Gujarat government launches ‘Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy’ to reduce state’s dependence on fresh water

The Gujarat government has launched its ‘Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy’ in Gandhinagar, which aims to reduce the state’s dependence on fresh water sources like the Narmada river. The policy will promote the use of treated wastewater and will see the setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) in all major towns and cities of Gujarat. Under this policy, the state government planned to construct 161 sewage treatment plants to treat waste water and use it for non-drinking purposes. The treated water would be used in industrial units, thermal power plants, gardening and in the construction sector. At present, around 2,600 million litres per day (MLD) of waste water was being treated by 52 STPs in the state. The policy aims to double the existing water treatment capacity to around 5,000 MLD in the next two years.