Wastewater reuse potential: rapid assessment of urban wastewater reuse opportunities in three cities of Karnataka
Water availability has become an important driver for facilitating economic growth in the state of Karnataka. As only 20% of water supplied is consumed and the balance 80% is wastewater, treatment and reuse of this wastewater will reduce the pressure to augment water supply from freshwater sources. The Government of Karnataka and respective city governments need to frame suitable policies and facilitate cost effective solutions for reuse of wastewater as part of their effort to meet this demand. In this context, the following report has carried out a rapid assessment of the wastewater reuse potential in Tumkur, Hubli-Dharwad and Bellary. The study attempts to assess: urban water demand; on-going and planned wastewater treatment and reuse initiatives; potential for maximizing reuse in the short, medium and long term; as well as the potential for income generation to improve the financial viability of such projects in these three cities and create the possibility of implementation on a PPP basis. Finally, the report comes up with recommendations for an enabling policy framework in the state of Karnataka to facilitate reuse of wastewater and encourage PPPs in the sector.