New models to tackle India's wastewater gap

摘要

India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has published the first new inventory of sewage treatment plants in six years, revealing a nationwide gap of 40.6 million m~3/d in urban areas between the volume of wastewater produced and installed treatment capacity. While the percentage of untreated wastewater has reduced from 62% in 2015 to 56% thanks to the commissioning of around 9 million m~3/d of new capacity, the absolute gap has actually increased slightly, from 39 million m~3/d. With the country's largest states accounting for a significant portion of the shortfall, there could be opportunities for private investors and water sector players to create new bankable projects. especially with a number of the largest utilities planning to reuse treated effluent to reduce freshwater needs.