Monday Interview: ‘Wastewater reuse is a strategic economic necessity’: Dr K H Govindraj
In an interview with Alok Deshpande, Dr K H Govindraj, Additional Chief Secretary (UDD-2) explains how the policy is not only environmentally useful but also economically vital.
Maharashtra released its Urban Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Policy in 2025 with an aim to ensure treatment of 9107 million liters of Wastewater the state generates every single day. In an interview with Alok Deshpande, Dr K H Govindraj, Additional Chief Secretary (UDD-2) explains how the policy is not only environmentally useful but also economically vital. From using the treated water for upcoming data centers to allowing local urban bodies to earn from its sale, the policy has set ambitious aims for 2030.
Excerpts:
Q. Why does Maharashtra need this policy?
Maharashtra’s water crisis has deepened over the past decade. Nearly 42.5 percent of the state’s geographical area falls in the water-stressed category. It shows up in falling groundwater tables, tighter water cycles in cities, and mounting pressure on rural areas during weak monsoons. At the same time, the state generates 9,107 million litres of wastewater every single day, but treats less than half of it and reuses an even smaller fraction. Instead of being part of the solution, wastewater has remained an unused asset. Earlier policy attempts in 2017 and 2019 recognised the role of wastewater in easing this pressure. They did propose reuse, but without a strong implementation framework, sector-specific targets, or clear institutional responsibilities. With urbanisation and increasing climate variability, Maharashtra needed a policy that does not merely recommend reuse but mandates it, regulates it and embeds it into a statewide circular water economy. The 2025 policy fulfils that need. It corrects the imbalance between high freshwater dependence and low wastewater utilisation. It supplies a coherent roadmap for the next decade and establishes the institutional machinery required to implement it uniformly across districts.
Q. What are the key features of the policy, and how will it be implemented institutionally?
The policy takes a full-cycle view of water. It recognises treated wastewater as a legitimate resource rather than a by-product. It is guided by three fundamental principles: public safety, circular use and economic sustainability.
The central administrative feature is the preparation of City Wastewater Reuse and Management Plans. Every urban local body must complete this within six months. These plans move upward into district-level plans and eventually form part of the State Wastewater Reuse Plan. This creates coherence from municipal to state level and prevents fragmented decision-making. A dedicated State Wastewater Monitoring Cell, backed by a GIS-enabled information system, provides real-time tracking of treatment, reuse and compliance. District-level committees ensure on-ground coordination between municipal bodies, MPCB, MWRRA, water resources authorities, MIDC and agriculture and energy departments. Together, these layers ensure that wastewater reuse is no longer treated as a stand-alone engineering project but becomes part of mainstream water governance.
Q. How much of Maharashtra’s wastewater is treated and reused?
Maharashtra treats roughly 47 percent of the 9,107 MLD of wastewater it generates daily, but only about 17 percent is actually reused.
Q. Why is this policy described as an economic imperative and not merely an environmental gesture?
Water scarcity is one of Maharashtra’s biggest constraints on economic growth. It affects Industry, agriculture and the liveability of cities. The state contributes significantly to India’s GDP, and its future expansion relies heavily on reliable water access. In this context, wastewater reuse is not an act of environmental good. It is a strategic economic necessity. Reusing treated wastewater saves freshwater for domestic use, reduces capital expenditure on new supply infrastructure and protects rivers and aquifers from over-extraction. It also ensures supply stability even in weak monsoon years.
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Maharashtra is simultaneously positioning itself as a national hub for data centres. These centres require enormous quantities of water for cooling servers. If freshwater were used for this purpose, the pressure on cities would become unmanageable. Treated wastewater is perfectly suitable for cooling and gives data centres a reliable and climate-resilient water source. This also provides a stable revenue avenue for municipal corporations that can sell treated wastewater to these facilities.
Q. What is the Nagpur Model, and can it be replicated?
The Nagpur Model is a practical demonstration of how municipal wastewater can be integrated into industrial water use. It is based on a partnership between the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, MahaGenco and a private operator. In this framework, wastewater is treated, transported and supplied to a power plant for cooling. Each partner’s responsibilities and financial commitments are clearly defined. The success of this model lies in its clarity and enforceability, which makes it replicable in other cities.
Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
Expertise
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai.
Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands').
Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including:
State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana).
Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides).
Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits.
Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness
Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects.
Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards.
Alok Deshpande's rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra.
He tweets @alokdesh ... Read More
