Currently, only 30 per cent of India’s wastewater is recycled. This is alarming for a country that is going to face the twin wrath of growing population and climate change
Urbanisation in India is turning cities into massive urban sprawls and towns into large cities. While urbanisation ushers in economic advancement, the additional pressure on the water and sanitation infrastructure due to increasing population tends to be relegated as an after-thought as far as urban planning is concerned. Unplanned and unregulated urbanisation over the decades has rendered our cities unliveable and unsustainable while also widening the gap between those who can afford to get the essential services of water and sanitation and those who cannot.
Thus, water and sanitation infrastructure is in a constant state of playing catch up with urbanisation. This translates into a perennial shortfall in water supply in a city and much of urban India not being connected to a city-wide sewerage system. Stormwater drainage is also inadequate as urban growth results in significant increase in the area of hard and built-up surfaces which implies a larger volume of rainwater running off at high speeds. They, in turn, carry larger quantities of sediments and pollutants as they flow, silting waterways and causing flooding as witnessed in cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad in recent years.
Bengaluru presents a classic case of the serious and irreversible damage that unplanned and unchecked urban growth can inflict on a city. Up until the 1980s, the city was liveable, sustainable and equitable with nearly a thousand lakes recharging the groundwater and about 70 per cent of its area being covered in trees and gardens, earning it the moniker “City of Gardens”. Today, the number of lakes have reduced to less than a hundred, with most of them in a highly polluted state. Groundwater levels have depleted to more than 1,500 feet depth, and encroachment of stormwater drainages and buffer zones has led to frequent flood damage to properties and infrastructure.
Taking lessons from megacities that are turning unliveable by the day, it is possible to prevent other Tier 2 and 3 cities and towns across India from the fate of Bengaluru city, by creating a policy and planning environment that enables sustainable water and wastewater services.
There are major gaps in the urban growth policy and planning environment of urban local bodies (ULBs) that guide and direct the process of urbanisation in all cities and towns in India. These gaps result in missed opportunities for creating sustainable water and sanitation systems and services — through smart rules introduced in planning and building approvals.
Currently, only 30 percent of India’s wastewater is recycled. This is alarming for a country that is going to face the twin wrath of the growing population and climate change. The need of the hour is to conserve and recycle while simultaneously providing a sustainable lifestyle to the billion-plus population.
The funding support received by the ULBs to build centralised water and sanitation infrastructure is limited to capital expenditure. In addition, most ULBs have a poor track record of cost recovery through water and sewerage service charges Hence, the exorbitant operation and maintenance costs of running a traditional centralised sewerage systems become a burden to the ULBs and these end up getting neglected due to lack of funds. As a result, within a few years of building them, they become the proverbial white elephants locked into the urban landscape while also locking out any opportunity for alternative sustainable solutions.
Decentralised systems are an answer to servicing urban growth, while also reducing the pressure on freshwater resources. This is because decentralised water recycling systems are multi-functional as they provide the service of managing the sewage as well as serve as the source of water for non-drinking needs which form nearly 60 per cent of the total water demand. Apart from being cost-effective, they are also more efficient and easy to maintain. Due to their modular nature, they can address the need to serve urban growth as and where it happens. Decentralisation can be at the level of a suburb, or a neighbourhood or even onsite; i.e., the whole system lies within one property serving one or multiple buildings.
Yet, these systems do not receive the consideration they deserve when using the capital funds for building water and sanitation infrastructure. Lack of space to locate the decentralised facilities is cited as the most common reason for not considering them. The irony is that ULBs are willing and able to make space for urban growth but not for locating facilities to serve the intended growth. Therefore, a centralised treatment facility that gets located outside the city wins despite its unsustainable running cost.
State or Central government agencies that fund the ULBs for building water and sanitation infrastructure to service urban growth can introduce smart rules when approving plans for new growth areas in the form of conditions for allocating zones for locating facilities for decentralised wastewater treatment and recycling.
Similarly, ULBs that have the authority to approve new buildings and developments within the towns and cities they govern can introduce smart rules that lay down conditions for the builders and developers to incorporate water-efficient fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and onsite water recycling systems.
Such smart rules have the potential to improve water use efficiency, enhance groundwater recharge and substitute freshwater use with recycled water for non-potable uses, thus significantly reducing the demand on the drinking quality water supplied by the city’s water supply system. This also prevents freshwater sources from depleting.
Without such smart rules, cities and towns spend their capital investments and the Central/state government allocated funds in building centralised water and sanitation infrastructure. These are high in energy use and offer limited opportunities for use of recycled water as they are located out of the town/city that they serve.
Thankfully, a growing number of solution providers within India have the capacity to deliver a wide range of technological and engineered solutions that are low in capital and require low level of skill to operate and maintain. These include a range of proven nature-based decentralised wastewater treatment and recycling systems which offer the multiple benefits of making a sewage treatment plant look aesthetically pleasing while producing a cooling effect countering the urban heat due to the plant component. Yet, these solution providers are struggling to provide their services to ULBs which form one of the largest segments of the market for decentralised wastewater services after builders, developers and industries.
To make the most of the decentralised solutions available in the market, the mainstreaming of decentralised water recycling systems needs a policy level thrust from the Central and state governments. Even where onsite sanitation facilities are provided, lack of trained workforce to support its operation and maintenance results in inefficient and ineffective performance
There is an urgent need for introducing a national level policy mandating states to facilitate its cities to make an allocation for space for decentralised facilities to serve the desired urban growth. It will then enable the cities to develop plans for locating decentralised wastewater and recycling water facilities. This policy can be complemented by a state-level policy mandating all cities and towns to introduce smart rules for incorporating water efficiency and making builders include dual pipes to supply drinking and recycled water in their design plans. The Skill India programme can be utilised to train decentralised water recycling plant operators, thus generating employment while ensuring future water security. Decentralisation is the answer to the sustainable future of water in India.
The writer is Professor, Rashtram School of Public Leadership, and Co-Director, Centre for Water, Rishihood University. Views expressed are personal.
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