What Happened
- Amid growing pressure on freshwater resources, Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW) has emerged as a national priority in India's water security strategy.
- Uttarakhand has notified a state-level SRTW policy, becoming one of the early movers in translating the National Framework on Safe Reuse of Treated Water into binding state regulation.
- The initiative aims to reduce pollution load in rivers, particularly the Ganga, by ensuring treated wastewater is reused rather than discharged back into water bodies.
- The push is backed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and aligns with India's commitment to SDG 6.3, which calls for substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse of wastewater globally by 2030.
- States are expected to set mandatory usage targets, designate no-freshwater zones (where treated water must be used), and aim for 50% reuse where treatment capacity exists by 2025 and 100% by 2030.
Static Topic Bridges
National Water Mission (NWM) and AMRUT
The National Water Mission is one of India's eight National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims to conserve water, minimize wastage, and ensure equitable distribution through integrated water resource management. The AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme, running since 2021, specifically emphasizes making cities water-secure and mandates reuse/recycling targets for sewage in urban areas.
- NWM targets a 20% improvement in water use efficiency across sectors.
- AMRUT 2.0 covers 500 cities; its Service Level Benchmarks mandate 20% reuse and recycling of sewage.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) oversees urban water mandates.
- India generates an estimated 72,000 million litres per day (MLD) of wastewater, but treats only about 28% of it.
Connection to this news: Uttarakhand's state SRTW policy operationalizes the national framework at the sub-national level, directly contributing to NWM and AMRUT 2.0 goals of urban water security and reducing freshwater extraction.
National Framework on Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW)
The National Framework on SRTW was developed under NMCG (Ministry of Jal Shakti) with support from GIZ under the India-EU Water Partnership. It provides a policy template for states, prescribing business models, usage categories (agriculture, industry, groundwater recharge, urban landscaping), and implementation timelines.
- Framework envisions all states adopting a state SRTW policy by end of 2023 (Uttarakhand now among the notified states).
- Targets: 50% treated water reuse by 2025 and 100% by 2030 wherever treatment infrastructure exists.
- Categories of reuse: agriculture, industrial cooling, construction, urban greening, groundwater recharge.
- NMCG is the nodal body under Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Connection to this news: Uttarakhand's notification is a direct implementation of the NMCG-led National SRTW Framework, making it a case study for how states can operationalize national water reuse mandates.
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water, adequate sanitation, and better water quality. SDG Target 6.3 specifically requires halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing safe reuse by 2030. India has committed to achieving SDG 6 and reports progress through NITI Aayog's SDG India Index.
- SDG 6.3 metric: proportion of wastewater safely treated and proportion of water bodies with good ambient water quality.
- India's Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal) addresses 6.1 (safe drinking water); SRTW addresses 6.3.
- Treated wastewater reuse is also critical for reducing over-extraction of groundwater, which India leads globally.
- Wastewater reuse reduces river pollution loads — key for Namami Gange and Clean Ganga targets.
Connection to this news: Uttarakhand's SRTW policy is a measurable step toward India's SDG 6.3 commitments, contributing to both water quality improvement and sustainable water use within the Ganga basin.
Key Facts & Data
- India generates approximately 72,000 MLD of wastewater; less than 30% is currently treated.
- National SRTW Framework targets: 50% reuse of treated water by 2025, 100% by 2030 (where capacity exists).
- Uttarakhand is one of the first states to notify an SRTW policy in line with the national framework.
- NMCG and GIZ (Germany) jointly supported the development of the National SRTW Framework under the India-EU Water Partnership.
- SDG 6.3 target: halve untreated wastewater and substantially increase safe reuse globally by 2030.
- AMRUT 2.0 mandates Service Level Benchmarks requiring 20% reuse/recycling of sewage in urban areas.
- India is the world's largest extractor of groundwater; reducing freshwater demand through treated water reuse is critical for aquifer conservation.