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Policy for reusing waste water: Gujarat government

State government wants 70% reuse of treated waste water by year 2025, and 100% by 2030

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CM Vijay Rupani and others release the Policy
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In a bid to make the most of available water resources, the state government on Monday announced a policy for reusing treated waste water, making it mandatory for thermal power plants and large industrial units to use treated wastewater. The government is also targeting to reuse 100% of treated waste water by 2030.

The Policy, unveiled by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, aims to achieve minimum 80% coverage and collection of sewage in all municipal towns and to reach a level of 100% treatment of collected sewage. "We aim to reuse at least 24% of the total freshwater consumption from treated wastewater by every municipal body. We are targeting to reuse 70% of the treated wastewater by 2025, and 100% by 2030," JP Gupta, principal secretary, water supply department, said while announcing the policy.

Speaking after launching the policy, Rupani said that water was a basic problem in Gujarat, but the government was committed to resolving the problem. He cited the ongoing water conservation drive, plans to set up desalination plants along state's coast, and the latest policy as measures to find a permanent solution for water shortage.

"Gujarat consumes about 3,000 million litre per day of water. Even if only 50% of the water is recycled and reused, we can save a large quantity of water," he said while asking industrial units to stop using groundwater.

Gupta said that it would be made mandatory for all thermal power plants, GIDC estates, all industrial units in Special Investment Regions, industrial parks, and large industrial units consuming over one lakh litre of fresh water per day, situated within a distance of 50 km from a sewage treatment plant (STP) or city limits to use the treated wastewater. Among others, the policy envisages the use of treated wastewater on construction sites, watering green areas, in fire hydrants, among others. Other uses proposed are in maintenance of parks and gardens and developing urban landscaping, and for rejuvenation of ponds, lakes and rivers.

The state government has chalked out plans to set up underground drainage collection network and sewage treatment plants across the state. At present, 52 STPs exist in the state, which treats about 2,600 MLD water. Officials said that 161 STPs are under planning or execution, which would increase water treatment capacity by 2,800 MLD in two years. A senior government official said that about Rs500-600 crore would be spent this year to set up STPs. Gupta said that treated wastewater would be priced lower than fresh water, which would not only reduce consumption of fresh water but also be financially beneficial for consumers.

"The aim is to ensure that the operation becomes sustainable for local bodies that will own the STPs," said a senior government official.

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