Policy Options to Address India’s Water Crisis

With a population that now stands at 1.37 billion and is growing every day, India is expected to become the world’s most populous country by 2027. Unfortunately, India’s growing population, together with increasing urbanization and climate change, is putting greater pressure on a water supply that the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas ranks as one of the most stressed on the planet. Groundwater tables are being drawn down faster than rainwater can replenish them. By 2030, water availability is forecasted to meet only half of the demand.

Last year, a less-than-average monsoon season left Chennai, India’s sixth largest city, on the brink of disaster. In response, local officials have instituted short-term solutions in an attempt to slow the crisis, while allocating resources to create a more sustainable path forward.

From challenge comes opportunity

While India’s water challenges are large, it has an immense opportunity to capitalize on projects that treat wastewater for recycling and reuse. Widespread water recycling and reuse offers a reliable, long-term water source to meet demand for both potable and non-potable applications.

 Today, SUEZ released a new white paper, “Addressing India’s Water Crisis: Policy Options to Promote Water Recycling and Reuse.” In it, we highlight many of the bold actions that the Indian government is already taking to address water challenges and provide global examples of where governments have been successful in implementing water reuse programs. But, it also provides a menu of policy options that the government can consider as it evaluates ways to augment the steps it has already taken.

 The white paper also spotlights the ways that energy neutral and digital solutions can enhance water reuse projects to make them even more sustainable, promote long-term water efficiency, and help to mitigate India’s rising energy demands.

 Policy to promote action

 India is already making great strides in addressing its water challenges. In fact, a number of government initiatives at the national and local level are aimed directly at water challenges including a five-year, approximately $50 billion program to bring potable water to rural households, regulate groundwater usage, and improve wastewater management practices.

 While these are important steps in the right direction, there is urgent need for nationwide action. We call attention to policy options to advance water recycling and reuse that the government of India can evaluate as it seeks to promote greater reuse. The policy options are organized into four categories: education and outreach to encourage acceptance of water reuse and recognize successful programs; incentives to encourage the development of water reuse projects; the removal of barriers that slow adoption of water reuse technology, such as financial and regulatory roadblocks; and the implementation of mandates, regulations, and standards to achieve policy outcomes.

 To further underscore the importance that policy can have in moving countries toward more sustainable water futures, the white paper also provides examples of policies that other governments around the world have implemented, such as in Singapore where they meet approximately 40% of their water demand with recycled water, and in Israel where they reuse over 80% of their wastewater. These and the other examples compiled in the report can serve as inspiration to the government of India as they consider future policy actions. 

 My sincere hope is that India can meet the coming demand. It will not be easy, but the technologies needed to solve India’s water problems exist, and there are a range of policy options to help accelerate their adoption. Already, we’ve seen significant movement in this direction.

 To that end, there is reason for optimism.