Treated Wastewater as a Resource: A Reality Check for Ganga River Basin

Nitin Bassi

For long, Integrated Water Management solutions have been advocated for managing river basins across the world. Proper implementation of such solutions needs investments in: information generation (strengthening acquisition systems for data on water quality and water quality, and analytical capabilities); building institutions (such as creating water rights systems, introduction of pollution tax, and enforcement of regulations and implementation of policies); and infrastructure (for water storage and conveyance systems, for treatment of raw water and wastewater, etc.).

In the Ganga basin, some of the activities under these three components have been attempted through the Namami Gange Programme, with a focus on improving water quality. About 6,100 million litres per day (MLD) of wastewater is generated by the five states (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal) along the main stem of the Ganga river. Before the Namami Gange programme, a significant proportion of the wastewater was released into Ganga without any treatment. As a result, during the non-monsoon months when there are no freshwater flows into the river, the quality of water was poor in various stretches of Ganga, most concerning between the Narora town and the Kanpur city. No wonder, out of the 300 odd projects sanctioned under the Namami Gange, about 50% alone are on setting up Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and sewer networks. If we assume these projects become operational in the next 5 years, there will be substantial quantum of treated wastewater available for reuse which can also be a source of revenue for the urban and rural local bodies who are in-charge of operation and maintenance (O&M) of the STPs.  

However, as things stand today, there is very little demand for treated wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes in the Ganga basin. The foremost reason is the easy availability of groundwater at shallow depths. Further, the cost of conveyance of treated wastewater to the prospective demand site is going to be high, as such infrastructure is currently non-existent. Thus to create a market for the treated wastewater and generate revenue from the same is a big challenge in the Ganga basin.  

Nevertheless, many states in the Ganga basin are in the process of preparing policies on reuse and recycling of treated wastewater. Some existing state policies (for instance that of Gujarat) have already mandated its use in the thermal power plants within 50 km of the STP facility. State special industrial zones have been mandated to make use of such water (for non-potable purposes). The use of such water is also made mandatory for the construction activities, non-potable municipal usages (for gardens, parks), and for rejuvenating urban lakes and tanks. In metropolitan cities, already private companies are operating and maintaining the STPs which was linked to the project execution clause. Thus, enough scope is being created for earning revenue from the sale of treated wastewater provided the policy is properly enforced.  

However, to promote the use of such water for irrigation and earn revenue from the same will require broader institutional and policy reforms. These include fixing water entitlements/abstraction quota, charging a resource fee for freshwater, etc. Fixed volumetric water entitlements in water-scarce regions will definitely make farmers look for alternative sources of water (in case his requirement is more) which are also cheaper. The existing treated wastewater reuse policies (as in some states) have suggested to keep the price of treated wastewater lower than the cost of accessing freshwater from natural water systems. However, the freshwater also needs to be priced first. If the revenue has to be substantial, the cost of abstraction of water from the underground sources has to be higher, through appropriate energy pricing policies. Further, to promote wider use of such water for irrigation, the farmers who are ready to make use of treated wastewater can be incentivized initially. These can be withdrawn at the later stages.

Thus, tremendous scope exists for promoting the reuse of treated wastewater and earning revenue from the same. However, it needs a strong institutional and policy backup to make it look economically attractive both for the local bodies and the users.    

Nitin Bassi is a Principal Researcher with the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) and based at their Liaison Office in New Delhi. Email: [email protected]