India has experienced a growth in urbanisation and infrastructural development in recent years. This has led to a rise in water demand, posing a water crisis due to the depletion of freshwater sources in urban centres. This situation is further exacerbated by the drastic shift in weather patterns due to climate change. Extreme conditions have arisen, such as reduced rainfall, rising sea levels and higher salt concentrations in seawater. This has turned the government’s attention towards addressing sustainability in the sector and achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 – clean water and sanitation for all.
The government is realigning its urban development strategies with a sharp focus on mainstreaming water resource management and setting up a resilient infrastructure to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-based services. As a testament, the WASH sector has been highlighted as one of its nine priority areas under the Union Budget 2024-25. To this end, the government is proposing water supply and wastewater treatment-related projects that are financially viable in 100 select large cities, with a focus on recirculation of treated wastewater in other sectors such as irrigation. In addition, substantial budgetary allocations to key programmes in the sector, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), will further support this planned growth.
Reinforced policy support
All-round growth of the sector is being targeted by different tiers of the government by strengthening existing policy frameworks and formulating new ones. A diverse range of initiatives are being undertaken by the central and state governments and city-level authorities. The central government aims to achieve water security under the National Water Mission. Based on the principles of the National Water Policy, the mission aims to improve industrial water use efficiency, promote ways to recirculate wastewater for multiple purposes, develop new and alternative water sources, and promote ground water and rainwater management, among other initiatives. In line with this, benchmarks for saving water in key industries have also been recommended by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in a new policy brief. The ministry is further supporting state governments in formulating their wastewater reuse policies through guidelines under the National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Wastewater. With a central focus on wastewater reuse, around 11 state governments have adopted related policies.
The robust policy ground is being leveraged for on-ground action through project implementation under programmes such as the JJM, NMCG, AMRUT and SBM. These concerted efforts at the national level are made more effective by complementary state and city-level initiatives. Urban local bodies (ULBs) are also picking up pace in developing coherent action plans. A newly developed toolkit by the NMCG in collaboration with other bodies, called the “Toolkit for Preparing City Action Plans for Reuse of Treated Used Water”, will be instrumental in this effort. It focuses on cities within the Ganga basin but is also applicable to other cities across India.
Facilitating 24×7 water supply and low NRW
The majority of Indian cities are transitioning from intermittent water supply to 24×7 continuous water supply, which includes the provision of drink-from-tap facilities. Many cities are adopting this sophisticated system to expand their water supply networks. To this end, several cities in Odisha have been recently covered under the Drink from Tap Mission.
Further, water utilities and ULBs are addressing infrastructural gaps in the water network to decrease the extent of high non-revenue water (NRW). Recently, smart water meters, hydraulic water modelling and digital monitoring systems have gained wide adoption across cities. Technology providers are also extending their services to enable this shift. Cities such as Surat, Amravati, Ayodhya and Vishakhapatnam have adopted digital solutions to lower their NRW levels.
Thrust to technological innovations
Indian ULBs and water boards are rapidly leaning towards technology support for upgrading their water supply and wastewater treatment systems. Recently developed indigenous wastewater treatment technologies such as advanced oxidation processes and sequential continuous-flow reactor systems will enable the effective reuse of treated used water (TUW). Similarly, decentralised wastewater treatment systems are also being developed for small-scale implementation. For instance, a technology called NOWA was recently developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology to treat organic wastewater generated by commercial establishments. Furthermore, the integration of advanced digital systems in the water distribution network is helping ULBs achieve 24×7 water supply. The installation of online monitoring systems, artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems and internet of things-based sensors is also helping to control leakage and wastage of drinking water as well as monitor water usage in cities such as Faridabad, Bengaluru and Delhi.
Enabling circular economy
Wastewater generation in Indian cities has been increasing, accompanied by a large gap of around 50 per cent in sewage treatment capacity. This situation has highlighted the potential of TUW as a valuable resource. To address this, frameworks are being set up by regulatory bodies. One such ongoing initiative is by the Central Pollution Control Board, which is preparing draft guidelines for the reuse of TUW in other water-demanding sectors. There is also a higher focus on industrial wastewater treatment due to an increase in its discharge leading to river pollution. As a result, zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technologies have gained traction across industries such as textiles and pharmaceuticals. A new textile industry park is planned to be set up and equipped with a ZLD system in Ahmedabad. Similarly, the Energy and Resources Institute recently developed a UV photocatalysis-based advanced oxidation technology to ensure ZLD in common effluent treatment plants.
Strengthening multilateral collaborations
As the sector gains importance worldwide, new avenues of foreign collaboration are being explored by the Indian government. In the past year, active collaborations have been sought with the governments of countries such as Israel and Denmark for their sectoral expertise. Their sector-specific knowledge and technological acumen are supporting new interventions in desalination technologies, wastewater treatment and river rejuvenation.
Premium research institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) have also started working closely with foreign governments. For instance, IIT Madras collaborated with Israel’s Tel Aviv University to develop an aerogel adsorbent that removes pollutants from wastewater. Similarly, IIT-BHU and the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation have collaborated with the Danish government to advance digital enablement in small river management and rejuvenation. Additionally, Denmark has provided a funding grant to support this initiative.
Emerging funding sources and models
International donors such as Agence Française de Développement, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the World Bank group are facilitating the funding of projects in the sector. Their loan assistance lowers the financial burden on governments and enhances the financial viability of projects.
The government has also unlocked the potential of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the sector. Private sector participation has been facilitated through models such as “One City One Operator”, which operates under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM). This trend reflects a positive effect on the sector, with single ownership and accountability for end-to-end operations enabling efficient construction, project management, and operation and maintenance-based services. A significant number of sewage treatment projects under the NMCG are being carried out under the HAM mode, while the majority of the completed projects utilised the design, build, operate, and transfer mode. Similarly, the AMRUT 2.0 has set a mandate for cities with million-plus populations to take up PPP projects worth a minimum of 10 per cent of their total project allocation. Moreover, large upcoming desalination plants, such as the Perur desalination plant in Chennai, are also being implemented under the PPP mode with private companies such as VA Tech Wabag Limited and Metito Overseas.
Anticipated trajectory and future focus areas
As the sector progresses, the government is inching towards achieving water security based on India’s Water Vision 2047. It aims for effective water governance by introducing institutional arrangements such as a water resources regulatory authority in every state. This will enable stronger central and state partnerships in the future.
In the coming years, sustainable practices will gain further attention. Renewable sources of energy such as solar will be harnessed to operate sewage/wastewater treatment facilities, while alternate sources of water such as treated seawater and harvested rainwater will be further explored. It is also expected that desalination technologies such as low-temperature thermal desalination will mature, along with advancements in membrane systems.
Private players are expected to participate more confidently in projects, which is expected to strengthen their order books. They will engage in better risk-sharing models under PPP arrangements, with the provision of viability gap funding from the government. Moreover, ULBs and water boards will need to enhance their capabilities in integrated water management by adopting new-age technologies such as digital twins and AI/machine learning. They should invest in capacity building and knowledge management for successful fruition.
Policy and governance reforms, infrastructural development, technological interventions, alternative funding sources and water conservation methods, along with the collective responsibility of citizens, are expected to alleviate the growing pressure on India’s water system and address the various challenges being faced.
Naina Gulati and Shubhangi Goswami
