QUE: Discuss the various challenges related to waste water management in India. Discuss the recent efforts by the government to address waste water management.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India’s current water treatment capacity is 27.3% and sewage treatment capacity is 18.6%.

• Challenges related to waste water management:
• Lack of proper governance:

→ Under Schedule 7 of the Indian Constitution, water is considered as a subject of the State List, but it is clearly subject to the provisions mentioned in the Union List.

→ It empowers the Parliament to regulate inter-state water in the larger public interest and make laws related to it. Whereas, it gives the autonomy to the states to make relevant laws on matters like water supply, irrigation, drainage, storage, etc.

→ This apathetic attitude towards waste water and its adverse consequences can be seen in the states as well. According to the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, the governance of water resources is further divided into local, rural and urban levels.

→ These constitutional arrangements have resulted in an imbalance of power between the Centre and the states, leading to ambiguity in federal jurisdiction.

→ In particular, in the case of wastewater management, the inaction of one state affects the interests of one or more other states and leads to disputes.

• Costly wastewater treatment

→ Due to the lack of low-cost, sustainable, water management solutions, over 70% of sewage in India is left untreated, polluting rivers, coastal areas and wells that affect three-fourths of the country’s water bodies.

• Untreated wastewater in agriculture:

→ According to a recent study, 65% (35.9 million hectares) of all irrigated areas within 40 km downstream of urban centres worldwide are affected by untreated wastewater. This puts the health of 885 million global consumers, food vendors and farmers at risk. 86% of this irrigated agricultural land was located in five countries: China, India, Pakistan, Mexico and Iran.

• Government initiatives to deal with wastewater management:
• The Government of India has focused on solid waste, sludge and grey water management under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 (SBM 2.0).

→ With a continued focus on achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has developed detailed criteria for cities to achieve ODF+, ODF++ and Water+ status.

→ Sewerage and Septage Management projects were undertaken by MoHUA under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

• Conclusion:

→ While a decentralized approach is needed for better assessment and remediation of wastewater problems, there is a need to recognize water governance at all levels for efficient management of policies and holistic development of water bodies.

→ In this context, efforts should be made to address wastewater as an environmental pollution issue in a coherent manner by all central, state and local governments.

→ It is imperative to complement centralized treatment plants with cheaper alternative solutions. Such as,

• Decentralized wastewater treatment plants can be set up in small towns and rural areas, colonies, factories and industrial units. They can be installed directly on site, thus treating wastewater directly at its source.
• Bioremediation uses microbes such as fungi and bacteria to decompose pollutants and hazardous waste.
• Phytoremediation, which refers to the use of plants and related soil microbes to reduce the concentration or toxic effects of contaminants, has been proven effective in cleaning up lakes across the country.