With rapid urbanization, rising industrial water demand, and declining freshwater availability, India’s fast-growing wastewater volume is becoming a critical factor shaping the country’s future water security, industrial development, and economic resilience.
A Rapid Surge in Wastewater Generation
According to CEEW (Council on Energy, Environment and Water)’s consolidated analysis of data from CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), the National Mission for Clean Ganga, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Indian cities generate approximately 72 billion liters of use water per day, yet only 28% of it receives adequate treatment.
More than 80% of cities lack functional wastewater reuse systems, leading to large volumes of untreated or partially treated sewage either being discharged directly or never reaching treatment facilities due to infrastructure gaps.
Major Sources of Wastewater
- Urban domestic wastewater is the fastest-growing and most underserved category. Population growth, variable discharge loads, and limited sewer coverage prevent large volumes from reaching municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs).
- Industrial wastewater poses even greater challenges. Power, textile, pharmaceutical, food processing, and chemical industries generate high-TDS, high-salinity, and high-organic-load streams—driving rapid upgrades toward higher-rejection, more fouling-resistant membrane technologies.
- Agricultural return flows, though seasonal, show wide fluctuations in salinity. They may become an important end-use for reclaimed water, but only with more mature reuse infrastructure.
The overall trend is clear: India is generating more wastewater, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
From “Optional” to “Mandatory”: Wastewater Reuse Enters a Phase of Accelerated Expansion
CEEW estimates that by 2047, India must expand its treatment capacity dramatically to meet baseline demand.
Under the 2024 Liquid Waste Management Rules, industrial and utility-scale water users must treat and reuse at least 20% of their wastewater—rising to 50% by 2031.
This shifts wastewater reuse from a voluntary practice to a compliance requirement. Municipal bodies, industrial parks, and power plants will need to upgrade treatment and reuse capabilities in parallel.
Meanwhile, existing STPs face chronic overloading, and limited sewer network coverage prevents large volumes of sewage from reaching treatment facilities. The rising share of industrial high-TDS and high-variability wastewater further strains traditional biological systems, pushing energy use, recovery rates, and operational stability to their limits.
As wastewater characteristics shift from domestic-dominant to complex mixed loads, treatment-technology pathways and investment priorities will evolve accordingly.
Wastewater: From Pollutant to Strategic Resource
CEEW experts emphasize a clear shift in India’s mindset—from a pollution-control logic to a resource-value logic:
Shalu Agrawal (Programme Director):
“India must view water as an asset, not a liability. Every liter of reused water strengthens urban resilience, industrial competitiveness, and energy security. Treated wastewater is not the end of the cycle—it is the beginning of the urban circular economy.”
Nitin Bassi (Senior Programme Lead):
“Scaling up reuse is the most practical path to strengthening urban water security. Local governments need long-term plans, rational tariffs, and green finance. With the right business models, treated wastewater becomes a financially sustainable municipal resource.”
As policies, financing mechanisms, and PPP models mature, reclaimed water will evolve into a strategic, not supplementary, resource for cities and industries.
A Market Gap: 80% of Cities Lack Reuse Capacity—and Demand Will Continue to Accelerate
CEEW’s research shows that most cities lack:
- Comprehensive sewer networks
- Decentralized treatment and reuse infrastructure
- Industrial reuse facilities
- Adequate high-TDS treatment technologies and membrane systems
With appropriate infrastructure and policy support, India could reuse 31.265 billion cubic meters of treated wastewater by 2047—enough to meet major industrial and irrigation needs.
But achieving this scale will require significant advances in treatment technologies and large-scale system upgrades.
Reclaimed water will become a primary water source, and efficient, energy-optimized, and sustainable treatment technologies will form the backbone of India’s future water-circular economy.
The High-Salinity Wastewater Era Demands Stronger Treatment Technologies
As India enters a phase where wastewater volumes are rising—and their salinity, TDS variability, and organic loads are increasing—the real challenge is not simply treating more water, but treating far more difficult water.
In this landscape, companies with deep experience in high-TDS wastewater treatment and mature RO-based desalination systems will hold a strategic advantage:
- Higher salt rejection for ultra-high-TDS industrial wastewater
- Enhanced fouling resistance to reduce downtime and extend membrane life
- Stable lifecycle performance for long-run municipal and industrial systems
- Compliance readiness for future reclaimed-water standards and reuse requirements
HJC’s Role: Building a Reliable, Scalable Technical Foundation for India’s Water Future
With long-term expertise in high-TDS, industrial, and high-salinity applications, HJC provides robust RO solutions designed to withstand the most challenging wastewater profiles.
HJC delivers more than membranes—we provide a resilient, scalable technology base to support India’s future reclaimed-water infrastructure and circular-water economy.
Data Sources:
CEEW Financing Wastewater Reuse in India; CPCB Annual Reports 2023–2024; MoHUA Urban Water Statistics.