The Revival, Regeneration and Conservation Master Class: Focus WaterEnvironment and Energy Conclave 29th and 30th August 2014 at ITC Sonar, KolkataSuresh Kumar RohillaProgramme Director Water ManagementCentre for Science & Environment, Delhi

Structure of the Presentation

Summary assessment of water management in India based on CSE research focus on urban water Agenda for change mainstreaming revival, regeneration and reuse/recycle for sustainable water management.

CSEs Recent Publication

http://cseindia.org/content/excreta-matters-0

Buy online at http://csestore.cse.org.inVolume 1 - dwells on how urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own waste ( 296 pages).

Volume 2 - contains a very detailed survey of 71 cities, and presents an assimilation of the survey's results (496 pages).

Growing Water crisis Asia In the last hundred years world population tripled .... but human use of water increased six times

Worldwide, the consumption of water is doubling every 20 years - more than twice the rate of increase in population.

Crisis is more evident in India as major population share is accommodated here

Is India Water-stressed ?

Per capita availability of fresh water has fallen from 6042 cubic meters in 1947-50. Reduced to 1545 cubic meters in 2011 within five decades Based on the mark fixed (i.e.1700 cu.m) by the United Nations. India has already become a "water-stressed nation.

Emerging Water Scenario

Emerging Wastewater Scenario

Condition of Rivers and Lakes

The urban water crisis

Most cities are water stressedMany places industry is given sewage (in place of water)Every summer, there are riots, protests and sometimes killings Urban water bodies (lakes/ponds)disappearingRivers polluted / deadWhen rains come, it leads to floodingIs available water safe ?

Urban Water Challenges in India

Urban Water Challenges in India

Not a single town/city has 24-7 Water Supply in India

Not single city ranked health and clean city

Water Resources Scenario

Water for growth?Cities-industries need water for growth. Where will this come from?

What are the options ?

Indian town/cities need to become prosperous without more water - How is that possible?

The conventional way:

Bring water into the city storage, diversion, pipe, pump, treat from further and further away.

Flush and carry the waste out of the city pipe, pump, divert, treat further and further away. The water-sewage connection

Location of WTPs and Sources of Water - DelhiAbove 250 kms

Relentless search for water

Vaitarna cum Tansa 90 km105 kmMumbaiBhatsa

Manjira damHyderabad Nagurjuna 105 km100 km

Ajai 3Ajai 2Ajai 1Nyari dam 1Nyari dam 2Bhadar dam 75 km

Bisalpur dam 120 km 1088 cr

Indira Gandhi canal204 kmRajivgandhi lift canal

How is urban water supply need calculated in India ?Source: Ministry of Urban Development, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation Manual on Water Supply and Treatment, Third Edition -Revised and Updated (May 1999), New Delhi.

Per capita supply is high and completely arbitraryCPHEEO Norm

Official Water Demand, Supply, leakage loss and supply after loss

Slums : Unreached, Un-supplied

Cities Craving to Supply More 71 Indian Cities Survey by CSE reveals:

paradigm water supplyThe current paradigm water supplyMore water supplied = More waste water generated = more costs for treatment = Unsustainable

Water = WastewaterCities plan for water, forget waste

80% water leaves homes as sewage

More water = more waste

Cities have no accounts for sewage

Cities have no clue how they will convey waste of all, treat it, clean rivers

Cities only dream of becoming New York or London

Sewage : more sums30% of total sewage can be treatedBut Delhi and Mumbai alone have 40 per cent of sewage treatment capacity in the country

Planning for hardware Cities plan for treatment not sewage Treatment plants are not simple answers

Can build plants to treat, but there is no waste being conveyed for treatment

Most cities do not have underground sewerage. But engineers sell pipe-dreams of catching up with infrastructure

Politicians buy pipe-dreams

We lose rivers. Generations of lost rivers

Cities do not have drains New growth cities are growing without drains Backlog and front-log impossible to fix As cities fix one drain, another goes under

For example - Bengaluru: sewage not reaching3610 km of sewage pipes 14 sewage treatment plants = 781 mldGenerates 800-1000 mld of sewageBut treats only 300 mldRest does not reachNow plans to build 4000 km more Builds, grows and more lines need repairCatch-up that does not catch-up

Partial treatment = pollutionCities do not control pollution and Cost of building system is highCity can build sewerage system for few not allSpends on building pipes, repair and energy costs of pumping to treatment plant of this waste of some fewSpends to treat waste of some fewTreated waste of few gets mixed with untreated waste of majority The result is pollution

Has 20 drainsHas 17 STP

Capacity existsBut River Yamuna dead

Why? Delhi keeps building to catch up

CantSewage reaches riverFor example : Delhi River has no water only sewage

Funds spentSewage system coverage highLarge number of pumping stations

Why still polluted?Pumps and pumpsTakes to outskirts of cityDumps it back into canals and riversThese flow through city

Engineers say all is wellWaste is interceptedOnly stormwater flows

But not trueSewage flows , Treated sewage flows

For example : Chennai

Water-waste portrait

Urban water paradigm cause & effectWater is imported pipes, tankers, trains Raw water quality is very poor Costs for governmentCosts of treatment for government Cannot meet the demand SupplyIndiscriminate groundwater mining within and outside the city Treatment Cannot meet the demand High health impacts among poorGrowth of bottled water industrySewerage Supplied water turned into polluted water Costs of collection and treatment for govt. Cannot meet the demand Polluted rivers and lakes. Further reduction of water supply

Typical Water Production / Wastewater Treatment & Energy Use

Cost Components25-50/60 % revenuespent on water

Water financials, a dilemnaSource: Schneider ElectricWater price is a public issue (no volatility, even fixed)

Chemicals & additives will increase

Asset management need regular investments

Example : River Ganga Basin

Very Low FlowNo Flow / Highly PollutedLow Flow / Navigation DisruptedExample : River Ganga is an over extracted and polluted freshwater ecosystem

HOW DOES ALL THIS THIS COME TOGETHER? hydropowerReduced Flow & Polluted River

How to address the situation ?

When such water stress is reached, a new approach to water management within the catchment is required.

Rather than an engineering approach, these approaches seek to restore river flow through a multi-disciplinary process of managing water withdrawal.

Effective water allocation mechanisms need to be developed that manage the use of the scarce resource.

Ways need to be found to allocate water between competing needs within a catchment, while sufficient water is retained to ensure the continuation of ecosystem functions.Managing Water Stress & Variability

Reduced pesticidesReduced pollution and energy useprocessingReduced abstraction & energy usedomesticReduced pollution & energy use + better recyclingSustainably managed hydropowerIncreased flows & cleaner waterNeed of the Hour Revival, Restoration & Reuse

Cannot play catch up game

Cannot flush and forget

Have to find new approaches : affordable and sustainable

Urban Areas

Way ForwardNew Paradigm

Use less water. Do not be wasteful - Do not make cities first water-wasteful and then think efficiency. Only bring the deficit water from outside.

Some examples :

Rainwater Harvesting both recharge and storage

Decentralised wastewater treatment

Local reuse and recycle

Use of water efficient fixture ( less water consuming toilet flush system, shower and taps/faucets etc)

Future directions for addressing water variability and adaptation proposed in Indian context ?

Not a task for engineers (and water utilities) alone

Integrated planning of urban land and water

Objective of equity, economic efficiency and environmental integrity

Making water everybodys business

THANK YOU

Email: srohil@hotmail.com

**Compare this to Copenhagen; one of the worlds richest city. The per capita water consumption was: 190 litres/capita/day in 1990. But their target was to bring it down to 111 litres/capita/day in 2002.

***