Govt, corporate sector to work in tandem for wastewater management

New Delhi: There is great potential for the corporate sector and the government to work together in wastewater management, senior officials said here.

Lamenting that wastewater management in India has been "very inefficient", secretaries of ministries of drinking water and sanitation and water resources emphasised on the role of industry in "institutionalizing" the use of recycled water as part of conservation efforts. They were speaking at the third edition of India Industry Water conclave organised by industry body FICCI.

"The prime minister has put water very squarely on the agenda. The role of the private sector is very important. There is a huge potential for us to work together in wastewater management, which is very inefficient in our country. There is a huge scope for wastewater to be treated and used for agriculture," Parmeshwaran Iyer, secretary in drinking water and sanitation ministry, said at the conclave.

The private sector can help by bringing in necessary expertise for recycling water, they said.

"In India, we can recycle 40 billion litres of wastewater we get every day. The private sector can bring in their expertise and work with the government on the project to recycle this wastewater," Amarjit Singh, secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, said.

Delving into the priorities of FICCI Water Mission, its chairman Naina Lal Kidwaisaid that FICCI will try to bring the industry linkage on the water in its dialogue with government and other stakeholders to create a growing understanding of the water risks to the industry and society.