Urban India’s Growing Sewage Treatment Gap

Context

The Parliamentary Standing Committee report identifies a major problem of infrastructure in metropolitan cities in India. Sewage generated by Indian cities is 52,644 million litres/day (MLD), while the total installed sewage treatment capacity in India is 31,885 MLD. This creates a huge gap of 20,759 MLD of daily treatment capacity which translates into almost 39% of untreated urban sewage discharged to water bodies.

Core Data & Statistical Breakdown

For perspective on the size of the infrastructure problem, the following summarizes the relationship between generation and installed capacity and utilization:

• Total Treatment Deficit: 20,759 MLD (Deficit between Generation and Installed capacity).
• Installed operational capacity: 14,062 MLD (Operating infrastructure, but not being used).
• Non-functional Sewage: 34,821 MLD (Combining underutilized capacity and capacity gap).

Key Challenges Highlighted by the Panel

The parliamentary report lists various structural, financial and administrative bottlenecks in the wastewater management system in India:

• Suboptimal Capacity Utilization: Building Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) has not translated into clean water. Out of the 31,885 MLD installed capacity, only 17,823 MLD (55.9%) is utilized. The other capacity is not being utilised due to design flaws and mechanical failures.
• Lack of Missing-Link Infrastructure: Failure to provide truck sewers and home connection networks are major factors in underutilization. While STPs are built, the pipelines connecting them with the household sewage are either absent, blocked or damaged.
• Electricity Consumption and Costs: STPs operate 24/365 days, requiring a continuous heavy electricity load. The lack of funds for electricity bills, lack of regular maintenance, and frequent plant shutdowns are a problem for many municipal corporations.
• Lax Implementation of Treated Wastewater Reuse: There is a distinct absence of mandatory policies forcing industries, thermal power plants, and commercial sectors to use treated wastewater. This means that treated water is frequently returned to the drains, thus not promoting commercialization.

Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts

• Pollution of Freshwater Ecosystems: Untreated urban wastes are the biggest polluters of Indian rivers (e.g.: Ganga, Yamuna), causing high eutrophication and toxic foam.
• Public Health Crisis: Contaminated water tables propagate waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis, disproportionately impacting urban slum populations.
• Economic Loss: Environmental degradation and health crises destroy human capital and India spends billions of dollars on rejuvenating rivers and improving health.

Government Initiatives 

• AMRUT 2.0: aims to transform the cities into ‘water secure’ and complete 100% sewage coverage in 500 marquee cities.
• Safe sanitation, Wastewater Treatment and source segregation are the focus of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U 2.0). 

Source: HT

UPSC Mains Practice Question 

Q. Urbanisation in India has outpaced the capacity of cities to manage wastewater effectively. Discuss the challenges associated with urban sewage management and suggest measures to strengthen urban governance and sanitation infrastructure.

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