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India - Cities choking, only 8 treating 50% sewage
Thirty five cities in India are pumping as much as 7,604 million litres of sewage daily straight into rivers, notably the Ganga, and the sea.
A new report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on water consumption and sewage disposal patterns shows that the biggest cities in India are only treating 50 per cent of the sewage they generate. Not only is the rest going back to rivers, the source of drinking water, but it is also polluting the sea. The study suggests that if an economic value were to be assigned to the fertilising potential of this wastewater, Rs 1,091 million is being lost annually.
The total waste of 35 cities is 15,644 million litres per day (MLD). Delhi tops the list–the Capital generates 3,800 MLD, 258 litres of sewage per capita. Mumbai is the second big pollutant with 2,671 MLD and Kolkata third with 705 MLD. Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai account for 60 per cent of sewage spewed into the sea.