Why India lags in wastewater management
If India is to ensure overall progress, it must manage its water resources efficiently
October 15, 2013 / 08:44 IST
By Avinash Iyer
The optimist might argue that the glass is half full, while the pessimist might think otherwise. However, both arguments lose steam if the glass has contaminated water, the quantity not withstanding.Even as you read this, millions of litres of wastewater, generated in India's urban and rural areas on a daily basis, are getting dumped in its already polluted water bodies. There is a good chance that this water has already entered or may enter the human chain. What follows are outbreaks of water-borne diseases, contaminated water-related deaths, not to mention environmental damage.While on one hand we aspire to be a superpower, on the other, we are doing little to mitigate our water woes. Of the sewage generated in India on a daily basis, only 30% gets treated. This means 70% of untreated sewage ends up in water bodies that serve as sources of municipal water. No wonder, clean water is fast becoming a scarce resource.If a checklist is to be made of the factors that contribute to a country's progress, efficient water management might feature right on top. Even the government's Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) says that an economic growth of 8% - 9% is only possible if water requirements of the expanding population can be met. Despite this, wastewater management receives scant attention in India.India is beset by so many other problems that water and wastewater management still doesn't seem to feature on its priority list. Besides, the cost of land and cost of construction and maintenance of sewage treatment plants is quite high. As a result, wastewater treatment is often exempt from urban planning.But with freshwater reserves going down by the day, it is imperative for urban and rural areas to place a premium on wastewater treatment."By 2030, water demand in India will grow to almost 1.5 trillion cubic metres with supply at approximately 740 billion cubic metres. This gap will need to be bridged by several initiatives ranging from national river linking projects, infrastructure rehabilitation, reducing transport losses to wastewater reuse," says Vivek Vikram Singh, Director, Business Advisory Services, Grant Thornton India LLP. "Absent or ineffective government policies coupled with inefficient local level implementation have not necessitated industries and municipalities to focus on wastewater reuse," Singh adds.Is better policymaking the need of the hour?Water in India is primarily a state subject. However, these laws are inadequate when it comes to addressing India's water woes. As a result, the Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2013 states that a set of fundamental principles should guide water governance throughout the country irrespective of divergence in approach.Singh is of the opinion that a central government-formulated policy will not just be helpful, but completely necessary to remove the multitude of local/state legislations. He says, "National wastewater reuse scheme allows the private sector to directly work under central government schemes, thereby reducing dependence on states which lend uncertainty to projects given the weak financial positions of states and state entities, except some states."Barring government policies, there is a lot of skepticism among people too when it comes to using treated wastewater even for non-potable purposes. This perception of wastewater not being a reusable resource needs to change.Referring to popular misconceptions that surround wastewater, Nideshna Naidu, Industry Analyst, Environment & Building Technologies Practice, Frost & Sullivan, says, "While policy making will help, what needs to change is the mindset of people."Do we need more government incentives?The magnitude of wastewater generated in India is so huge (nearly 40,000 million litres of sewage is generated per day) that public investment alone will not help. Private-public partnerships (PPP) are then the way out. To rope in private players, adequate incentives are needed."By current estimates of experts, India will require an annual budget of USD 6 billion for meeting its water requirements by 2030," says Singh. "The government will not be able to do this herculean task on its own and will require the private sector to chip in as well. The private sector however will require government incentives for active participation."Kolhapur in Maharashtra has the distinction to be the first city to have opted for PPP for sewage treatment. Jamshedpur and Tirupur are other examples where PPP has been implemented."Incentivising wastewater reuse and penalising those who don't recycle sewage will have a 50-50 effect. There are regulations related to wastewater, but people find a way to outdo the system," Naidu adds.Naidu says that as we don't have wastewater reuse standards, we follow international ones and that it will help to have localised standards.Do municipalities need to be more responsible?An IDFC report points out that as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rules, a city or town's municipality or water authority is responsible for collecting and treating 100 per cent of the sewage generated within its jurisdiction. However, since there are not enough sewage collection networks, only a small portion gets treated. This shows that urban infrastructure is in urgent need of upgrade. Since CPCB is not allowed to penalise water authorities that violate norms, most of them are non-compliant. Singh says, "Stricter laws will certainly help to advocate mandatory wastewater reuse for municipalities in a phased and time bound manner." These laws should be created keeping in mind the resources available at the disposal of the municipalities, he adds.Act before it's too lateTreated wastewater can be used for a number of non-potable purposes by industry as well as households. This not only reduces dependency on freshwater, but also keeps water pollution in check.If sewage treatment is not taken up on a war-footing, freshwater will soon vanish from Earth's surface and incidents like the Maharashtra drought of 2012 will be commonplace.If India is to ensure overall progress, it must manage its water resources efficiently and this is only possible if we take wastewater treatment seriously.Read more on wastewater reuse:Economics of wastewater reuseState of wastewater treatment in IndiaClean water: The right of every individualWhy should we reuse wastewater Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
