Context
According to the latest report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in India are able to treat a little more than a third of the sewage generated per day.
Key-highlights of the report
- India generated 72,368 MLD (million litres per day) whereas the installed capacity of Sewage Treatment Plants STPs was 31,841 MLD (43.9 per cent).
- 5 states and Union Territories (UT) - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka - account for 60% of the total installed treatment capacity of the country.
- The other five other states and UTs — Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan — alone constitute 86 per cent of the total installed capacity.
- Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland have not installed sewage treatment plants.
- States and UTs like West Bengal, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir treat 2-7 percent of sewage.
- Chandigarh ranks first in terms of total sewage generated to what is actually treated.
Reuse of Treated sewage
- The proportion of the reuse of treated sewage is maximum in Haryana (80 percent) followed by
- Puducherry (55 per cent)
- Delhi (50 per cent)
- Chandigarh (35 per cent)
- Tamil Nadu (25 percent)
- Madhya Pradesh (20 percent)
- Andhra Pradesh (5 percent)
- The reuse of treated sewage can decrease the water demand from aquatic sources like rivers, ponds, lakes and as well as groundwater sources.
- This will help in Less consumption of raw water will help in conserving natural water resources.
- Treated sewage water can be reused for horticulture, irrigation, washing activities (road, vehicles and trains), fire-fighting, industrial cooling, toilet flushing and gardening.
