Nepal: Ecosystem boost with three new wastewater plants

Chennai-based total water management company WABAG will design, build and operate three wastewater plants in Nepal that will restore water quality to local rivers and improve the health of the region's overall ecosystem.

Reducing discharge of sewage into three major rivers

WABAG secured the order, valued at just over €45 million, from Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), with funding provided by the Asian Development Bank, continuing a working partnership between the two companies.

The plants will be located in Sallaghari, Kodku, and Dhobighat, with construction completed over a 24-month period. Once built, WABAG will enter a five-year operation and maintenance period.

The plants are expected to treat approximately 69 million litres every day. This will significantly reduce the amount of untreated wastewater being discharged into the Bagmati, Manohara, and Hanumante rivers, helping to restore local ecosystems and improving water quality downstream of the plants.

Creating a circular economy

Announcing the deal, a WABAG company statement read: "We are extremely happy to have been entrusted with this pivotal project. This repeat order is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence, sustainability, and the trust that our customer has placed in our technical and execution expertise."

The plants will produce biogas through activated sludge treatment that will be used to power the wastewater treatment processes. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and optimise operational costs.

Rapid urbanisation provides a real challenge in Nepal

Nepal has suffered from wastewater problems thanks to rapidly increasing rates of urbanisation, insufficient sewer coverage, a lack of wastewater treatment infrastructure and sludge disposal facilities, alongside poor planning and governmental frameworks.

A report by H2Open Journal in March 2024 found that 85 per cent of urban households rely on onsite sanitation with limited access to 'septage treatment facilities'. The Nepalese government had set targets to achieve the treatment and proper discharge of a minimum of 20 per cent of wastewater by 2025. However, it has so far achieved only 2-3 per cent, with a Ministry of Water Supply study finding that very few treated effluents met national standards.

Unregulated disposal of wastewater primarily occurs in rivers and landfill. This, coupled with ineffective treatment, poses significant public health threats and causes environmental pollution, damaging ecosystems with fecal matter, heavy metals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Among the rivers to be affected by these practices, the Bagmati River will benefit from one of the three new wastewater treatment plants.