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In a move to curb the unbridled use of water and check pollution, the Government plans to introduce a system under which big industries will have to file ‘water returns’, on the lines of income-tax returns.
Besides, the Government is also mulling the introduction of differential rates of water pricing for different categories of industrial users. The annual water returns would include key parameters such as utilisation per unit produce, effluent discharge details, rainwater harvested, water reuse details and fresh water consumption, according to the 12th Plan (2012-17) document.
The document, which has been approved by the National Development Council (NDC), and is the broad policy for the five-year period, emphasises that the filing of water returns be made mandatory for big industries and businesses.
The document also underlines the need for promoting reuse and recycling of waste-water in industry through regulations and incentives within a national framework of water returns.
It also talks about setting industry-specific standards for promoting rain-water harvesting in industry, both within and beyond the fence through incentives and regulation.
The policy seeks to create an equity-based and efficiency-based water pricing regime for industry. According to the document, the current pricing regime is undervalued and creating a clear policy framework would help overcome wide variations in tariff structure.
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