The Hindu        08.12.2011

Wastewater no longer being treated as useless'

Rajasekara Murthy, scientist emeritus from Canada, inaugurating a workshop on ‘Wastewater treatment technologies' at NIE in Mysore on Wednesday. — Photo: M.A. SRIRAM

A three-day workshop on wastewater treatment technologies commenced at the National Institute of Engineering here on Wednesday, with experts underlining the imperatives of making wastewater reclamation and reuse an integral part of water resource management.

The workshop is being conducted by the NIE and McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, in association with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.

Change in perception

C. Rajasekara Murthy, Scientist Emeritus, Environment Canada, who delivered the keynote address, said the perception that wastewater was a nuisance and should be disposed of with minimal treatment was changing, and the current view was that wastewater was a resource and should be treated effectively and reused.

This envisaged building decentralised systems of treatment and reuse with greater capacity, he added.

Dwelling on the water crisis in many parts of the world, Dr. Murthy said the limited supply of fresh water combined with inadequate sanitation had created a crisis situation.

Pressure

During the course of the 20th century, the global population had grown three-fold and the pressure on the finite fresh water sources had increased seven-fold.

But at present, more than half the world's population lacked adequate water resources and services, and according to World Health Organisation studies, more than one billion people lacked access to safe drinking water, and nearly 2.5 billion people did not have improved sanitation.

Strained resources

“In this country, about 25 per cent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water and 35 per cent have no access to sanitation services, and the situation is particularly pronounced in urban areas,” Dr. Murthy said.

The population growth and urbanisation with India's rapid industrialisation was putting pressure on limited water resources, and the challenges of managing the water resources were more pressing for India, where more than 30 per cent of the 1.2 billion people were living in urban areas, he said.

Dr. Murthy cautioned that ambitious and capital-intensive water resources development projects to harness and store and transport water over great distances, resulting in major water diversion schemes, were not sustainable.

Target

G.L. Shekar, principal, NIE, said the workshop was targeted at ground staff and policy-makers from local bodies and other public institutions, and would deal with the fundamental concepts and practical approaches needed for effective treatment of wastewater.

The workshop is being attended by 35 participants, and will cover the latest technology available for treatment of water in India and Canada.