Page 428 - Industrial Wastewater Treatment, Recycling and Reuse

400 Industrial Wastewater Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse

water if it is treated efficiently to get recyclable quality water. There can be
added advantages if energy is generated through this vast resource.
10.1.1 Water Availability and Use

The water resource potential of the country in terms of natural water runoff
into rivers is about 1869 BCM (billion cubic meters) as per the estimates of
the Central Water Commission of India, considering both surface and
groundwater (Source: Central Water Commission, 2010. Water and Related
Statistics. Water Planning and Project Wing, Central Water Commission, India.
December 2010). Due to various constraints of topography and uneven dis-
tribution of resources over space and time, the total utilizable water resource
in the country has been estimated to be about 1123 BCM (690 BCM from
surface and 433 BCM from ground), which is just 28% of the water derived
from precipitation. About 85% (688 BCM) of water usage is being diverted
for irrigation (Figure 10.1), which may increase to 1072 BCM by 2050.
With the present population growth rate (1.9% per year) in India, the pop-
ulation is expected to cross the 1.5 billion mark by 2050. Due to increasing
population and all-round development in India, the per capita average
annual fresh water availability has been declining since 1951 from 5177 to
3 3
1816 m in 2001 and 1588 m in 2010.
Per capita average annual fresh water availability is expected to further
3 3
decline to 1340 m in 2025and1140 m in 2050. Table10.1 showstheaverage
annual per capita availability of water. While the per capita water availability is
decreasing considerably, domestic wastewater is polluting water reservoirs fur-
ther, and the quality of available water is deteriorating considerably.

1072 Irrigation
1200
910 Drinking water
Industry 1000
688 Energy 800
Other
600 Projected demand (BCM)
400
102
73 63 130 80 200
56 23 72
12 15 0
5 52
Irrigation
Drinking 2050
water Industry Energy Other 2025 Year
Water usage 2010
Figure 10.1 Projected water demand by different sectors. Source: Central Water
Commission (2010).