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By 2050, half of India’s population will be urban. If the current trends in water supply and consumption continue, India may experience a 6% drop in GDP due to water scarcity alone. A WWF scenario analysis conducted in 2020 concluded that 30 Indian cities fall into the category of “severe water risk” by 2050¹. According to the Composite Water Management Report, by Niti Aayog, 2019², most of the Indian cities may face a similar situation. This report predicts that, in 2019, 600 million people in India face severe water stress, the demand may exceed the supply twice by 2030. As most of us know, India has only 4% of the world’s water. Resources³ for a population that covers 17% of the world’s population. And these water resources are rapidly decreasing. In the next 20 years, it is estimated that 50% of the water in India will be at the level of Important or overexploited.
The government is working rapidly towards a water-secure future for the country – through Jal Jeevan Mission, Smart City Mission and AMRUT Mission. An important policy measure among them is the direction for all AMRUT cities to reuse/recycle 20% of used water by 2026. Because in Indian cities only treat 28% of their waste and the rest is thrown into the environment in an unsafe manner, the target. To reuse 20% of used water may appear to be a high request.
However, this is a change in its potential – only if we learn from the experience of decades of small, centralized wastewater treatment units in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and others.
Reuse of treated water and SDG 6.4
Reusing treated wastewater has a direct impact SDG 6.4. By reusing treated wastewater, sustainable recovery can be ensured by helping to conserve fresh water resources. It is relevant to note that in urban India, physical losses related to transmission and distribution of water are at least 20%⁴. By reusing 20% of wastewater by treating it, it will directly reduce the burden on the supply infrastructure. which is already heavy. This is to reduce the long-term investment in the supply and distribution of unbalanced fresh water. More importantly, 20% of the treated wastewater can easily be reused, close to the point of production, for two main purposes:
1) Washing
2) Urban green / landscape
Residual water demand and urban greening can account for about 20-40% of water use needs in the area. Live according to population, income level, weather conditions and others.
Decentralization lessons from the past decade
Using wastewater for urban greening or drainage is not a new idea. Recognizing wastewater as a valuable resource, most municipalities have adopted the guidelines and helped implement decentralized small-scale STPs in their districts. However, most of the treated wastewater is not reused. Moreover, it was found that in most cases STPs are not performing effectively, unable to comply with the prescribed standards⁵. This happens because of two keys:
1) Need a system with low initial costs but high life cycle costs. Once developed, these are handed over to housing associations for operation and maintenance. Due to the high maintenance costs as well, the association is often unable to maintain and maintain continuously.
2) STPs are complex to operate and maintain, especially by unskilled operators who are often in charge of maintaining and maintaining STP.
The role of nature-based solutions and the way forward
So the challenges are many and complex. The time is ripe to revisit the problem-solving approach that uses natural processes widely and effectively, considering the life-cycle costs of infrastructure solutions and the circular nature of the design implemented. Today’s solutions must take into account not only access to clean water for all, but also design solutions that ensure clean air for all.
Nature-based solutions use different natural elements such as microbes; Gravity; Solar while easy to operate and maintain. At the same time, they can be beautiful – which helps to create a sense of belonging to the community. These solutions use less energy and use less resources compared to traditional methods. Nature Based Solutions can save life cycle costs up to 70% compared to conventional STP systems, as in the case of Aravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry.⁶ Also, with a limited but focused mix, targeting tertiary care, nature based solutions. can also be used in confined, densely populated areas – like public toilets in Mumbai slums.⁷ Therefore, the inability to effectively reuse treated wastewater is not due to a lack of technological solutions but to a lack of knowledge and accessible resources. can make community decision-making easier. The following first principles can help communities choose the right solutions for their decentralized wastewater treatment systems:
Read also | Creating a shared responsibility mechanism to achieve SDG 6.4
- Adopting a life cycle approach to ensure long-term cost recovery.
- Choosing a system that is easy to operate and maintain with the best automation, considering that it is difficult to find and train skilled operators continuously.
- A modular choice that gives users flexibility, expandability and ultimate cost efficiency.
- Make nature-based solutions the preferred choice, as they also help mitigate climate change.
- Encourage the owners to adopt, implement and maintain a sustainable system of dividing the country through the reduction of water tax, tax property.
- Make the design and development of a decentralized wastewater treatment system, management and reuse as a basis for the The political department of each city. A classic example is the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), Mumbai which has implemented the same approach. This allows the poor and disadvantaged to aim for water security, improving their quality of life. you
Views expressed by Krishna Swaroop Konidena, Aditi Pandey and Bijoy Jose (CDD India)
1. https://www.wwfindia.org/?19602/Cities-across-the-globe-face-an-alarming-rise-in-water-risks
2. https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2019 06/Final%20Report%20of%20the%20Research%20Study%20on%20%20Composite%20 Water%20Resources%20Management%20Index% 20for%20Indian%20States%20conducted%20by%20Dalberg%20Global%20 Development%20Advisors%20Pvt.%20Ltd_New%20Delhi.pdf
3. Water security must be improved in India, The Statesman, 25 October 2022
4. “The Challenge of Reducing Non-Revenue Water in Developing Countries,” World Bank, December 1, 2006.
5. https://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/bengaluru-apartments-stp-sewage-treatment-8888
6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344326092_Decentralized_Wastewater_and_Fecal_Sludge_Management_Case_Studies_from_ India_Decentralized_Wastewater_and_Fecal_Sludge_Management_Case_Studies_from_India
7. https://www.adgully.com/hul-launches-its-6th-suvidha-centre-in-partnership-with-bmc-hsbc-india-109082.html
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