DLF NTH WATER COMMITTEE

Final Report Dated: 16-03-2023

Contributors:

1. Dr. Haridas. V.R - G004

2. Mr. Reji Antony - M191
3. Mr. Ramesh Pulikoden - K171
4. Mr. Jaison Abey Sabu - A044
5. Mr. Ajith Kumar - C193
6. Mr. Aby Kurian - F231, EC representative
 DLF NEW TOWN HEIGHTS, KAKKANAD 2023

Overview

DLF New Town Heights is an Apartment Building, at Kakkanad, Ernakulam. Flats

spread across an all-embracing 25+ Acres. As it accommodates 1268 Apartments,
water demand is also high and is approximately 450 M3 per day. Eight main
groundwater sources are there to satisfy the needs of the community, which are
6 borewells and 2 open wells along with KWA line with 700 M3 supply per month.
To optimize the usage, we must manage all the systems properly.

The average total water consumption per day is 670 Kilolitre per day
out of it 450 Kilolitre par day for domestic and 220 KLD for flushing.

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OBSERVATIONS MADE BY THE WATER COMMITTEE

Rainfall: DLF location gets an average annual rainfall of about 3450 mm, It experiences heavy
rainfall during southwest monsoon season (67.74%) followed by northeast monsoon (16.6%).
During the other months the rainfall is considerably less with about 16% is received during
the month of January to May as summer showers. The Chithrapuzha River is approximately
0.50 km along NNE direction; Cochin Backwater Mouth is approximately 12.0 km W. The
Kadambrayar River is approximately 0.95 km SW direction.

Soils & Geology: Lateritic soil is the most predominant type of soil prevailing in the project
region followed by Brown hydromorphic soil is the second most prevalent soil type that are
encountered in valley bottoms with adequate moisture. The soil zone extents to the depth
range between 1.5 to 3 mts bgl. The Laterite formation is underlain by crystalline rock
formation of charnokite rock system which forms the geology of the study area. The zone of
contact between the laterite and charnokite forms the lithomarge layer.

0.1 – 3.0 meters: Soil Zone

3.0 – 8.0 meters: Laterite: Porous and permeable

8.0 – 15.0 meters: Laterite: With Iron and Aluminum content

15.0 – 20.0 meters: Lithomarge Layer with Charnockite specks

>20 meters : Fractured Charnockite followed by massive Charnockite.

>20 meters: Fractured Charnockite followed by massive Charnockite

Hydrogeology: Groundwater generally occurs under phreatic conditions in laterite
formation. Further, it occurs under semi-confined to confined conditions in the deep-seated
fractured aquifer of the charnokite crystalline rocks system. The laterite formation is vastly
occurring in the mid land region of study area due to “insitu” weathering of the crystalline
formation named charnokite rock formation. The laterites are highly porous and permeable.
It is extensively developed by dug wells in the mid land area for domestic usages. The depth
of wells in laterite formation ranges from 4mts to 15 Meter below ground level (mbgl) and
depth to water level ranges from 2.0 to 8.0 mbgl. Wells located on slopes and elevated areas
go dry or have very small water column during summer season. The yield of well ranges from
0.5 to 6 m3/day and sustain pumping for 2 to 3 hrs a day.

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Water Sources in DLF

• Open well: 2 Numbers (Quantity Per day: 40,000 litre per day)
• Capacity of Rainwater Harvesting Tank is 24,00,000 litres. In addition to this there is
rainwater Harvesting Sump of 13,00,000 capacity near A block. Rainwater falling on
the Roof Area of 3000 Sq. feet is only 21,54,545 litres
• Total Number of bore wells: 13 numbers 6 bore wells are functional. TDS is high in the
bore wells near BFHP blocks. TDS is low in the bore wells near D & A blocks. The reason
would be due to the salt water intrusion in the W-E fractures. We are managing to
get a TDS of 600-1200 by mixing water from different sources.
• Pumping from high TDS bore well needs to be regulated
• 16 Kilometres from Arabian Sea towards East
• Underground fractures carry salt water
• Corporation water Supply: 7,00,000 litres per month (23,333 litre per day)

Source Unit Volume per day Total

Open well 2 20000 40000
Bore well 6 386667 386667
Corporation 700000/month 23333 23333
Roof Water No supply in summer
TOTAL 450000

Water Quality Parameters:

• Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) : 400 – 2000 mg/L.
• Iron content: 0.36 to 10.46 mg/L
• Turbidity: 1.7 - 92.2 NTU
• Hardness: 50 - 660 mg/L
Water availability in terms of its quality is a major parameter for 1260 apartments. Around
1050 apartments are occupied with approximately 4 members per apartment. Use of 75
litres of water/day/person, 3,15,000 litres of water is required per day.

