If everyone started taking efforts to recycle and utilize waste water in a proper manner, then yes, it would make a great difference. eg. earlier when people lived in separate houses surrounded by gardens or just open plots, the wastewater from bathroom and kitchen were circulated among plants and vegetable gardens to water the plants. In addition to watering plants, remaining water was absorbed in the ground and the water table remained stable all year through. Now due to high rise apartments and concrete parking, waste water is simply thrown out into the gutter and sewage which is then released into rivers and oceans polluted them in a big way.

Wastewater in far large quantities is generated by industries. They take in fresh water and release contaminated water into rivers and landfills. They need to be encouraged to adopt technologies to recover used water into fresh water and if not then should be penalised heavily.

I agree with Kalyani ..In my own house all the wash water, esp water used for washing clothes is directed towards coconut trees and flowering plants.It is different when you live in an apartment . In most cities now they have made rainwater harvesting compulsory for all households , apartments and commercial buildings which will prove helpful in solving the water problem to a great extent. As far as waste water is concerned many cities recycle and re use this water . The article link I am providing is by the Australian government on reuse of waste water  and gives some insight into how it could be put into proper use through recycling and can be adapted by all

http://www.yourhome.gov.au/water/wastewater-reuse

You need to have wastewater management system in place in every building, house etc where I currently live. We use rain water for flushing toilet and garden along with car wash the water stored in this tank. If we do not have enough rain the water tank is connected with councils system to give us continuous water supply or vise versa. Here is the image from my own backyard 

usha manohar wrote:

I agree with Kalyani ..In my own house all the wash water, esp water used for washing clothes is directed towards coconut trees and flowering plants.It is different when you live in an apartment . In most cities now they have made rainwater harvesting compulsory for all households , apartments and commercial buildings which will prove helpful in solving the water problem to a great extent. As far as waste water is concerned many cities recycle and re use this water . The article link I am providing is by the Australian government on reuse of waste water  and gives some insight into how it could be put into proper use through recycling and can be adapted by all

http://www.yourhome.gov.au/water/wastewater-reuse

Most countries in Europe, USA and other parts strictly follow measures to conserve water and harvest rainwater. Even in UK, water bills are quite expensive and so people use it wisely. Even Indians traditionally were frugal with water but as we advanced, people have become more and more careless. Farmers, who were once known for their nature wise wisdom, once the multinational agricultural and fertilizer companies came in, recklessly discarded traditional means of farming which required water to be used wisely. Especially in Maharashtra, rise to sugar industry (it is critical to mention that the sugar lobby is controlled by politicians especially Sharad Pawar) lead to farmers giving up other crops and plant only sugarcane, even in areas which has very less water. They then used high-powered water pumps and depleted natural water tables so much that now those areas are barren and useless. And the less we said of the city folks, the better. I see so-called educated people using pipes to wash their cars, parkings, gardens with thousands of liters being wasted. Sadly, there is no system in place where one could complain about such criminal wastage and punish such people.

So should sugarcane not be grown?

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I agree with Kalyani ..In my own house all the wash water, esp water used for washing clothes is directed towards coconut trees and flowering plants.It is different when you live in an apartment . In most cities now they have made rainwater harvesting compulsory for all households , apartments and commercial buildings which will prove helpful in solving the water problem to a great extent. As far as waste water is concerned many cities recycle and re use this water . The article link I am providing is by the Australian government on reuse of waste water  and gives some insight into how it could be put into proper use through recycling and can be adapted by all

http://www.yourhome.gov.au/water/wastewater-reuse

Most countries in Europe, USA and other parts strictly follow measures to conserve water and harvest rainwater. Even in UK, water bills are quite expensive and so people use it wisely. Even Indians traditionally were frugal with water but as we advanced, people have become more and more careless. Farmers, who were once known for their nature wise wisdom, once the multinational agricultural and fertilizer companies came in, recklessly discarded traditional means of farming which required water to be used wisely. Especially in Maharashtra, rise to sugar industry (it is critical to mention that the sugar lobby is controlled by politicians especially Sharad Pawar) lead to farmers giving up other crops and plant only sugarcane, even in areas which has very less water. They then used high-powered water pumps and depleted natural water tables so much that now those areas are barren and useless. And the less we said of the city folks, the better. I see so-called educated people using pipes to wash their cars, parkings, gardens with thousands of liters being wasted. Sadly, there is no system in place where one could complain about such criminal wastage and punish such people.

It is the same everywhere , farmers are encouraged to grow cash crops rather than food crops,. Mangalore which used to be surrounded by paddy fields now has absolutely no paddy fields except in patches on the outskirt of the city. Even there the politicians buy up acres of land hich is then made into a commercial complex..Shrad Pawar like some  f our politicians here is extremely greedy and corrupt , so no wonder !

Water wastage management is definitely an essential measure in the rise to be implemented in India on a large scale basis. Though very late, the government is encouraging the public to set up water pits to harvest rainwater.  It is made mandatory in some areas where the water table levels are quite low and even some dried up groundwater. As the population is on rise, so are the buildings everywhere, following mass deforestation. Water which was once free now is marketed in cans sadly due to unorganized, unplanned urbanization. Drainage overflows into the public houses is a common seasonal news sighting in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore and other cities with poor drainage/sanitary system, followed by many contagious diseases. Proper evacuation drainage channels, rainwater harvesting systems, and public interest only will bring about some change in our country in a positive way. After all, water is the basic source of life. If the government can not efficiently supply it, then it is useless and fit for nothing. Major water river projects -  Kaaleshwaram, Polavaram are on their way though.