Haryana irrigation research and management institute (HIRMI) principal director, Dr Satbir Singh Kadian on Tuesday said regulators need to work across three key structural dimensions for moving from unregulated water extraction towards circular water use.
Dr Kadian who was speaking at an event at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi said the regulators cannot rely on a single nationwide model as water conditions vary across regions. “For instance, in Gurugram groundwater levels, urban sites fell from 0.08 metres to 2.34 metres within a single year. We need to re-engineer economic signals and incentives. Circular water use would not become the default option as long as fresh groundwater remains cheaper to extract, while treated wastewater carries high treatment and transportation costs,’’ he said.
Dr Kadian called for higher tariffs on commercial and industrial water extraction and increased groundwater cess. He said that instead of mandating expensive tertiary treatment standards for all uses, fit-for-purpose quality standards should be adopted to promote the use of secondary-treated water for urban green spaces, construction, irrigation of non-edible crops and lake restoration. He also advocated for measures such as viability gap funding (VGF) and priority lending for transmission pipelines.
Citing Haryana as an example, Dr Kadian said the state’s integrated water resources action plan (IWRAP) and Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) provide an integrated framework. Infrastructure is being developed in Haryana for the utilisation of 326 MLD of treated water from 27 sewage treatment plants (STPs) with projects for 20 STPs already completed.
Besides, under the Water Secure Haryana Project, supporting infrastructure has been proposed for the reuse of 171 MLD of treated water from four STPs.