Water Usage:
Usage Appartments Quantity residents TOTAL
Flushing 1050 0 4200 0
Bathing 1050 30 4200 90000
Drinking 1050 5 4200 15000
Cooking 1050 10 4200 15000
Washing 1050 30 4200 75000
TOTAL 75 4200 3,15,000

This can be reduced through the following initiatives:

• Checking of the leakages and over flow from the pipes
• Water usage to be reduced though water literacy campaign

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Problems of the Existing Water Treatment Plant

Observations:
• Water from two Open wells are pumped to the corporation water collection tank
(7,00,000 Capacity) and the water from this tank is pumping to the Treated water
collection tank.
o RESULT: The presence of coliform bacteria (E. coli is the species of coliform
bacteria) that can cause health issues like diarrhoea, fever etc.
• Rain water is collected in a tank of 24,00,000 litre capacity (while total rain falling on the
roof is only 21,54,545 litres) from this collection tank water is pumped to the raw water
tank (4,00,000 litres) through a Sand filter.
o RESULT: Extra energy cost for pumping from RWH tank-Raw Water Tank
o No mechanism to flush out water on regular intervals (presence of coliform,
Impurities on the roof surface from the atmosphere)
• NTH is getting only 700 m3/month of water from KWA as against our requirement of 450
m3/day.
o RESULT: Main dependency on borewell water with high TDS
• Water from the bore wells is pumped to the same raw water tank. Water from the raw
water tank is pumped to the treated water tank (Capacity 1.89 lakh) through a Dual media
filter and activated carbon filter with online chlorination.
o RESULT: No iron filtration , No sand filtration

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Water: Every drop counts

Many Families have fixed RO systems in their apartments (As per JLL information, 75% (787
families) families have fixed domestic RO systems. Out of the total use of 4,50,000 litres of
water. At least 47,220 litres of water used will be from RO output with 3 times reject and
hence around 141,660 will be the reject from household RO units. The remaining 2,61,120
litres is used for bathing ,washing of cloths, washing hands etc. It is also to be noted that some
apartments have installed separate RO units in each bathroom causing huge water wastage,
and currently majority of the residents are using RO filtered water from Kitchen for bathing
(washing hair).

Study conducted by water committee to see the volume of reject water from individual
households indicates that to produce 1 liter of drinking water 2.5- 3 liter water is being
rejected. The volume of rejects varies between the type of RO machines and its efficiency.
Also committee noted that many households are now using RO filtered water for showers to
escape the skin, hair and other health issues . This trend is resulting in huge amount of water
consumption from the bore-well and other sources that we have. It is estimated that the
reject water from a centrally installed RO plant would be equal to the reject water from all
the individual apartments put together.

Usage Apartments Qty residents Output Reject

Drinking 787 x 4 5 3148 15740 47220
Cooking 785 x 4 10 3148 31480 94440
TOTAL 15 3148 47220 141660

Usage item Volume of usage Water wastage

Total usage 4,50,000 litres
RO usage + Reject 1,88,880 litres 141660 litres/day
Balance 2,61,120 litres

• Water wastage & Leakage from Household RO system is very high (141660 litres)
• Filter changing of HH RO system is approximately Rs. 6000 per year (Rs. 500 per month)
• If water being procured from outside (20 litre cans) with average price of Rs. 60 per bottle,
on an average, each household will have to spend between Rs. 1500-2000 for drinking water

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RECOMMENDATIONS

With the above observations made by the Water Committee, it is recommended to have an integrated
water management and conservation system in DLF. This committee have the following
recommendations to improve the water systems in DLF:

• Realign the water system with proper filtering of water from the open wells and roof water.
• The entire rain falling on the roof surface need to be used for recharging & harvesting
• The Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting tank of 37,00,000 litres (2 tanks of 12,00,000 litres and 1 tank
of 13,00,000 litres) can be used for the storage of rainwater + water from the open wells (to store
it during effluent season of 6 months)
• Filtering mechanisms need to be provided for well recharging & Harvesting
• Need to identify suitable location for digging Open wells and dig as early as possible.
• Identify location of North-South fracture for digging a bore wells
• Checking of water leakages and over flow from the pipes on a regular interval
• Checking of water discharge of the HH water units on a regular interval
• Water usage to be reduced though water literacy campaign
• Measure the Water quantity per block through conducting Water Audit
• KWA is supplying very less water to NTH. We can request them to supply as per the norms
• Borewell near H&P block have pipeline capacity of 10 kg/cm2. These bore are delivering high TDS
water compared to others. Borewell near Block ABDF are having capacity of 2.5 kg/cm2. They are
connected through a common discharge line of 6 kg/cm2 capacity only. It will be better if borewell
in block D&F are separated from the existing system and connected with different pipeline to raw
water tank, so that the pipe discharge flow can be increased. Also to check whether the existing
pumps are delivering it's actual capacity. If any underground leakages are there, to be arrested.
• Establish a common RO unit as the TDS is high (above 600) /skin issues/corrosion etc.
• In common RO unit the reject is 30% (approximately)
• Water from the open wells can be pumped to the corporation water collection tank with online
chlorination for killing coliforms and e coli bacteria.
• Will not propose SOFTNER plant (softener is to maintain water hardness) as it needs 450 Kg crystal
salt to regenerate the softener media for filtering 3,00,000 ltrs of water.

