Date: 10/09/2022

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment; Disaster and disaster management.

Key Phrases: wastewater, Industrial water usage, National Framework on the Safe Reuse of Treated Wastewater.

Context:

• Benjamin Franklin famously said that we realize the worth of water only when the well is dry.
• In this context, let us explore various ways of treating and reusing the wastewater in India.

Background

• The water is getting scarce and precious and the whole planet is facing a global water shortage.
• All of us are dependent on water for survival and for our energy needs and this makes sustainable water management the need of the hour.
• Thus, there is a growing need to effectively use all available forms of water including once used water called wastewater but which actually is an unutilized resource.

Situation in India

• Water is a cyclic resource with abundant supplies on the globe. Approximately, 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with it but freshwater constitutes only about 3 percent of the total water.
• India accounts for about 2.45 per cent of the world’s surface area, 4 percent of the world’s water resources and about 16 percent of the world’s population.
• Agriculture accounts for most of the surface and ground water utilization, it accounts for 89 per cent of the surface water and 92 per cent of the groundwater utilization.
• While the share of the industrial sector is limited to 2 per cent of the surface water utilization and 5 percent of the ground-water.
• The share of the domestic sector is higher (9 per cent) in surface water utilization as compared to groundwater.
• In India, the situation of water scarcity is grim with close to 600 million people facing acute water shortage.
• According to a report by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the demand for water in India is expected to grow at a 2.8 percent Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2010 to 2030, facing a potential supply gap of 50 per cent by 2030.
• This could adversely impact agriculture and other key industries like food processing, beverages, textiles, etc., causing a significant dent to the GDP by 2050.
  Industrial Water Usage
• When we talk about water shortage, industrial water usage is rarely given the needed attention.
• According to research by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), industries utilize over 500 billion cubic meters of the total amount of fresh water available each year.
• There will be a further increase in demand for water for industrial purposes.
• While water usage in industries is one side of the story, the other issue is the wastewater discharge that can massively pollute our rivers.
• Industries can play an important role in sustainably managing their water usage and rethinking the way they manage their wastewater.

What is Wastewater?

• Wastewater is the water used once by domestic, industrial and commercial use.
• Household activities like washing, bathing, restroom usage, etc., result in waste water while industrial wastewater emerges from activities like manufacturing, production, etc.

Reusing wastewater

• Waste water can be treated to varying degrees and reused, making it a promising solution to tackle the problem of water scarcity.
• While treated waste water can be reused for several industrial and domestic purposes, the by-products of wastewater treatment can be invaluable resources for agriculture and possibly energy generation.
• While there is a scarcity of freshwater resources, it is observed that a potential source of water which is wastewater, is largely underutilized.
• According to the ORF report, if India reuses 80 per cent of its untreated wastewater from 110 of its most populous cities, 75 percent of projected industrial fresh water demand can be met by 2025 replacing fresh water use.

National Framework on the Safe Reuse of Treated Wastewater

• The recently adopted framework provides operational guidelines for States to take up programmes on wastewater reuse.
• Many States have adopted their own wastewater reuse policy which should provide a fillip for the setting up of treatment plants and safe reuse.

Decentralized route

• Wastewater reuse is possible and economically feasible at smaller, decentralized scales too.
• One of the ways in which industries can efficiently manage their water is by converting their wastewater into high quality clean water that can be used for their internal purposes.

Case Study: Bengaluru

• One such example is Bengaluru based Vishudh Plastic Recycle and Jeeves India laundry that have installed a unique 11 step filtration process by Boson Whitewater System that converts ETP (effluent treatment plant) water into high quality potable water.
• All the ETP/STP (sewage treatment plant) water produced by the industry is converted into potable water and used for cooling towers, plastic washing units, laundry and other purposes.
• Recognising the real value of treated wastewater, even apartment complexes are making use of modern water recovery technology to convert STP treated water to drinking water quality.
• Some complexes have gone one step ahead and started generating revenue from the high-quality water by enabling the sales of this water to industries.
• This has proved to be a win-win situation with apartments not only becoming self-sufficient but also contributing to the health of the environment in a positive way.

Way Forward

• Apart from dealing with water scarcity effectively, they are also putting the water to meaningful use while industries reduce the dependency on bore-well water.
• With appropriate waste water reuse technology and right implementation, industries and apartments can definitely rethink their wastewater usage and leverage on its potential to the best possible level.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water". Discuss the statement in the context of the present water crisis in India. [150 Words].