ET View: Policy focus needed for sewage treatment plants

The massive increase in sanitation coverage along the length and breadth of the country is indeed path-breaking and commendable. The target to declare India open defecation free by 2019 does mean heralding a social revolution nationally, with much potential to hugely improve public health and, in particular, purposefully reduce child mortality.

However, in tandem, there’s the need for multi-year policy focus to shore up resources for drainage and proper sewage treatment plants nationwide. The figures suggest that barely a third of sewage water is treated. Much of the sewage waste is simply let to drain into nearby rivers and other water bodies. We clearly need better allocation of resources to appropriately treat and process sewage water.

As per Central Pollution Control Board data, about 6,200 crore litres of sewage waste water is generated in our cities on a daily basis, but no more than 2,300 crore litres get treated before discharge to rivers. This needs to purposefully change.


The way forward is to proactively augment resources for sewage treatment plants, if need be with public private partnerships. What's required are standardised norms for sewage treatment plants nationally. In parallel, we need to revamp collection and follow through management of municipal solid waste matter.