Proposed capacity of RO plant : 33000 Litre Per Hour (16,500 + 16,500)

Modification of the existing system:

• Separate the existing raw water collection tank into two.
• Roof top Rain water should be pumped to the raw water tank with adequate filter media
and online chlorination.
• Bore well water and Municipality water (KWA) can be collected in the same tank.
• Add Chlorine and Alum with the help of dosing pump while pumping water from the bore
wells. This helps in settling turbidity and iron which is present in the bore well.
• Water from raw water tank (all sources) to be pumped to the treated water tank through
Sand filter, Iron removal Filter and Activated carbon filter for better filtration and
improving its quality. All these filters to be placed in a series.
• Water from treated tank can be pumped to the RO collection tank through RO plants.
• An additional line from the discharge of carbon filter can be taken to the RO water
collection tank. This will help to pump water directly to the RO water collection tank in
the rainy season. Can limit the working time of RO plants during rainy season.

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Lay out of Proposed RO Plant

RO SPECIFICATIONS

Description Unit Quantity

Supply, installation, testing & commissioning of Reverse Osmosis Set 2
plant having permeate flow of 16500 LPH, complete with suitable
High pressure pumps, RO Membrane, Dosing units, SS Skid with
accessories and interconnection pipes
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 1000-3000
Permeate Capacity 16.5 cubic meter per
hour
Recovery 70-75 %
Reject water 25-30 % (Maximum)
Number of Filter 8 numbers
MOC of Housing Polypropylene
Micron Filter Cartridge 20" Long Jumbo
Type of Cartridge PP Wound Jumbo
Name of the membrane Hydranautics
MOC of Membrane Housing FRP Pentair
Size of modules(inch) 8"dia x 160" Long
Number of Modules 5 Numbers
Number of Membrane 20 Numbers
Name of High Pressure Pump Grundfos
High Pressure Pump 2 Numbers

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Power 40 HO : 3 phase
Pressure Gauge 2 numbers
Pressure switch (low & high) 2 numbers
Flow meter 1
Conductivity meter 1
Aster Romatic Control Panal 1
Antiscalent Dosing Pump with 100Lt 1
Tank
Antiscalent MDC700 25
SMBS Dosing Pump with 100Ltr Tank 1
pH Dosing Pump with 100Ltr Tank 1
Skid SS 304
Piping SS for pressure Lines and
rest with CPVC
Clean In Place (CIP) System suitable for the RO plant Set 1
Supply, installation, testing & commissioning of RO feed pump Set 1
suitable for the above treatment unit. (1 working + 1 standby)
With Control panel, Grundfos make
Supply, installation, testing & commissioning of uPVC Sch-80 pipe Lot 1
including necessary valves & supports to complete the system
between pumps & water treatment unit.

Additional works/ items under infrastructure development:

1. All civil works, including covered room for erection of system.
2. Construction of a any mechanical device to lift materials, chemicals, and other consumables
to the top of water tank near K block where the new RO system is proposed.
3. Construction of stairways to the top of water tank for easy movement of workers
4. Feed water carrying piping up to the RO system.
5. Proper storage & distribution of final treated Water.
6. All consumables, power, Water, etc.
7. All types of maintenance support like fabrication, welding, core cutting and pipeline re
arrangements
FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
Estimation done with pessimistic approach where we need to generate 600 M3 of water per
day whereas our present requirement of water is approximately 450 M3. So, we estimate the
RO to run around 20 hours to generate this output.

Electricity consumption for 1 RO unit (16500 LPH):

No. Drives Working Hours Working Load (KW) Working Load/ Day (KW)
1 Filter Feed Pump 20 4.5 90
2 RO High Pressure Pump 20 15 300
3 Others 2 0.5 0.1
4 Dosing Pump and Others 20 1 20
Total 21 410.1
Power consumption for 2 RO unit 820.2 KW

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Chemical Consumption for 1 RO unit:

S. No. Particulars Qty/ Hr Unit Price/ Ltr (Rs) Sub. TTL (Rs) 20 Hour Cost (Rs)
1 SMBS 20 95 3.8 76
2 Chlorine 20 38 2.28 45.6
3 Anti Scalant 2 275 8.25 165
4 PH Booster 20 160 2.88 57.6
Total 344.2
Chemical consumption for 2 RO unit per day (on higher side) 700

