Treated water soon for Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium

Drought and water crisis in most parts of the country have been the talking points ahead of the Indian Premier League. While the three venues in Maharashtra - Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur - are fighting legal battles over hosting matches in the backdrop of the deep crisis, one venue which will not find itself in hot waters over wastage of the precious natural resource for ground maintenance is the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue for eight matches including a qualifier, will soon use water from the new sewage treatment plant set up at the stadium. With the final testing of the treated water underway, it's expected to be ready for use in a week's time.

"We were aware of the water shortage in the city. With cricket being a popular sport, we need to set an example as it's our social responsibility. The decision to use water from a sewage treatment plant (STP) was taken years ago. We wanted to source it from a plant in Cubbon Park but that didn't come through. Recently, we got permission to utilize water from Queen's Road to set up an STP at the stadium (West of KSCA). That is what we have done. The water is currently being tested in a laboratory and we will start using it in a week's time," KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel told TOI on Sunday (April 10).

Home team Royal Challengers Bangalore begin their campaign on Tuesday against Sunrisers Hyderabad and play Delhi Daredevils on April 17. This means, by RCB's next home game on May 2, against Kolkata Knight Riders, the grounds, which includes the B ground at the National Cricket Academy, will be tended to with treated water.

"We would have had the plant functional by now but it was delayed due to the World T20," added Patel.

On an average, the two grounds require 15,000 litres of water per day. The STP will generate 2.1 lakh litres daily. Speaking on the utilization of the remaining water, Patel said, "We will use it for gardening and other purposes."

With KSCA ground facilities spread across districts like Hubballi, Belagavi, Shivamogga and Mysuru and the vast Alur facility which houses three grounds, the association will install treatment plants at these venues too in near future.

"The cost of installing an STP is about Rs 85 lakh. Once the facility at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium begins functioning, we will look at setting up similar plants at the other venues as well," Patel conculded.