Commercial and industrial consumers in the Capital in the years to come may not be able to use water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board for non-potable purposes. To take its water conservation drive further ahead, the Jal Board has proposed that all non-domestic users should use treated water for non-drinking purposes.
The Jal Board has proposed that there should be tertiary water treatment plants in all industrial areas. “We hope that over the next five years industrial areas should also have their own tertiary plants. Industrial houses and commercial enterprises should be able to use treated water from these plants for non-potable use. The Jal Board will, however, continue to supply them potable water for drinking purposes,” says the Chief Executive Officer of the Jal Board, Ramesh Negi.
The Jal Board wants the industries and commercial enterprises to put the water treated from sewage to be put to good use, the way it is done in several other cities. “At places like Hyderabad and Bangalore, treated water is used for various purposes like watering the greens and golf courses. In Delhi that is done using ground water, which again is scarce and needs conservation,” he adds.
Aware that the industrial sector may not be keen to invest in a tertiary treatment plant, Mr. Negi explains: “We may do it ourselves, like we are already doing in Okhla or Kapashera, or ask the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation to chip in.”
The Jal Board is already working on a 10 million litres a day (MLD) sewage treatment plant at Okhla and 3 million gallons a day (MGD) plant at Kapashera. Water from these treatment plants will be used for horticulture and other non-potable purposes in the adjoining areas. In Kapashera, the water will be used in the hospitality sector coming up around the airport.
The Jal Board has also made a presentation to the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi proposing that treated sewage may be used for gardening and other horticulture purposes in the Capital.
The water utility has already made it mandatory for all industrial and commercial buildings requiring more than 12.5 kilolitres of water a month to use water generated from sewage treatment for non-potable use.
“This policy has already been made. We have decided that such commercial or industrial complexes will be sanctioned only drinking water needs of up to 150 litres. For the rest, they will have to depend on treated water,” says Mr. Negi.
