A 450-crore treatment plant in Kanpur's Jajmau is now cleaning tannery wastewater before it can taint the Ganga A Rs 450 crore treatment plant in Kanpur's Jajmau is cleaning around 10 to 12 MLD of tannery wastewater a day through multiple stages before it can reach the Ganga, even though it is built to handle 20 MLD. For years, the Jajmau neighbourhood of Kanpur carried a grim reputation, seen as one of the most polluted parts of the city, largely because of the tanneries whose untreated discharge used to flow straight into the Ganga. To break that cycle, authorities built a Common Effluent Treatment Plant, or CETP, with a 20 MLD capacity in Jajmau at a cost of around Rs 450 crore, aimed squarely at intercepting that flow before it could reach the river. Construction finished in 2019, but the plant only began running at full capacity from 2024. Today, roughly 10 to 12 MLD of contaminated water arrives at the plant every day, and it passes through several treatment stages before being sent further downstream. How wastewater from four zones reaches the plant Jajmau currently has 276 tanneries in operation, and none of them are allowed to discharge waste directly into the river. Instead, the area is split into four zones, and effluent is piped to separate pumping stations. Water from pumping stations one, two and four is funnelled into pumping station three, which functions as the master pumping station. From there, all the wastewater is sent to the CETP's inlet, where actual treatment begins. Vikas Tiwari, a project engineer with the National Mission for Clean Ganga, said the plant relies on the activated sludge process. Large debris and heavy particles, referred to as grit, are removed first, after which the water moves into a TSS tank where suspended solids are filtered out. Multiple stages needed to strip out chromium and other toxins Tannery effluent typically contains chromium and other chemicals that can be hazardous to the environment if released untreated, which is why the CETP relies on a multi-stage process rather than a single treatment step. After grit removal and the TSS tank, the water undergoes chemical dosing followed by biological treatment. It is then refined further using ultra-filtration and other techniques. An extended aeration system also plays a key part in this chain, using biological processes to cut down pollutant levels in the water. That layered approach is meant to ensure no single stage becomes a weak link that lets untreated effluent slip through. Once treated water clears every stage, it is channelled to farmland through an irrigation channel. Officials from the National Mission for Clean Ganga say that since the CETP became operational, tannery effluent is no longer flowing directly into the Ganga. A 20 MLD capacity, but only half the water is arriving The plant is built to treat 20 MLD, or about two crore litres, of contaminated water every day, though at present only around 10 to 12 MLD is reaching it. One reason is that most tanneries in Jajmau are running at half their capacity. Ajit Suman, a regional officer with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, said operating tanneries have only been permitted to function at half capacity. Current figures show 65 tanneries are completely shut, 13 are allowed to carry out only dry processes, and 46 fall in the dismantled category. That gap between the plant's built capacity and the volume it currently handles reflects just how much of Jajmau's tannery output is still constrained. Breaking the biggest link in the pollution chain The Jajmau plant matters because it targets the single biggest link connecting the leather industry to pollution in the Ganga. Its location, at the exact point where tannery discharge once entered the river, underlines why officials consider it central to the broader effort against pollution. A neighbourhood once synonymous with the river's contamination is now home to a treatment facility, built at a cost running into hundreds of crores, that intercepts and cleans wastewater before it ever reaches the Ganga. What this means for you The clean-up work at Jajmau has the most direct bearing on people who live along the Ganga and depend on its water. • Across India: Every step in Ganga clean-up work affects the water quality relied on by millions of people living along the river. Treatment plants like this one help reduce pollution in areas where Ganga water is used for irrigation or drinking. • In Kanpur: Residents around Jajmau benefit directly, since tannery effluent is no longer flowing straight into the Ganga, which should gradually improve nearby water sources. • For farmers: Treated water is now routed to farmland through an irrigation channel, giving nearby farmers access to water for their fields. • For the tannery trade: The requirement to run at half capacity, along with dozens of shut units, could affect the earnings of people whose livelihoods depend on Jajmau's leather business. Why this happened Jajmau's reputation for years was tied to pollution spreading through the Ganga, and the direct cause was untreated wastewater flowing out of its leather tanneries. • Direct cause: Effluent from the tanneries contained chemical elements such as chromium, which added to pollution when it entered the Ganga without treatment. • Gap in the old system: There was previously no large, organised system to treat this contaminated water, allowing it to reach the river directly. • The CETP as a fix: To address the problem, a 20 MLD plant was built at a cost of Rs 450 crore, using the activated sludge process to clean water across multiple stages. • Why capacity is capped: The Pollution Control Board has required tanneries to operate at only half capacity, a step meant to limit the volume of contaminated water generated in the first place. Questions & Answers 1. Why was the Jajmau CETP built? To clean tannery wastewater before it can mix with the Ganga. 2. How much did the plant cost to build? Around Rs 450 crore. 3. When was it built and when did it become fully operational? The plant was completed in 2019 and has been running at full capacity since 2024. 4. How much contaminated water is reaching the plant right now? Around 10 to 12 MLD, even though the plant's capacity is 20 MLD. 5. How many tanneries are operating in Jajmau? 276 tanneries are running, while 65 are completely shut, 13 are allowed only dry processes, and 46 fall in the dismantled category. 6. How is the water treated at the plant? It passes through stages including grit removal, a TSS tank, chemical dosing, biological treatment, extended aeration and ultra-filtration. 7. Where does the treated water go? It is sent to farmland for irrigation through an irrigation channel. https://trendkia.com/en/uttar-pradesh/tenariyon-ke-jaharile-pani-ko-ganga-taka-pahunchane-se-roka-raha-jajmau-ka-450-karora-rupaye-ka-tritamenta-planta-29466 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.