Lok Sabha Question No. 1362 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Reuse of Waste Water
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1362

ANSWERED ON 27.07.2023

## REUSE OF WASTE WATER

## 1362. SHRIMATI KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) the measures taken to monetize and reuse of waste water and sludge under Arth Ganga project;
- (b) whether the Government has classified the sludges as Class A or Class B;
- (c) if so, the details of the available quantity of Class A and Class B sludges in the country; and
- (d) if not, whether the Government proposes to formulate any standards for Class A or Class B category sludges and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU

## )

(a) Arth Ganga is a sustainable viable economic model conceptualized under 'Namami Gange Program' to integrate people in the basin with Ganga Rejuvenation. A number of initiatives have been taken by the National  Mission  for  Clean  Ganga  (NMCG)  under  Arth-Ganga  concept,  in  co-ordination  with  many Ministries/ Departments of Central and State Governments. There are six key verticals of intervention in the model, namely:

- i. Promotion  of  Zero  Budget  Natural  Farming  (ZBNF),  which  includes  promotion  of  Natural Farming in Ganga Basin.
- ii. Monetization and reuse of treated wastewater and sludge. It refers to reuse of treated wastewater by  ULBs  for  generation  of  revenue  and  conversion  of  sludge  into  usable  products  such  as manure, pavers and bricks for revenue generation as well as safe disposal of sludge.
- iii. Development of Livelihood generation opportunities through activities like 'Ghat Main Haat' for sale of local products of Ganga cities/towns along riverbanks; self-sustaining of Ghats and capacity building trainings of Ganga Praharis etc. Jalaj units for income generation activities for Ganga Praharis have been set up in many locations.
- iv. Encouragement of Public Participation through organizing regular events such as Ganga Aartis, cleanliness drives, Ganga Guide Trainings, Yoga on Ghat, Ghat Pe Haat etc. in coordination with District Ganga Committees.
- v. Promotion of Cultural heritage and tourism by development of small local tourism and cultural circuits;  introduction  of  boat  tourism  through  community  jetties;  promotion  of  yoga  and wellness, medical tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, enhancement of cultural connection with the river through aartis & Ganga trails;
- vi. Institution  Building  through  setting  up  of  decentralized  monitoring  and  governance  units  like District  Ganga  Committees  (DGCs);  enhancement  of  the  capacities  of  DGCs  and  other  local administration institutions for better water governance and sustenance of the projects, post asset handover.

The Government of India has been promoting the reuse of treated water for different non-potable purposes, particularly for industrial use, horticulture, agriculture, etc. The following initiatives have been taken at Central level towards promotion of reuse of treated waste water are:

- i. A  National  Framework  for  Safe  Reuse  of  Treated  Waste  Water  has  been  published  by  the National  Mission  for  Clean  Ganga  (NMCG)  which  is  available  in  the  website  of  NMCG  at https://nmcg.nic.in. The framework gives guidelines for the formulation of State reuse policy and is  intended  to  build  appropriate  market  and  economic  models  for  the  reuse  of  treated  waste water. It has been circulated to all States & stakeholders.
- ii. MoUs have been signed by NMCG  with Ministry of Power, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Agriculture for reuse of treated wastewater.
- iii. NMCG has floated an EOI for empaneling agencies for the reuse of treated wastewater. Many agencies have shown interest in the reuse of sludge for manufacturing paver block, fertilizers, soil conditioners etc.
- iv. Centre  of  Excellence  (CoE)  has  been  established  in  partnership  with  The  Energy  Research Institute  (TERI)  on  Water Reuse at  the TERI Headquarters in New Delhi. The CoE on Water Reuse is an alliance between NMCG, TERI, industry partners and industry representative bodies.
- v. 20 MLD Mathura Tertiary Treatment Plant commissioned for supply of treated wastewater to IOCL's Mathura Refinery.
- vi. Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) are required by the Ministry of Power's Tariff Policy 2016 to use treated  sewage  water  from  STPs  operated  by  municipalities  or  other  local  authorities  located within a 50 km radius. 23 thermal power plants have been identified in Ganga basin in 1 st phase for reuse of treated waste water. Feasibility report/ DPR for these projects are being prepared and monitored jointly by NMCG/ Ministry of Power.
- vii. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has formulated charter based participatory approach to facilitate the industries for water recycling and pollution prevention in major industrial sectors like Pulp & Paper (in 2015), Sugar (in 2018), Distillery (in 2018), Textile (in 2019) and Tannery (in  2022)  in  river  Ganga  main  stem  states  emphasizing  on  technological  upgradation,  waste minimization practices,  augmentation  of  effluent  treatment  plants  (ETPs)  and  reuse/recycle  of treated  effluents  which  resulted  in  reduction  in  specific  fresh  water  consumption,  waste  water discharge & pollution load and improvement in compliance.
- viii. Industry  Specific  Improvement:  Reuse  and  recycling  of  wastewater  in  Industries  has  been promoted in water intensive grossly polluting industrial units along river Ganga with following outcomes:

-      Zero  black  liquor  discharge  achieved  in  paper  and  pulp  industries.  Zero  liquid  discharge achieved in molasses based distillery.

-      Salt  free  tanning  being  adopted  in  tannery  industries,  which  lead  to  less  consumption  of water.

-    Reuse of treated water in textile units during process is being encouraged.

(b)  to  (d) There  are  no  regulatory  norms  for  municipal  sludge  quality  in  India.  The  desired  sludge characteristics viz. dry solid consistency, VSS and coliform reduction are being followed as per CPHEEO Manual sludge guidelines. Globally, the sludge is classified  comparing its characteristics with USEPA norms to  categorize  Class  A  or  B,  defining  its  reuse  areas  (un-restricted  re-use  or  re-use  with  certain restrictions).

Under  Namami  Gange  Programme,  a  study  was  carried  out  by  Indian  Institute  of  Technology Roorkee (IIT-Roorkee) titled 'Comprehensive Characterisation of variably processed sewage sludge in Ganga basin to classify its suitability  for safe disposal. Sludge samples were collected from forty four STPs  and  examined  for  physico-chemical  parameters  and  microbiological  parameters.  All  standard criteria  specified  by  Fertiliser  Control  Order  (FCO)  2009,  US  EPA  Class  A  and  Class  B  sludge  were considered to compare the quality of sludge. The dewatered sludges satisfied the USEPA Class B criteria and safe for re-use with limited/ restricted control.

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