The Hindu Sustainability Summit: ‘Treat waste water as an economic resource’

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The discussion on ‘Reimagining Water Management for a Circular Future’ was moderated by K. Lakshmi, Deputy Editor, The Hindu. Panelists from left to right - P. Kannan, Director operations, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited; Mukesh Mohan, Executive Director Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Rajiv Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, VA Tech WABAG Limited; Rajesh Nair, Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering Indian Institute of Technology. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

It was Chennai’s acute water shortage of 1980 that proved to be a turning point for Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL)’s attitude towards used water, pivoting from dependence on Metro Water towards the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle, according to P. Kannan, CPCL’s Director (Operations).

He was one of the senior corporates and experts pitching for wastewater to be treated as a valuable economic resources at The Hindu Sustainability Summit 2026 on Wednesday (September 23, 2026). The discussion on ‘Reimagining Water Management for a Circular Future’ was moderated by K. Lakshmi, Deputy Editor, The Hindu.

“We have optimised our water requirements and taken several measures to reduce consumption. For reuse, the water is diverted to our processing units, and wherever possible, we have maximised our reuse capability. As part of our recycling efforts, we are also producing 480 tonnes of steam,” Mr. Kannan said.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited is another oil major that is changing the way it operates. “We operate nine refineries. Geographically, there are certain things that you cannot avoid. Refineries that are located inland face challenges in reducing their water footprint. We have been recycling almost 90% to 91% of our wastewater, but we are not stopping there,” said IOCL executive director Mukesh Mohan.

“We are looking at replacing fresh water used in our process units with treated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the city. In big cities such as Vadodara and Guwahati, and at refineries in Mathura and Panipat, we have clear, concrete plans to partly replace our fresh water intake with STP treated water,” Mr. Mohan added. For this, he noted, the support of the municipality is required, and the STP has to be designed to treat wastewater from nearby households and industrial units.

Rajiv Mittal, chairman and managing director of VA TECH WABAG Limited, said that fresh water is not an answer to everything. “We have a huge coastline in Chennai. Why are we not using seawater? You don’t want to drink recycled wastewater, but why not use seawater?” he asked. “There is a myth that desalinating seawater is expensive. I believe the management of water is more important. And we should have the responsibility to conserve water,” he added.

Mr. Mittal said untreated water should not be allowed to flow out. “The only way to make this possible is to treat wastewater as an economic resource. If you give wastewater the tag of an economic resource, people will treat it differently. You don’t throw your money onto the streets, so you will not throw wastewater onto the streets or into the nalas. You will collect it, treat it and generate wealth from it.” he explained.

Rajesh Nair, a professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, highlighted how they are deriving geothermal energy from the sub-surface of the earth. “We are into India’s first project to derive geothermal energy from unused oil and gas wells... the ones that have been depleted,” he said.

Mr. Nair added that groundwater quality needs to be assessed and different grades should be established. He stressed the need to monitor how groundwater conditions are changing over time, adding that greater attention needs to be given to conserving wetlands.

“We need data integration and digital data analysis. Only when we have data can we manage things effectively. We should use Internet of Things (IoT) and AI-based solutions and integrate them under a common platform or a single body that can provide clear directions on what water should be used for what purpose, how much water needs to be recharged into the groundwater system, and so on. That way, we can manage our water resources much more effectively,” Mr. Nair said.

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