Pilot demonstration for treating wastewater in city eyed

The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) will be putting up a pilot demonstration facility at the City Engineering Office (CEO) compound showcasing an efficient and effective method of treating wastewater before it is released into waterways.

The CEPMO said this project is being done in partnership with the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA) which provided the city with a grant for the project.

The installation of the Johkasou sewage treatment plant is now underway at the CEO compound.

Johkasou is a Nihonggo term for a Japanese purification tank. It is a compact, decentralized, all-in-one Japanese sewage treatment system that treats both blackwater from toilets and gray water from kitchen and bath, among others, using a sequence of anaerobic and aerobic biological processes, often with advanced fillers and microbes to produce high quality effluents suitable for non-potable reuse like irrigation, making it ideal for homes, small communities or areas without large sewer networks.

The Japanese systems are praised for their small footprint, low energy use and high efficiency with millions installed in Japan and rapidly increasing adoption globally.

The CEPMO pointed out that this compact and modern decentralized waste water treatment system serves as an initial phase of implementation and demonstration facility in the city.

According to the CEPMO, this initiative will greatly help address various sanitation and environmental challenges besetting the city and will also pave the way for sustainable urban development.

The CEPMO stated that the installation of this Japanese waste water facility is one of its target accomplishments for the year and will serve as a model for regulatory compliance, guiding commercial establishments in adopting proper waste water treatment systems and supporting the city government unit’s shared goal of cleaner waterways and a healthier urban environment. – Dexter A. See