Life of RO Membranes: RO membranes have 3-6 years life depending on the maintenance done
Monthly Running Cost Projection
Sl No. Particulars Unit Cost Qty Total (Rs)
1 Electricity 6.5 24606 160000
2 Chemical Consumption 21000
3 Others which Includes operation cost, 100000
Repairs & other miscellaneous costs
Total 281000
Cost for 600 KLD per month per family Rs. 223/month

With the current consumption of 450 Kilolitre per day, the unit will have to run around 15 hours.
Sl No. Particulars Unit Cost Qty Total (Rs)
1 Electricity 6.5 18500 120250
2 Chemical Consumption 15750
3 Others which Includes operation cost, 100000
Repairs & other miscellaneous costs
Total 236000
Cost for 450 KLD per month per family Rs. 186/month

APPROXIMATE COST FOR SETTING UP OF 2 RO PLANT (PROJECTION)

Components Amount
Cost for two RO units (16500 LPH) with all allied equipment 60,00,000
Infrastructure development (Civil Works) 20,00,000
Total 80,00,000

*The values may vary (Based on assumption with power rating and current prices)

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ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Tendering Criteria:
This subcommittee recommends two bid system for tendering. The technical bid must
be submitted and on approval by the technical committee and after making sure the
technical bid matches required specifications, the commercial bid should be invited.
EC may take appropriate decision in this regard.
• The contractor shall be bound to carry out the O & M maintenance of the
installed plants for minimum of 3 years. O&M costs must be mentioned in the
quotation in a separate section with yearly, monthly breakups. No price
increment will be there for O&M for a 3-year period.
• A retention amount of 5% of total cost for the work shall be withheld as a
performance guarantee and to be refunded only after 2 years from the date of
commissioning.
• Minimum 2-year warranty on mechanical parts (any exclusions need to be
specified in the technical bid)
• If the technical proposal is rejected, the commercial proposal won’t be
considered.
2. Based on the survey conducted by water committee to understand the willingness of
residents to bypass existing RO filters at kitchen of individual apartments which is
having almost 75% as reject. 89% of the total members voted (198 residents) are
willing to replace the RO filters if treated water is provided.

This subcommittee recommends executive committee to consider this as a general

request to all the residents to bypass or replace their existing RO filters to conserve
water. This will also have financial and health benefits to residents.

CONCLUDING NOTE
This subcommittee thanks the executive committee, and society for entrusting us with this
duty and for rendering all the support whenever required. We recommend this report to be
published and circulated among owners before the upcoming special GB. EC should also
circulate this report in ADDA for all the owners to review at the earliest. Quotations for RO
plant are to be invited after the GB acceptance and approval of the report. When the quote
is invited, the evaluation points of vendor selection should be cleared by the GB to ensure
transparency in the vendor selection process.
Thank you!

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ANNEXURE
1. WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS AND BIS STANDARDS

Paramaters Drinking water. IS 10500 : 2012

Permissible limit Maximum limit
pH 6.5-8.5
Hardness (as CaCO3) (mg/l) 200 600
TDS 500 2000
Alkalinity (as CaCO3) (mg/l) 200 600
Nitrate (mg/l) 45
Sulfate (mg/l) 200 400
Fluoride (mg/l) 1 1.5
Chloride (mg/l) 250 1000
Turbidity (NTU) 5 10
Arsenic (mg/l) 0.01 0.05
Copper (mg/l) 0.05 1.5
Cadmium (mg/l) 0.003
Chromium (mg/l) 0.05
Lead (mg/l) 0.01
Iron (mg/l) 0.3
Zinc (mg/l) 5 15

2. PERTINENT PARAMETERS WHICH ARE EXCEEDED THE PERMISSIBLE

LIMIT IN EACH SOURCE

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AVERAGE WATER QUALITY OF GROUND WATER SOURCES

(It may vary based on the quantity of water consumed from each source)
Presently we are managing to get a TDS of 600- 1200 by mixing water from different water
sources. Situation is getting worse in summer and salinity is high during that time since we
depend more on borewell water.

3. OUR PRESENT CONCERNS RELATED TO THE CURRENT WATER QUALITY

The society has a whole is currently facing lot of issues due the bad water quality, especially
due to increased iron content, TDS and salinity. These are detailed as hereunder:
a) Many residents has reported health issues due to our current water quality issues, be
it skin or other issues
b) Failure w.r.t plumping lines, taps, other fitments and related huge cost for
replacement and maintenance. Apartment fittings and fixture are getting damaged
regularly due to poor quality water.
c) Rusting issues due to salinity in the water, causing rusting of cars (which are being
washed in NTH), fire lines (GI pipe), and other metal parts, devices, objects in contact
with our water.

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4. Survey conducted in ADDA (results)

Above is the result of survey conducted.

-END OF REPORT-

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