CHENNAI: Highlighting the need for effective use of treated industry effluent, a seminar conducted Monday at Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, explored the ways to manage water scarcity in the country.
Stating that over 90 per cent of effluent from industries is water, Professor Vinod Tare from IIT-Kharagpur said pricing and valuing treated effluent was a sustainable way to manage its associated problems. "Many industries in the country flout effluent treatment norms of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as they there is nothing to gain from it for them," he said.
Adding that transporting effluent water for discharge would incur high cost, he suggested treatment for reuse and commercial sale. "It would cost much lesser than water that we buy outside. But it curbs the environmental impact and adds a value chain," he opined.
IIT-Kharagpur has suggested this method to be carried out by the large effluent handling industries (tanneries, textile, powerplants, pharmaceuticals) in the country under the Ganga Action Plan of the government.
"We must orient our policies to facilitate this. This way our environment costs will also be cut down," he added.