G Ashok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, at a conference on ‘Water Reclamation and Reuse’ organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and International Water Association, Chennai. Chennai on January 16, 2023 | Photo Credit: Karunakaran M
The National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme, which aims to delineate aquifers and water availability, is set to be completed in a year, G. Ashok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, said in Chennai on Monday.
Mr Kumar inaugurated a three-day conference on ‘Water Reclamation and Reuse’ organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the International Water Association (IWA) in the city on Monday.
Elaborating on the initiatives of the Central Government to address the issues of water management and water governance, Shri Kumar said that aquifer mapping would help in developing plans for groundwater management. Noting that the policy of reusing treated wastewater has found resonance in several states, Mr Kumar said the central government’s emphasis is on wastewater as a resource rather than a waste, and for non-potable purposes Will work towards banning the use of fresh water.
Pointing to the national framework for safe reuse of treated water, he said the main focus now is on reuse and recycling of wastewater and monetization of sludge and treated sewage. He also talked about the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide tap connections to all households by 2025 and the Namami Gange program that aims to clean the Ganga and enhance sewage treatment capacities.
The experts also talked about how Chennai is fast emerging as the made water capital of the country with recent initiatives to reuse wastewater.
Rajeev Mittal, CMD and Group CEO, VA Tech Wabag Ltd., a company that has executed desalination and tertiary treatment projects for Chennai, said that apart from adding desalination plants with a treatment capacity of 550 million liters per day, the optimum supply Projects are being planned for Use of recycled water and tertiary treated water for indirect potable use through recharge of lakes.
Waste water should be treated as an asset and incentives such as carbon credits should be provided for reuse and recycling of waste water. Shri Mittal said that reclaimed water would ensure drought free water availability, food security and sustainable socio-economic development.
Earlier, FICCI Water Mission Chair Naina Lal Kidwai spoke about the importance of investing in water recycling, sharing industry best practices and creating a market for treated wastewater to build a water-resilient future.
Joseph Lahnsteiner, President, IWA Reuse Expert Group; IWA President Thomas Michael Mollenkopf and FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council President GSK Velu also spoke.