Odisha Notifies 2026 Water Reuse Policy: Targets 50% Treated Water Use by 2036

29 Apr 2026, 08:17 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

The Odisha government has officially rolled out its “Policy on Reuse of Treated Used Water (TUW) of Urban Odisha, 2026.” The Housing and Urban Development Department put this together, aiming to turn what’s now considered urban wastewater into an economic asset. Basically, the policy wants to tackle growing seasonal water shortages and ease Odisha’s dependence on rivers, groundwater, and reservoirs, which is especially pressing in fast-growing cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, and Sambalpur.

They’ve set some ambitious, time-bound goals for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Currently, Odisha churns out about 1,104 million liters of used water daily, but only 190 million liters go through treatment. To fix this, the government now requires 100% collection, transport, and treatment of all urban used water by 2030. As for reuse, the target is at least 20% reuse by 2030, jumping to a solid 50% by 2036. And if a city already has a working sewerage system and a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), it needs to hit that first 20% target within just six months of this announcement.

To make the whole plan work commercially, the state has come up with a new TUW tariff system, where treated used water comes at a lower price than drinkable freshwater. They’re also offering a range of incentives: farmers get “water credits” for irrigating with treated water, industries can get discounts and support for upgrading their infrastructure, and residential societies using treated water for things like landscaping or flushing get rebates. Non-compliance won’t go unnoticed either, because of penalties linked to performance.

This treated water will find use across a bunch of non-drinking sectors. Cities and institutions will use it for things like cleaning roads, firefighting, and running HVAC systems. Industries will use it for cooling towers, boiler feeds, and construction work. It’ll even help restore wetlands and revive city lakes and ponds. This wide-reaching approach puts Odisha in step with the National Framework on Safe Reuse of Treated Water (2023) and fits in with the central government’s AMRUT 2.0 aims.

Managing a shift of this size takes structure. So, a multi-layered governance system is in place. At the top, a State High Powered Committee (SHPC) handles big decisions on pricing and coordination between departments. They’re backed by a State Level Technical Committee (SLTC) and a special Treated Used Water Cell. Locally, District Coordination Committees (DCCs) handle implementation, while groups like the Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB), WATCO, and the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) are in charge of infrastructure and day-to-day operations. The Odisha Urban Academy (OUA) will drive research and training to keep the whole effort on track for years to come.