- Why in news
- On 17 March 2026 the Ministry of Jal Shakti said Uttarakhand has notified its Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW) policy. UP, Bihar and West Bengal are at the final stage of notifying theirs, and city reuse plans are advancing.
- What it is
- Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW) is a framework to treat sewage and reuse it for non-potable uses such as industry, power plants, construction, irrigation and urban landscaping. It treats wastewater as a resource, not waste. It reduces pressure on freshwater and river pollution, and works through state policies and city-level action plans.
- Uttarakhand policy
- Uttarakhand has notified a formal SRTW policy for reuse of treated wastewater in non-potable uses and defines roles of departments, urban local bodies and industries.
- Other states
- SRTW policies of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are close to notification.
- City plans
- City-Level Reuse Action Plans are done for Agra and Prayagraj, in the final stage for Varanasi, and begun for Kanpur.
- Industrial reuse
- Panki Thermal Power Plant uses 40 MLD of treated water, cutting freshwater dependence.
Don’t confuse with SRTW vs Namami Gange: SRTW is a reuse framework for treated water across states and cities. Namami Gange is the Ganga rejuvenation mission that funds sewage infrastructure such as the Bingawan STP.
Don’t confuse with Treated water vs potable use: The policy promotes reuse for non-potable purposes such as industry, construction, flushing and irrigation of green spaces, not for drinking.
Environment: Prelims tests bodies, programmes and the law behind them; Mains asks why plans fall short.
Why it matters
- Reuse cuts freshwater demand and groundwater extraction in water-stressed cities.
- It lowers the pollution load on rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna and supports a circular water economy.
Problems
- Reuse is still limited; in Prayagraj most treated water is discharged into rivers.
- Treatment gaps, such as untreated sewage in Agra, plus weak tariffs and demand linkages hold back large-scale reuse.
Way forward
- Notify state policies and complete city action plans, with dedicated reuse cells for coordination and financing.
- Link STPs to demand centres such as power plants and railways, with sound tariffs, monitoring and digital reporting.
Put in your answer
Panki power plant example: Panki Thermal Power Plant at Bingawan uses 40 MLD of treated water, showing industrial reuse.
Prayagraj reuse potential: Prayagraj projects represent 126.45 MLD of reuse potential, with an estimated investment of ₹1,625 crore.
- 2024Mains GS3 · Q7Industrial river pollution mitigation measures and government initiatives
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- 2015Mains GS3 · Q15Namami Gange and NMCG; causes of mixed results, quantum leaps
- 2024Prelims Q39Membrane Bioreactors are associated with which technology: wastewater treatment
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting water-policy topic with state policies being notified. Few hard facts for a statement, so no question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.