How much of Sewage is treated in India?

According to the latest report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Indian sewage treatment plants can treat just over one-third of the wastewater produced daily.

The recently published CPCB report was based on information received by government emission control authorities through STP. The data was collected, edited, and analysed with respect to installed power, operating capacity, and actual utilization.

India produced 72,368 MLD (1 million litres per day), while the installed capacity of STP was 31,841 MLD (43.9 percent).

Of this installed capacity, development and operational capacity was 26,869 MLD (84 percent). Of the total operational capacity, 20,235 MLD (75%) was the capacity actually used.

In other words, of the total 72,368 MLD of wastewater generated daily, only 20,235 MLD is treated.

The distorted distribution:

5 State and Union Territory (UT) (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Karnataka) account for 60% of the country's total installed sewage capacity.

These account for 86% of total installed capacity in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan alone.

There are no or less sewage treatment facilities in Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Some states, such as Bihar, have a small STP installation capacity. However, on the operational side, the score is zero. Bihar produces 2,276 MLD of wastewater. The currently installed capacity is 10MLD for one STP.

The Assam 809MLD produces wastewater. However, more than one STP can be operated. The septic tank is used in the state.

Chandigarh ranks first in the total amount of wastewater produced by the time it is actually treated. It has the operational capacity to generate 188 MLD of wastewater and process 271 MLD. The amount of waste actually processed is 235MLD (125% of the total).

According to the report,

The actual utilization rate is higher than the city's wastewater volume, suggesting that the possibility of wastewater from neighbouring cities and the possibility of mixing industrial wastewater with wastewater cannot be ruled out. Alternatively, water can be supplied from an unrecorded water source.

Other states and UTs that work well with the percentage of wastewater actually treated relative to the percentage produced, are Delhi (72%), Punjab (72%), Haryana (71%), Gujarat (54%), and Maharashtra (47%).

The states and UT’s, which use only 1% of wastewater, include Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, including Tripura.

States and UT’s, such as West Bengal, Orissa and Jammu and Kashmir, treat 27 percent of wastewater.

Reuse of wastewater:

Reuse of treated wastewater is a less important issue in many state government political plans.

The Central Public Health and Environmental Technology Organization reports that the treated wastewater can be reused for horticulture, irrigation, cleaning work (roads, vehicles, trains), firefighting, industrial cooling, toilet flushing and horticulture.

The percentage of recycled wastewater is highest in Haryana (80%), followed by Pondicherry (55%), Delhi (50%), Chandigarh (35%), Tamil Nadu (25%), Madhya Pradesh (20%) and Andhra Pradesh (5%).

The Government of Delhi has set a goal of increasing reuse from 12.5 percent to 60 percent.

Reuse of purified wastewater can reduce the demand for water from sources such as rivers, ponds, lakes and  groundwater sources. CPCB reports that reducing raw water consumption helps conserve natural water resources.

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