Treated wastewater to be used in farms, industry: Haryana Chief Secretary

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 27

Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad said the state government has implemented the Treated Waste Water Policy to reuse Treated Waste Water (TWW) in irrigation, power plants, and industries. By December 2024, power plants water supply will be substituted by treated waste water, further enhancing water conservation efforts.

Prasad made this revelation after attending the meeting chaired by the Union Cabinet Secretary through a video conference regarding the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’, here today.

He said the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is making efforts to reuse treated wastewater, aiming to achieve reuse rates of 50 per cent by 2025 and 80 per cent by 2030 under the policy.

The Chief Secretary said the Union Government has appreciated the state government for geotagging and management of water bodies in the state. Since its inception, the Pond and Waste Water Management Authority (HPWWMA) has diligently geotagged 18,104 ponds and successfully rejuvenated 852, with ongoing efforts to restore an additional 1,152 water bodies. This meticulous geotagging initiative ensures effective management and preservation of Haryana’s invaluable water resources.

While referring to the positive outcomes of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan in the state, Prasad said in 2023, the water level increased by 1.3m in 12 districts, and in 2022, water level increased by 0.58m in 19 districts.

He said the district water conservation plans for all 22 districts have been prepared and uploaded on the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA-CTR), Central Portal. These plans are made from micro-level village plans and contain both supply and demand side interventions and strategic action plans for water conservation, public education and awareness, and department-wise action plans and strategy.

Prasad said Haryana has formulated a first-of-its-kind ,‘Integrated Water Resources Action Plan’in India, which is a compilation of the block-level water plan to understand the water gap and plan water saving interventions and supply level. Under the Integrated Water Resources Action Plan 2023-25, the state has achieved water savings of 2.48 billion cubic Metres (BCM) till December 2023.

He said the state has made a paradigm shift by flood management and targeting 50 per cent of flood water to be re-used in the state by putting it into canals.

The extinct rivers — Krishanawati, Dohan, and Sahibi were revived through an innovative concept ‘Running river through canals, but not canals through river’. Besides this, surplus floodwater is released into these rivers during the rainy season to aid groundwater recharge.

Plans prepared

The district water conservation plans for all 22 districts have been prepared and uploaded on the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA-CTR), Central Portal. These plans are made from micro-level village plans and contain both supply and demand side interventions and strategic action plans for water conservation, public education and awareness, and department-wise action plans and strategy.

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