Gujarat government is eyeing reuse of over 5000 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) of sewage water against just about 50 MLD. It is also eyeing setting up of more Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in the state with an estimated investment of Rs 20,000 crore. By 2030, the government plans to reuse all the water of STPs, a top government official said here on Friday.

“There are three stages to ensure reuse of sewage water. Collection, treatment of reuse. Gujarat does not have a problem in collection and treatment, it is reuse where the action is needed. By 2030, we plan to reuse entire water treated in STP,” said, J P Gupta, principal secretary - Water Supply Department, Government of Gujarat and chairman, Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB), during Sixth Gujarat Water Summit organized by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in the city on Friday.

All seven municipal corporations have sewage systems. Of about 163 municipalities, 155 have underground sewage network. However, as the cities are expanding, there is growing demand of sewage network and STPs, informed Gupta. The government is in the process of issuing tenders for about 10 projects which will be on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis or Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The process of tendering of seven desalination projects are also underway. “Water crisis that we are facing today is a matter of great concern. The main issue is not the unavailability of water but it is water management. We need to work on tools, practices and structures to enhance water sustainability,” said Gupta.

“There is a need to bring in latest technologies with an eye on future scenario of water in Gujarat. Lot has been said, discussed and debated about water sector but now its high time for action,” Dinesh J Yadav, former chairman, CII Gujarat State Council.

SETBACK

Gujarat’s estimated consumption of water is 10,000 MLD, of which about 40 per cent is in rural areas, which do not have sewage treatment facilities and therefore there is no collection of sewage water