A national discussion is underway in India on water management issues, with a significant emphasis on decentralization of water supply systems. Rashtriya Jal Biradari of Rajasthan held a conference in New Delhi in June 2004 (indiatogether.org, July 2004) to propose policies and steps to address India’s water problems. The Center for Science and Environment in its newsletter Jal Swaraj in August 2004 discussed rain water harvesting, proper water resource assessment in our river basins, conservation, efficient use of water in agriculture, and wastewater treatment. I feel that although the importance of Water Policy is being discussed in local and national forums, there is inadequate communication between the industrial, agricultural and domestic sectors, the three major users of water in India. In addition, the importance of public-private partnerships has not been considered to solve our water problems. This article will address these issues, and suggest measures for developing Policy and Planning Tools.
Watershed based planning
All our water is from the rains that fall on watersheds or drainage basins that flow into rivers, fall on the built infrastructure (cause flooding when not planned properly), or drain into the ground to form groundwater. We use this water for agriculture, industry or domestic purposes, and the wastewater, if not properly treated and managed, destroys the quality of our surface and groundwater (causing disease and death). The activities in the watershed have a significant impact on the quality of the surface and groundwater. For example, a rural watershed where significant amounts of fertilizer and pesticides are used will produce surface water bodies containing high amounts of nitrates, phosphates, and the chemicals in the pesticides. This is the reason organic farming is gaining a lot of converts in the United States and elsewhere. An urban watershed where significant amount of industry is located will produce runoff from improperly disposed wastes and sludges, and contaminate surface water and groundwater sources.
Watershed based planning allows the desired balance between the water entering the watershed and the water leaving the watershed. Currently, all the rain water harvesting techniques discussed in India aim to retain the maximum of water entering the watershed, either as surface water or groundwater. Watershed based planning allows us to manage the rainwater falling in the watershed, with adequate storage reservoirs or check dams that promote infiltration into the ground. An adequate assessment of the water falling on the watershed helps plan our activities by determining the optimum agricultural practices, and the capacity to support domestic and industrial use. We can recycle the water in the watershed by planning proper decentralized wastewater treatment systems. We can protect the quality of water in the watershed by preventing pollution of our reservoirs and groundwater. Cooperation among watersheds in a region can help balance the needs of water for agriculture, domestic and industrial uses.
Many communities in India have started watershed based planning, but the systems to develop coordinated watershed planning in a region are not fully developed. The Central and State governments have the technical and financial resources to assess the water capacity in watersheds, and should help the local governments in managing their watersheds. In addition, impacts on water quantity and quality in watersheds from the local land use activities should be assessed by local and State governments, and only proper practices that will preserve water quality and efficiently use the water available should be permitted. In summary, local land use planning is critical to maintain the quality of water in the watersheds, and prevent the ravages of drought and flooding that happen far too often in India.
Wastewater treatment and recycling for reuse
The quality of surface water bodies is dependent on the amount of wastewater (from agricultural, municipal and industrial discharges) that flows into them. Dilution is no longer the solution to pollution, and we have to take active steps to prevent the deterioration of water quality that is taking place in our urban and rural areas. For example, a large reservoir in rural Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, was allowed to deteriorate by not collecting the wastewaters and treating it before discharge into the reservoir that was the source of water for the whole community. In 2003, a project initiated by Dr. Tata Prakasam of Chicago, USA, (a native of Vizianagaram) and supported by the local government collected the wastewater in a series of ponds for treatment before discharge into the reservoir. This low cost treatment system (about Rs. 2 crore) will preserve the water quality in the area, and prevent several water borne diseases. Another low cost wastewater recycling system is being demonstrated at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University campus in Hyderabad by Subijoy Dutta of Maryland, and Ram Koduri of Chicago, USA.
Natural systems recycle everything, and if we properly recycle wastewater, we can reuse the water and produce methane from the organic solids in municipal wastewater. The remaining solids can be applied to the land as a soil amendment. The wastewater when retained in a pond for several days decomposes (process called anaerobic digestion), and the water quality improves. Depending on the quantity and quality of the wastewater, and the size of the pond and depth, the retention time varies. With the addition of air in the second pond (process called aerobic digestion), the water quality is improved to the point where it can be recycled for agricultural uses. With the use of filtration to remove suspended solids, and adding disinfection agents, the water can be recycled for domestic uses or recharged into the groundwater aquifer. Thus, we can recycle municipal or industrial wastewater for beneficial use by installing and properly operating treatment systems. Depending on the quantity of water treated and availability of land for installing the systems, the cost of the treatment system can vary from a few lakhs of Rupees to several crores of Rupees.
Several State Industrial Development Corporations (SIDC) have initiated wastewater recycling in several industrial estates in the state. The success of these Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) is dependent on proper operation and maintenance of the system, and cost-effectiveness. Every industry should be responsible for treating its own wastewater and reusing it or using a CETP if it is available in the industrial estate. This concept is called Zero Discharge, and has to be implemented in every industrial estate in the 21st century. The disposal of solid waste and sludge (a solid and liquid mixture) produced in industry in lined facilities is critical to prevent contamination of groundwater at industrial estates. A groundwater aquifer, once contaminated with industrial wastes, can spread over a large area. In summary, wastewater treatment and recycling for reuse, and preventing water pollution through the proper disposal of wastes are practices than have to be adopted by every municipality and every industrial estate in India.
User fee and water conservation
Watershed planning and implementation and wastewater treatment and recycling requires a lot of financial resources. Unless these financial resources are recovered through a user fee structure, the system will not be sustainable and will result in water shortages or floods. In addition, the user fee or water cess if appropriately set, results in water conservation. For example, a wastewater treatment plant built in the Kurkumbh industrial estate near Pune was idle till the water cess was properly set to be more than the cost of recycled water.
The ability of the user to pay is always a big question in setting the user fee structure. Poor sections of society can be given a subsidy and others have to bear the cost of capital recovery, operation and maintenance of the system to make the system sustainable. This is being successfully done in the United States and Europe. Efficiency in operation and maintenance of the water and wastewater systems can be accomplished through a public-private partnership. The wastewater plant in the Kurkumbh industrial estate is a case in point. The plant was built with government funds but the operation and maintenance of the system has been entrusted to a private contractor. Plant improvements and ongoing upgrades are the responsibility of the private contractor.
In summary, watershed based planning and cooperation among watersheds is the key to water management in India. The Central government should provide the technical resources and a large share of the funds for initiating the planning, but detailed planning and implementation should be done by the local and state agencies. The use of public-private partnerships is a viable approach to managing the municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and recycling facilities. The concept of user fees has to be initiated in all water and wastewater systems in India, and the user fees have to be adjusted based on cost of the capital recovery, operation and maintenance of the system. This will lead to water conservation and efficient operation and maintenance of the system. Local initiatives of rain water harvesting and storage ponds should be encouraged and adequately funded using state and local resources. Technical training and capacity building initiatives should be the responsibility of the Central and state governments.
Dr. Raj Rajaram is an environmental consultant at Oak Brook, IL
