Industry urged to tap treated wastewater as viable economic resource

Industry leaders gathered at a sustainability summit to discuss strategies for reducing freshwater dependency, with major oil companies signaling their intent to shift toward treated wastewater as a reliable operational resource. The move addresses growing water scarcity concerns across India's industrial sector while presenting opportunities to transform waste into economic value.

Experts at the forum dismissed longstanding assumptions about the prohibitive costs of desalination technology, arguing that such misconceptions have deterred wider adoption. They highlighted the potential for coastal regions like Chennai to leverage desalination infrastructure as part of comprehensive water management strategies, tapping into geographic advantages to supplement industrial water supplies.

Academic researchers emphasized the role of advanced technology in addressing groundwater challenges. A professor from IIT Madras outlined how monitoring systems could provide real-time data on groundwater conditions, enabling better resource management and informing policy decisions.

The discussion underscores a broader industry shift toward circular economy principles, where treated wastewater transitions from liability to asset. As freshwater availability becomes increasingly strained, experts see integrated water management—combining desalination, recycling, and innovative monitoring—as essential for sustaining industrial growth while protecting environmental sustainability.