K CONSULTATION | design and engineering consultancy firm based in India for Water Treatment Plants and Solid-Liquid Separation

Kcon PMC Pvt. Ltd. is a 25 years old design and engineering consultancy firm based in India. We specialize in water treatment systems and solid-liquid separation. We work in private, industrial, municipal and government sectors. Our founders have a cumulative experience of seventy years in this field.

We have to our credit about 600 plants around the world

Development of Simple and Economic Filtration
Methods for Rural Water Supplies

By – Dr. J. N. Kardile

In India, the ratio of rural to total population is about 80%. The Government of India has been planning a massive investment programme for the rural sector including the protected water supply. It has been a burning problem for the country to develop a low cost water treatment involving relatively low mechanical operation and maintenance.

Considering the various problems in the design, construction and maintenance of the small capacity plants, the author has developed three new designs as part of research work in his Ph.D. thesis (1978). For the treatment of low turbidity water sources Ramtek plant was constructed In India in 1973, which includes gravel bed prefilter followed by a dual media filer bed. The specialty of this plant is the use of gravel bed for pretreatment while the crushed coconut shell media is used for the first time in the dual media filer bed. For the treatment of highly turbid water sources the Varangaon plants was constructed in 1977. This new design includes two units of gravel bed flocculators and tube settlers, which are followed by three units of dual media filter beds. For the treatment of moderate turbid water sources, the chandori plant was constructed in 1980. The special feature of this plant is the adoption of the pretreator chamber which is combination of the gravel bed flocculator and tube settler, which is followed by a dual media filter bed.

The plants are simple for construction and maintenance and the actual plant performances are found satisfactory. The costs of construction are generally between 30% TO 50% of the costs of the conventional plants of the same capacities. Coincidently the U.N. third development decade from 1981-1990 has been devoted to the safe drinking water supply and healthy sanitation. Under the transfer of Co-operation among Developing Countries programme, the low cost techniques as developed by the author may be of great use for the developing, South East Asian countries and the coastal regions, where cost controlled technology need primary emphasis.