Reusing Wastewater in Surat and Bengaluru: Sustainable Approaches

As India faces a water crisis exacerbated by heatwaves, cities like Surat and Bengaluru are leading the way in wastewater reuse.

Controversy Surrounding Wastewater Management:

1. Introduction to the Issue: India faces a severe water crisis due to heatwaves and declining freshwater resources. Cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune have experienced significant water shortages. NITI Aayog estimates that by 2030, the national water demand will be twice the available supply.
2. Volume of Wastewater Generated: Approximately 80% of water supplied to urban areas is released as domestic wastewater. Indian cities generated over 72,000 million liters of domestic sewage per day in 2021, but only 28% of this was treated. By 2030, cities are projected to generate over 30 billion cubic meters of wastewater.
3. Importance of Treated Wastewater: Treated wastewater can be a valuable resource for non-potable uses like irrigation, industrial processes, and urban cleaning, reducing the pressure on freshwater sources and improving water quality in rivers and aquifers.

Global Environmental Concerns and Policy Implications:

1. Performance of ULBs: The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) developed an index to evaluate the performance of ULBs in managing wastewater. Among 500 ULBs from 10 states, Surat ranked highest, followed by Bengaluru. These cities have set clear targets for reusing treated water.
2. Successful Examples: Surat Municipal Corporation directed 92% of its investment towards sewage management and recovers costs by selling treated water to industries. Bengaluru reuses 50% of its treated water for industrial and horticultural purposes, addressing its water crisis.
3. Challenges in Implementation: Despite successful examples, many ULBs struggle with financial planning, investment priorities, and public data availability. 414 out of 503 assessed ULBs do not reuse treated water or lack functional treatment infrastructure.

Challenges of Implementation and Ensuring Inclusivity:

1. Data and Information Access: Reliable and current data are essential for formulating effective water reuse plans. Over 65% of ULBs face challenges in maintaining and publicly sharing municipal data. CEEW's index provides a baseline for improving data management and decision-making.
2. Leveraging National Initiatives: ULBs can leverage existing national missions like AMRUT 2.0 and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to implement treated water reuse projects. These initiatives focus on water security and pollution abatement.
3. Cross-Learning and Competition: Timely evaluations and sharing of best practices can promote healthy competition among cities. For example, Vishakhapatnam and Udaipur have successful business models involving private sector financing for advanced wastewater treatment and reuse.

UPSC Mains Questions

Q. Discuss the potential of wastewater reuse as a solution to water scarcity in Indian cities. What are the key challenges and opportunities in implementing such initiatives?