Urban News

The Hindu 12.11.2009

Curbs on drinking water use coming

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI: 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.

Indian Express 3.11.2009

Now, BMC wants garden on water recycling tank

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to modify the proposal of setting up of grey water recycling facility to treat household non-toxic waste water, by asking the builders to develop the space above the treatment plant as garden.

A 300-sq ft area must be compulsorily designated for the recycling tank on top of which the space will have to be utilised for garden.

According to the new water by-laws being prepared by the BMC, recycling plant will have to be set up on all the premises with plot area of more than 2,000 sq metre or complexes with more than 80 dwellings or where water requirement is more than 60,000 litres per day.

“We are modifying the development control rules in such a way that the grey water recycling plant will have to be developed beneath the reservation of garden or open space,” said a senior civic official. Since most of the developers do away with the reservation of open space and use it for parking or other purposes, the civic administration has modified the DC rules so that the land above the water recycling plant has to be developed in green.

The proposal will soon be tabled with the law, revenue and general purposes committee and accordingly the development control rules will be amended.

With the city already struggling with water shortage and reeling under 15 per cent cut in supply, BMC hopes to meet the non-potable requirements through recycled grey water in coming years.

Grey water is non- industrial waste water generated from domestic usage — bath and kitchen water and comprises 50 per cent to 80 per cent residential wastewater and is less polluted than sewerage water.

Developers who do not follow the rule or fail to operate the plant will face penalty up to Rs 5,000 with penalty of Rs 500 per day till the recycling facility is started.

There will be also 25 per cent tax rebate to buildings which follow the rule. Around 60 per cent of water supplied to households that accounts to 2,700 mld is used as grey water. A little less than 45 per cent of water is used per capita per day for drinking and cooking .