Frothing lakes, open flow of untreated waste water, sewage water entering drinking water lines… Bengaluru has seen it all and the situation in smaller towns is not particularly better. It is to tackle this situation in the state capital and other cities that the government is coming up with a waste water management policy, aimed not only at the treatment but also its utilisation wherever there is demand.
Senior Urban Development Department officials said the policy is expected to be ready within eight weeks and would, among other things, “explore the demand for waste water, look at the financial gaps and see how they can be plugged.”
“There are towns that have tremendous demand for waste water. While the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board is using treated water, huge quantities are also being used in cities and towns such as Mangaluru, Ballari and Kolar. The policy will look at how to bridge this demand and supply and also how the private sector can play a role in it,” the official said.
Recently, the Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC), along with the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, held a workshop on the topic. Among the suggestions mooted were also a State advisory body on water management, KKC officials said.
However, water conservationists such as S. Vishwanath felt having the same template for the whole State would not be great idea. “What is relevant to Bengaluru may not be relevant to Mysuru,” he said, arguing for region-specific solutions.
He also stressed on the need to include the re-users of waste water in the process of finalising the policy. “Lakes that are frothing in the city are being used by farmers for irrigation 25 km down the line. Same is the case with the Vrushabhavathi river. We are only seeing the human reuse potential, while there is also reuse potential for industry, agriculture and the eco-system,” Mr. Vishwanath added.
Separate lines desired, but not easy
An ambitious plan as far as water management is concerned is to introduce separate lines to supply drinking water and another to supply water for other purposes. While there was discussion of the possibility of implementing this in the new layouts at least, the government also admits that it is “desired,” but not easily implementable.
“In reality, we still have to meet our water supply needs. In case separate piping is needed, there are costs involved. We know super advanced countries have this system, but it is typically a costing issue here,” a senior official said.
