Indian Politics & Policy Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2018 | Page 124

Parameters of Successful Wastewater Reuse in Urban India 2b4b6be9bd169ec4a; see also para 7 of No. 19 of 2003, [17/3/2003]—The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess (Amendment) Act, 2003, http://www.moef.nic.in/sites/default/ files/No%2036%201977_0.pdf. 10 Hurlimann and McKay (2007) have argued that policies for wastewater reuse depend on the acceptance by the community on the basis of the price, color, odor, and salt content of the recycled water. 11 Conversation on September 27, 2017. 12 After surveying studies that addressed the acceptability of water recycling schemes and the use of recycled water around the world, Fielding, Dolnicar, and Schultz (2018) found that: “(1) public outreach is critically important to the success of a project; (2) public outreach must be targeted to specific stakeholder groups and include both proactive marketing and general education of the public in water-related matters, emphasizing the benefits of recycled water specifically; (3) planners need to earn the public’s trust by being transparent and involving experts; and (4) the timing of proposing a recycling project plays a role, with times of more obvious lack of water being optimal” (2018, 24). They could not assert any cross-cultural patterns showing the dominance of one variable or another playing a significant role in promoting acceptability. 13 The Delhi Jal Board is the primary government entity selling water in the National Capital Region. It sells the same water to householders, charging Rs. 5.27 per kiloliter for a supply up to 20 kiloliter per month. After this, the charge jumps to Rs. 26.36 per kiloliter for 20– 30 kiloliter of usage per month and they add a sewage maintenance charge of 60% of that water volumetric charge. A large hotel company would pay up to Rs. 175 per kiloliter for the same kind of fresh or “pure” water from the Delhi Jal Board. A sliding scale on pricing surface water favors conservation and makes buyers more motivated to find cheaper water sources including recycled or reclaimed wastewater. Groundwater is generally cheaper, as it is priced by the energy required to extract it. Water tanker prices for water supply in unpiped or “unauthorized” zones are much higher than the greatest consumer use category and can go to Rs. 100–120 per kiloliter in crisis periods. 14 STPs are mandatory for industries in Tamil Nadu and Chennai under enforcement by the State Pollution Control Board. There is also a zero liquid discharge rule in Tamil Nadu and a prohibition against groundwater use, both applying to industries. There are CETPs for small industries that operate as a cluster. 15 There are also abruptly administered national policies that create effects on approaches to sanitation. These include the policies imposed over night by the central administration that cause long-term ripples in society and economy, such as demonetization and the GST. 16 Draft guidelines for issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for ground water withdrawal. Central Ground Water Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR, Government of India. http://mowr.gov.in/draft-guidelines-issuance-no-objection-certificate-noc-groundwater-withdrawal. October 2017. 17 Cullet (2017) notes, “It [the new bill] is based on the recognition of the unitary nature of water, the need for decentralised control over groundwater and the necessity to protect it at the aquifer level. The Bill is also based on legal developments that have taken place in the past few decades. ... The Bill also builds on the decentralisation mandate that is already enshrined in general legislation but has not been implemented effectively as far as groundwater is concerned and seeks to give regulatory control over groundwater to local user.” 121