Graywater reuse | KC Valley project

• Context (TH | DH): The Centre plans to replicate Karnataka’s KC Valley project nationwide to accelerate wastewater reuse.
• The KC Valley project supplies treated water from Bengaluru to fill lakes in dry districts like Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, and Chikkballapura.
• The project’s success in recharging groundwater prompted the Ministry to consider its implementation in other states for lake rejuvenation with recycled treated water.
• The Ministry agreed to provide partial funding to the KC Valley project under the Atal Bhujal Yojana to address groundwater depletion nationwide.
• It suggests upgrading the project for better tertiary treatment and bio-remedial treatment of water.

India generates 72,368 MLD of wastewater daily, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The Sujalam 2.0 greywater recycling project was recently launched to reuse kitchen, bathing, and laundry runoff.

Concerns

• Some farmers in Kolar oppose using this treated water, citing concerns about groundwater quality and crop health.
• Farmers blame treated sewage water for reduced yields and pest infestations. They claim increased resistance to pests and fungi since the project’s inception.

Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)

• It is a Central Sector Scheme for facilitating sustainable groundwater management.
• Budget Rs. 6000 crore. Of this, Rs. 3,000 is a loan from the World Bank, and Rs. 3,000 crore is a matching contribution from the Government of India (GoI).
• The World Bank financing is done under a new lending instrument, the Program for Results (PforR), wherein Funds under the scheme are disbursed from the World Bank to the GoI for disbursement to participating States based on the achievement of pre-agreed results.
• Funds under the scheme shall be provided to the States as grants-in-aid.
• The scheme is being implemented in 8220 water-stressed Gram Panchayats in Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• The scheme emphasises community participation and demand-side interventions for sustainable groundwater management in identified water-stressed areas in seven States of the Country.

Greywater vs. Blackwater

Attributes	Greywater	Blackwater
Source	Washing machine, shower, bathroom sink	Toilet, kitchen sink, dishwasher
Contact	No contact with fecal matter	Contact with urine and fecal matter
Origin	Household activities	Sewage
Contamination	Minimal risk of contamination, easier to filter and clean	High risk of contamination, contains harmful bacteria
Reusability	Can be filtered and cleaned for reuse in the garden	Extremely difficult to filter and clean for reuse