Adopt Policies for Reuse of Treated Water

Why in News?

The recently notified treated wastewater reuse policies of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand demonstrate how water governance can be adapted to local geography, settlement patterns and sectoral needs.

Treated Wastewater: An Untapped Resource

India faces growing water stress due to groundwater over-extraction, rapid urbanisation, climate variability and competing sectoral demands.

Treated wastewater offers a reliable and drought-resilient alternative that can:

• Supply agriculture, horticulture and industrial processes
• Meet non-potable urban needs such as construction, landscaping and road washing
• Support groundwater recharge where hydrogeologically suitable
• Restore rivers, lakes and wetlands by reducing untreated sewage discharge
• Drought-proof cities and industries while enabling growth within ecological limits
• Reduce the energy and cost involved in transporting freshwater over long distances; and
• Promote a circular water economy, contributing to SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.

India’s water security may therefore depend less on discovering new freshwater sources and more on safely recycling the water it already possesses.

Policy Framework: From Treatment to Reuse

Programmes such as the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have expanded sewage-treatment infrastructure. However, building treatment plants alone does not complete the water cycle. A plant that discharges treated water into a drain rather than supplying it to a farm, industry or urban utility represents underutilised infrastructure.

The National Framework on Safe Reuse of Treated Water, 2022 seeks to mainstream wastewater reuse while allowing States to formulate policies suited to local conditions. It is not a funding scheme but an important guiding framework. The Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand policies illustrate this contextual approach by incorporating:

• Fit-for-purpose standards, with water quality determined by its intended use
• Integration with urban planning and river rejuvenation
• Different strategies for hill settlements and densely populated plains
• Community participation and public awareness 
• Blended finance and public-private partnerships; and
• Digital monitoring to ensure quality and accountability.

The Framework is not a funding scheme but an important guiding framework.

Major Government Initiatives: 

India addresses wastewater treatment through several overlapping schemes rather than a single dedicated programme. 

• AMRUT 2.0: Supports sewerage networks, sewage treatment plants, faecal-sludge management and recycling of treated water in urban areas. It seeks universal sewerage and septage management coverage in the original 500 AMRUT cities. Approved projects include dedicated capacity for recycling and reuse of treated wastewater.
• Jal Hi AMRIT: A specialised initiative under AMRUT 2.0. Incentivises urban local bodies to improve STP performance and consistently produce recyclable quality water. Uses Clean Water Credits and star ratings, along with third-party assessment, capacity-building and performance-linked incentives. 
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0: Its Used Water Management component primarily covers towns with populations below one lakh that are not covered under AMRUT. Supports interception of drains, STPs, faecal sludge treatment plants and decentralised treatment systems. Seeks to ensure that untreated wastewater does not enter water bodies and that treated water is optimally reused. 
• Namami Gange Programme: Finances interception and diversion of drains, sewer networks and sewage-treatment infrastructure in the Ganga basin. Its Arth Ganga component promotes monetisation and reuse of treated wastewater and conversion of sewage sludge into manure, bricks and other usable products. 
• National River Conservation Plan: Supports States in controlling pollution in rivers other than the Ganga and its tributaries. Major interventions include interception and diversion of sewage and construction of STPs. 
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen Phase II: Covers rural greywater and faecal-sludge management. Promotes household soak pits and kitchen gardens as well as community-level constructed wetlands, waste-stabilisation ponds and decentralised wastewater-treatment systems. 

India already possesses substantial treatment programmes; the real gap lies in linking treatment plants with reuse networks, reliable quality monitoring, appropriate pricing and assured end-users. 

Key Constraints: 

• Fragmented institutional responsibilities: Urban local bodies, pollution control boards, irrigation departments and industrial agencies often work in silos. No single agency is accountable for the entire reuse chain.
• Inadequate distribution infrastructure: Most STPs lack separate pipelines, storage facilities and pumping systems to transport treated water to farms, industries or construction sites.
• Mismatch between supply and demand: Treatment plants may be located far from major users. This increases transportation and energy costs.
• Poor operation and maintenance: Many STPs operate below capacity or fail to consistently meet prescribed standards due to inadequate funds, skilled personnel and electricity supply.
• Inconsistent quality monitoring: Periodic testing may not detect sudden deterioration in water quality. Real-time monitoring and independent verification remain limited.
• Uncompetitive pricing: Industries may continue using cheap or subsidised freshwater. Treated water becomes unattractive when users must bear additional transportation and treatment costs.
• Weak and uncertain demand: Industries are often reluctant to sign long-term purchase agreements. Farmers may doubt the reliability and safety of treated water.
• Public resistance: Treated wastewater is frequently perceived as dirty or unsafe, even when it meets the required quality standards.
• Absence of uniform standards: Different uses require different levels of treatment. However, clear and enforceable fit-for-purpose standards are not uniformly applied across States.

Way Forward: 

• Prepare city-level reuse plans: Cities should assess wastewater generation, treatment capacity and potential demand before approving new projects.
• Map nearby users: Industrial clusters, thermal power plants, construction sites, parks and peri-urban farms located near STPs should be identified as priority consumers.
• Mandate freshwater substitution: Treated water should progressively replace freshwater for cooling, landscaping, road washing, construction and other suitable non-potable purposes.
• Adopt fit-for-purpose standards: Water used for industrial cooling need not meet the same standards as water used for food-crop irrigation or groundwater recharge.
• Strengthen quality assurance: STPs should have real-time monitoring, independent audits and publicly accessible water-quality data.
• Build reuse infrastructure: Investment must cover tertiary treatment, storage reservoirs, dual-pipeline networks and last-mile connections, not merely STP construction.
• Ensure viable pricing: Treated water should be cheaper than freshwater, while tariffs must generate sufficient revenue for operation and maintenance.
• Use economic incentives: Industries using treated water may receive tariff concessions or faster approvals. Excessive freshwater extraction can be discouraged through rational user charges.
• Create assured demand: Urban bodies can enter long-term purchase agreements with industries, power plants, railways and large commercial establishments.
• Mobilise blended finance: Funds under AMRUT, SBM-U, Namami Gange, industrial development and irrigation programmes should be converged with municipal bonds, viability gap funding and PPPs.
• Fix institutional accountability: A nodal agency or city-level water-reuse cell should coordinate treatment, distribution, pricing and monitoring.
• Reframe treated water as a resource: Terms such as “Apna Jal” or “our water” can support the psychological transition from wastewater disposal to a circular water economy.

Safe wastewater reuse is no longer an optional urban service; it is a strategic necessity for water, climate and economic security. 

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand provide useful models, but their real significance lies in encouraging every State to transform treated wastewater from a discarded by-product into a dependable public resource. 

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