India, Aug. 24 -- Delhi's future urban expansion will have to operate within a tighter water budget, with DDA's new Master Plan for Delhi-2047 restricting potable water availability to a maximum of 40 gallons per capita per day (GPCD) in future planned developments and pushing greater reliance on recycled wastewater for non-potable requirements. The provision will apply to developments in land pooling areas and Low Density Areas (LDA), where water-conservation measures will have to be incorporated at both sector-layout and building-design levels. Regeneration and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) schemes will receive no additional water beyond prescribed norms, while the existing requirement of 60 GPCD is proposed to be brought down to 50 GPCD through design and management interventions.
As per MPD 2047 plan for Delhi Jal Board's service projects the capital's population at 3.2 crore, with potable-water demand estimated at 1,600 million gallons per day (MGD) at 50 GPCD. However, potable water for future planned developments will be restricted to 40 GPCD, or 180 litres per capita per day. "Due to limited water resources, demand for potable water has been rationalised by use of non-potable recycled water," the plan states. Under the proposed system, around 75 litres per capita per day required for toilet flushing in residential and non-residential developments will have to be met through treated recycled water using dual-piping systems. Industrial processes, horticulture, gardening and agriculture will also have to rely on recycled wastewater.
The plan says dual-piping is difficult and costly to retrofit in existing developments. DDA and land-development agencies will therefore have to ensure the required infrastructure in new buildings, including land-pooling and redevelopment projects. The wastewater strategy also mandates decentralised treatment with dual piping for new development or regeneration projects discharging over 10,000 litres a day or having plots larger than 2,000 sqm. Land-pooling sectors and LDA will have to ensure Zero Liquid Waste Discharge. At the supply end, DJB has projected 401 MGD of additional water augmentation by 2047, taking present availability of 1,000 MGD to 1,401 MGD. The augmentation will include groundwater extraction, aquifer recharge, additional Yamuna water and upstream storage projects, including Renukaji, Lakhwar and Kishau dams. The plan also proposes four new water treatment plants, pumping infrastructure, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and revival of water bodies as part of its long-term water-security strategy.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.