Challenges and Solutions for Treatment and Reuse of Wastewater – Residential Group Housing

“Many of the wars this century were about oil, but those of the next century will be over water.”

– Ismail Serageldin, Vice President, World Bank-1995.

Wastewater treatment and reuse are critical in conserving water resources and promoting sustainable practices. The process involves a complex set of challenges for both the design and construction team and the facility management team over the system’s lifespan. Treating wastewater requires addressing technical hurdles while reusing it, which brings forth significant challenges related to public acceptance, compliance with local and national regulations, and potential health implications. Facility managers are tasked with carefully evaluating the associated risks, navigating regulatory requirements, addressing health considerations, and assessing the advantages of implementing a wastewater treatment and reuse program.

Government Policy, Regulatory Guidelines for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse-

• The Haryana State Government released the Reuse of Treated Wastewater Policy 2019 to achieve 50% reuse of Treated Wastewater (TWW) by 2025 and 80% reuse of TWW by 2030.
• Achieve 100 percent treatment of collected sewage per Central Pollution Control Board/ State Pollution Control Board norms.
• Every municipality must utilize at least 25% of the treated wastewater within the time range established by the local body’s policy.
  • To reuse 50% Treated Wastewater (TWW) by 2025
  • To reuse 80% TWW by 2030
• Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW)
  • The government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and achievement of SDG 6.3 is to improve water quality through increased recycling and safe reuse.
• ISO Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation projects (Part-1, 2, 3 & 4), i.e., ISO16075-1, ISO16075-2, ISO16075-3 & ISO16075-4.

Guiding Principles and Engineering – Toilet Flushing

• Active participation from all stakeholders is crucial to guarantee the universal acceptance of treated wastewater reuse.
• Reusing treated wastewater for toilet flushing is acceptable only after physical filtration through activated carbon and ultra-filtration membranes.
• It shall not be made mandatory in layouts and confined condominiums.
• A risk management program must be in place to ensure the safe reuse of treated wastewater and protect the health of end-users.
• The fundamental costs, sustainability, and public acceptance principles must guide the reusing of treated wastewater.

In major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai, treated grey water is used for toilet flushing in some prominent condominiums and high-rise apartment complexes. Care should be taken to ensure that Ultrafiltration membranes are used in the treatment process to safeguard against chances of waterborne diseases.

The STPs based on Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) and Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) are the predominant technologies in the State of Haryana, India.

Challenges of Wastewater Management

• Capacity Gap – Gap between generated sewage and installed Sewage Treatment Plant capacity. High cost of installation, operation, and maintenance of advanced technology for treating wastewater.
• Dependence on older versions of technologies for wastewater treatment. High cost of installation, operation, and maintenance of advanced technology for treating wastewater.
• The negligent monitoring and maintenance regime causes a decline in the quality of treated wastewater, severely limiting its potential for reuse in horticulture and other non-potable water applications.
• Potential pathogenic health risks from untreated or inadequately treated wastewater in households. Lack of expertise in health and environmental risk assessment and mitigation.
• Negative public perception of reusing treated wastewater.