Haryana Taps Treated Water for City Parks

Haryana has initiated a significant project to supply treated wastewater for irrigating 170 parks across Gurgaon. This environmental effort is designed to bolster the city's urban green cover and support the plantation of over 51,000 saplings planned under state afforestation schemes this year.

The project, launched on World Environment Day, involves a new pipeline network dedicated to delivering treated wastewater. This move is intended to secure a consistent water source for green areas, thereby decreasing the demand for precious freshwater and groundwater resources.

This development is particularly timely, given the state's focus on increasing sapling survival rates, which were previously as low as 30%. With ambitious plantation goals for Gurgaon and Faridabad, ensuring adequate irrigation, especially during vulnerable summer months, is paramount. The use of treated wastewater directly addresses this critical challenge for plantation programs.

Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state minister Rao Narbir Singh inaugurated the project. They emphasized that environmental protection extends beyond planting trees to ensuring their survival, advocating for waste segregation, recycling, reduced plastic use, and clean energy adoption.

Alongside the wastewater project, a bioremediation pilot and a material recovery facility were also inaugurated, reflecting a broader commitment to environmental sustainability in the region.