Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
a. The current centralised wastewater treatment capacity can treat only less
than 40% of the total wastewater generated in the country. Alternative
solutions are needed for managing the balance 60% untreated volume.
b. Nitrate discharge and Phosphate loss into water bodies needs to be stemmed.
c. Ways to reduce the dependence on fresh water by reusing 100% of the
wastewater generated.
d. Consequently, Centralised STPs need to ensure delivery of treated water
quality suitable for:
(i) Reuse in the area of generation by industry or domestic users for nonpotable,
non-contact uses, such as irrigation, flushing of toilets, car
wash, construction, etc.
(ii) Reuse for irrigation of farmland that may be switching to Organic
Certification.
(iii) In the unlikely case that no reuse options are available, safe discharge
into rivers and other water bodies without polluting them further may be
considered.
e. Given the poor track record of conventional centralised STPs in ensuring
water quality, final tertiary / quaternary treatment using chemical-free
natural systems such as Soil Biotechnology must be mandatory so that high
quality water free of chemicals is available for organic cultivation / other
non-potable reuse applications envisaged.
f. Set up mechanisms to process presently untreated sewage and harvest both
the water and the nutrients therein. The decentralised route seems to be the
most cost-effective way out. Additional centralised treatment options need
to be considered only in case space constraints in the area of wastewater
generation rules out possibility of decentralised treatment options.
g. Set up mechanisms to manage and process septage and harvest resources
therein.
h. Undertake an audit of existing centralised STPs and introduce online
automated live monitoring of critical parameters to bring in accountability
Annexures
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