Treated sewage reuse to touch 48% by 2026 noida to ngt

Treated sewage reuse to touch 48% by 2026 noida to ngt

The Noida authority has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it aims to increase reuse of treated sewage water to nearly 48% by 2026 from current 30% to reduce dependency on groundwater for horticulture, construction, and other non-potable needs.

The commitment was made in a detailed compliance affidavit submitted before the tribunal on May 13, as part of ongoing proceedings in a suo motu case triggered by a June 11, 2024 Hindustan Times report.

Details of the affidavit were made available this Saturday (May 17).

To be sure, the submission was made in response to the tribunal’s February 6 order pertaining to allegations of the authority dumping treated sewage into drains while extracting groundwater for horticultural use, through the report.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the HT report, the NGT had directed the authority to submit a comprehensive action plan for 100% utilisation of treated water.

In its report, the authority stated that it currently treats around 260 MLD (million litres per day) of municipal sewage, of which about 78 MLD (30%) is being reused.

“Pipelines from the STP (sewage treatment plant) in Sector 123 to Sectors 68–72 have already been laid, increasing treated water reuse from 68 MLD to 78 MLD,” the authority said, adding that another 42 MLD will be brought under reuse through two additional pipeline projects.

One of these will connect the Sector 168 STP to Sectors 83, 85, 88, 91, 135, 136, and 137, targeting 20 MLD reuse by December 2025. The other pipeline will serve Sectors 150, 151A, and 157, covering an additional 22 MLD and expected to be completed by mid-2026.

“Upon completion of these projects, the total reuse of treated sewage water will reach 120 MLD, constituting about 45–48% of the total treated volume,” the authority stated.

The compliance report also highlights other initiatives.

“The authority has made it mandatory to use treated water in construction and road-cleaning activities. Treated water is being provided to private builders at ₹5 per kilolitres,” the affidavit said, adding that this has generated revenue of ₹14.66 lakh in 2021–22, ₹20.66 lakh in 2022–23, and ₹24.55 lakh in 2023–24.

The authority said it has made it mandatory for all builders to use treated water during construction, and this condition is explicitly mentioned in the map approval letters issued to developers. An additional 26 MLD is proposed to be utilised through a new pipeline connecting STP-50 to Sectors 46, 47, 48, 99, and 100, expected to be completed by financial year 2025–26.

The compliance report also attached internal directives and communication issued to various departments and builders to encourage and enforce treated water usage.

“The authority has remained vigilant and continues to comply with the directions of this tribunal with utmost diligence,” the report stated.

On the matter of supplying treated water to National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Dadri, the Noida authority cited its 2018 MoU and stated that the corporation had already filed its response, along with a feasibility report submitted to the authority in March 2025. “NTPC has conveyed that implementation of the scheme is not feasible due to extremely high cost,” the authority stated.

According to the feasibility study submitted by NTPC on March 11, 2025, the project would require ₹1,398.41 crore in capital expenditure and ₹129.24 crore in annual operations. The report also flagged challenges such as land acquisition, security of the pipeline route, and excessive power consumption for pumping over long distances.

“Even after tertiary treatment, the water quality may not meet NTPC’s operational standards,” the utility had submitted earlier, also citing stringent regulatory compliance risks and the financial burden on electricity consumers.

The issue was originally flagged in 2018 by activist Abhisht Kusum Gupta, and resurfaced after activist Vikrant Tongad highlighted continued dumping of treated water into the Kondli drain. Following this, the NGT directed a joint inspection by UP pollution control board (UPPCB) and central pollution control board (CPCB) in December 2024, which confirmed limited reuse and prompted the February 2025 order mandating a timeline-bound plan.

The case is scheduled for further hearing later this year.