guidelines. Regular monitoring of inlet and outlet water quality parameters ensured that the treated effluent met regulatory standards before discharge.

Parameters of Inlet Effluent and Outlet Treated Water:

Inlet Effluent Parameters (Before Treatment):

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): Typically ranges from 200-500 mg/L.

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): Often between 400-800 mg/L.

Total Suspended Solids (TSS): Commonly around 100-300 mg/L.

Total Nitrogen (TN): Usually in the range of 30-50 mg/L.

Total Phosphorus (TP): Can range from 5-15 mg/L.

pH: Varies depending on specific hospital activities, usually in the range of 6.5-8.5.

Outlet Treated Water Parameters (After Treatment):

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): Reduced to less than 30 mg/L.

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): Reduced to less than 100 mg/L.

Total Suspended Solids (TSS): Reduced to less than 10 mg/L.

Total Nitrogen (TN): Reduced to less than 10 mg/L.

Total Phosphorus (TP): Reduced to less than 2 mg/L.

pH: Neutralized to around 7.0.

Disinfection: Treated water undergoes disinfection (e.g., chlorination) to ensure microbial safety, meeting required standards for pathogens such as coliform bacteria.