Water, Wastewater and then...

"From water, we rise to water we go", haven't searched this quote but came to my mind when I think of water. Civilisations have emerged and thrived near water, life evolved from water and yet history is replete with evidence, few cities and civilisations are now at peace under it. Water is a lifesaver and yet, we have seen the devastation caused by hurricanes or typhoons or cyclones (they are called by different names around the world), floods, heavy rainfalls, inundations all involving water.

Our Earth holds enough water for all to prosper. When I say 'all', it means even with the 1% of the total freshwater available and for the water-guzzling industries like pulp and paper, textiles, paints, leather among others, it could be still a future-ready situation, albeit with few firm steps. We have 91,000 cu km of fresh water from just lakes! add to this the global rainfall, out of which, the FAO estimates that 9000-14000 cu km is available for human use. Lots of water if we plan and use judiciously. The industries cited earlier among others are necessary for us and for the future. The Supreme Court of India has banned the diversion of water bodies for industries in 2019. Looking into a different lens at the same time, 33% of people do not have access to safe drinking water. It clearly shows a geo-socio-political divide between those who have access and those who are deprived of this natural scarce resource.

Water could be used over and over again. However, there is a caveat. Water once used through a natural form cannot be returned back to its original characteristics. Therefore, it is imperative that industries must consider water positive measures and recycle and reuse water to the maximum extent possible. It would also be interesting to undertake scientific studies such as water audits, water safety plans, water conservation potential and plugging gaps and leakages. There is a need for ensuring a water positive scenario on a priority basis The use of treated water could open a wide range of opportunities for manufacturing industries. Though treated water has been assumed to be safe for even drinking, hardly a meagre percentage of us would dare to accept and embrace this concept. The acceptance of this would take several years to sink in psychologically for us to accept its safety. This is also culturally a huge roadblock as nothing in our faith supports the use of recycled water for our own consumption. However, we are very happy when we do it for plants and animals. We need to change this a bit and care for water quality for animals too, whether we spare it for them or we ensure that our treated water meets stringent standards fit for animals and aquatic life too (after all nature does not pollute water with soaps and detergents).

The notion of using treated water as a resource is not new. Communities have installed sewage treatment plants and using the treated water in horticulture, landscaping and sundry washing applications. However, there is seldom a true reflection of the quality of treated water and its suitability for irrigation, horticulture or landscaping. Most of the treated water flows into either a municipal sewer (assuming there is one) or just discharged into the nearest surface water body.

It is important that we respect and appreciate water not just as a commodity but as a live saver just we came to know about oxygen in this covid pandemic. God forbids, we are not far away from a situation where we could see water emergency supply centres sprang up in our neighbourhood. Though, as someone living in Delhi, this is not an uncommon situation. Delhi has its fair share of rains and groundwater. Add to this the Yamuna river, which travels 22 km within Delhi from Wazirabad barrage to Okhla barrage and is a lifeline to millions of households and industry. But, sadly, the river has overshot its natural carrying and rejuvenation capacity, thanks to the underperforming Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and a free for all unhindered sewage outfall every year despite a plethora of legislations and warnings by India's green court, the National Green Tribunal as well as efforts of civil society groups and concerned communities. There is a fair share of wastewater that is high in nutrients as well as toxic materials emerging from micro and small scale industrial zones in Delhi. In the absence of a robust monitoring and surveillance mechanism, the genuine efforts by several agencies fall flat. This has resulted in the stormwater drains turn into a sewer line in several municipal zones.

In our faith-based scriptures, water is revered and water bodies are considered sacred. However, we grossly undervalue it. Probably because when we drink a glass of it, shower, mop, clean utensils, we normally don't think of its source or its final fate. Nor, we take interest when we flush it. We simply forget. Quite natural though. But, imagine a day without water in your tap or when you are travelling and sometimes forgot to take bottled water with you. We become quite frantic and jittery, literally gasping for the resource. One feels lucky to camp near a freshwater source or during a rainy time (of course, baring the first shower, otherwise, you end up sick), you might quench your thirst (again if you are a little daring).

It is essential for all of us to understand that water is not produced continuously. It is a part of a larger cycle called "water-cycle" or "hydrological cycle" (if you want a technical name). The more we abuse it, the more we are moving towards an unsustainable future. Here we go again, with a heavy word (unsustainable). What is this? You can read about sustainable development and sustainability practically online (thousands of good and mighty writers have covered it and painted the online space with colours, you would love to read and admire). But, for this article, let us dwell on what is termed the Sustainable Development Goals). A set of 17 goals and 169 targets endorsed by countries for achieving a fair and just future. Among these goals, the 6th one covers clean water and sanitation. Target 6.3 asks to reduce the proportion of untreated wastewater by 50%. You can check the summary progress of SDG 6 from the infographic below (courtesy: UN Water, UN). A huge target. But, nevertheless, achievable, if we consider reducing, reuse and recycling water in every possible manner, wherever possible. This would also mean a lot of research into treatment technologies, evaluation of existing processes, STPs and countrywide national water conservation policy and plans.

The UN has declared 2018-2028, the decade on Water Action. The road map till mid-2021 is provided in the link below this paragraph. There is a World Water Week which is planned from the 23 August 2021. This would be followed by COP 26 at Glasglow, the UK from November 2021. (Go to wateractiondecade.org, https://www.worldwaterweek.org/ and https://ukcop26.org/ for more information). As per OECD, environmental outlook to 2050, water demand would be more than 5500 cu.km by 2050 with the demand from the manufacturing sector rising a whopping 400% from its 2000 levels. Quite mind-boggling. The water demand for the domestic sector is set to rise 130% for the same time scale. Half of this would be contributed by BRICS. Coming back to 2021, the COP26's first goal state: Secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach. This cannot happen unless we take cognisance of water as a scarce resource and swiftly move geopolitical barriers for a concrete goal towards water safety and conservation. There is a need for municipalities, cities, regions and countries for framing robust national water policy and set SMART targets involving all stakeholders for encouraging the 3 or higher Rs for water conservation ensuring equality and equity for all.

References: 1. Crops and Drops, FAO, https://www.fao.org/3/y3918e/y3918e02.htm; 2. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/water/water-bodies-cannot-be-diverted-for-industries-supreme-court-68054; 3. https://www.unwater.org/ 4. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/oecd-environmental-outlook-to-2050_9789264122246-en#page210