Indian Politics & Policy Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2018 | Page 94
Parameters of Successful Wastewater
Reuse in Urban India
Kelly D. Alley
Auburn University, [email protected] (corresponding author) 1
Nutan Maurya
South Asian University, [email protected]
Sukanya Das
Indian Politics & Policy • Vol. 1, No. 2 • Fall 2018
TERI University, [email protected]
Research for this article was supported by the National Science
Foundation, Cultural Anthropology Program, Award #1628014.
The authors thank the reviewers for their helpful feedback.
Abstract
Studies of surface and groundwater in India show that dry season
water availability will continue to decline over the next half-century,
a challenge that will face many areas and countries around the
globe. The need to develop wastewater recycling schemes is critical
to improving conditions of water supply and ensuring the survival
of agriculture and human consumption, as well as industrial production.
The need for wastewater recycling is pushing communities,
governments, and businesses to discuss, experiment with, and
pilot projects using decentralized methods. This paper introduces
four cases of wastewater recycling that are considered “success”
stories and identifies the key parameters that enable these systems
to function. The parameters pertain to human dimensions involving
historical, institutional, regulatory, policy, and economic conditions
and innovations. We then use these labels as heuristics for
models of success in Indian conditions.
Keywords: wastewater, water reuse, recycling, closed loop, hydrosocial
cycle, National Green Tribunal, flexibat, India
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doi: 10.18278/inpp.1.2.4