Planning wastewater infrastructure beyond ownership

STP is an urban infrastructure.

It collects and treats wastewater generated in cities.

As a result, the treated wastewater often gets associated as an urban resource.

Circular clarifier tank at Moga STP with wheat field visible behind

Many cities are now increasingly reusing this treated wastewater across different sectors, with irrigation for agriculture in rural areas being one of them.

Irrigation channel with water receding between green wheat fields

As treated wastewater now travels to rural regions, it raises the question: should a resource be understood as belonging to a particular territory at all?

Punjab presents an interesting approach to this question.

SWC department at the district level becomes an interface governance structure who are responsible for the treated wastewater distribution. They plan and further enable the infrastructure needed to convey treated wastewater from STP to farmlands.

Concrete sump chambers with water and yellow pump house at STP complex

The case of Moga furthers this discourse. The SWC department has set up infrastructure within the STP complex to store treated wastewater, from where it is supplied for irrigation to fields through pumps and pipelines.

Key Infrastructure

A 1152 cubic m sump collects the treated wastewater before it is pumped to farmers' fields through four 36 HP pumps for irrigation.

m³ sump storage

4 × 36

HP pumps for irrigation

NABARD project signboard for utilization of treated water for irrigation from STP Moga — Storage tank and pipeline project implemented by SWC Department, Moga and assisted through NABARD funding.

The STP complex consists of infrastructure that is not simply designed to dispose of treated wastewater but to enable its further use. By integrating treatment and storage functions within the same complex, the infrastructure is not catering to claims of ownership of the resource by urban or rural regions, but is planned for the management of the resource.

Purple delivery mains with valves and pumps connected to the storage tank at STP Moga — Delivery mains, valves and pumps connected to the storage tank.

When institutions for specific resources are built and strengthened, it enables forms of governance, planning, and infrastructure that are organised around wastewater as a common resource irrespective of ownership of infrastructure.

The Moga story reaffirmed this and demonstrated a practice where STP complexes (urban infrastructure) contain a treated wastewater storage facility from where it gets distributed further to rural stakeholders.

Annotated aerial view of Moga STP 27 MLD with sump collection tank marked