Campus Talk: Mumbai University makes use of earthworm-based system to treat sewage water

The plant at the university’s Vidyanagari campus in Kalina treats 1,200 litres of water every hour with the help of earthworms. The treated water is being used for gardens, artificial ponds etc.

Written by Pallavi Smart

Mumbai | Updated: September 28, 2023 05:40 PM IST

2 min read

The earthworm-based treatment system shows waste removal efficacy of approximately 80-90 per cent for Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD).

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In its effort to create a carbon-neutral campus, University of Mumbai has revived its sewage water treatment plant with a unique concept of using earthworms. The sewage water is now being treated using the technique and is reused for purposes such as watering gardens, filling of the artificial pond on campus, etc at the university’s Vidyanagari campus in Kalina. This plant treats 1,200 litres of water every hour with the help of earthworms.

Explaining the process, Professor Aparna Phadke, of MU’s Department of Geography, said, “Through simultaneous microbial and vermi-process with the help from earthworms, this wastewater treatment is turning the wastewater into properly suitable for reuse. Earthworms work as biofilters, enhancing microbial metabolism. They grind, aerate, crush and degrade chemicals, acting as biological stimulators.”

The earthworm-based treatment system shows waste removal efficacy of approximately 80-90 per cent for Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and 70 to 80 per cent for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). It effectively stabilises organic matter and converts it into a stable product. Under this wastewater project, a daily volume of 10,000 to 12,000 litres of treated wastewater is recycled for the university’s irrigation purposes.

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Prof Phadke added there are plans to increase the capacity in the near future.

The project has been started as a part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan with help from the World Resources Institute (WRI).

“But it is now handed over to the university’s departments. It will be an interdisciplinary project live on campus which will see the participation from different departments. Currently, students and professors from the Department of Geography and Nanotechnology are part of the plant,” the professor said.

Adding how more such interdisciplinary projects are going to commence to reach the goal of a carbon-neutral green campus, Dr Ravindra Kulkarni, Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University, said, “Teachers and students from various departments are encouraged to start such innovative projects on campus which will not only work to make it carbon-neutral but also provide platforms of practical knowledge to students coming from multiple disciplines.”

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