Railways plans to buy recycled water from private players
The Railways is planning to purchase recycled water from private players to cut down its water bill and save up to ?400 crore a year, a senior official said. The Railways presently buys water from the states, spending ?4,000 crore a year. It is expected to unveil its first-ever water management policy on March 22 (World Water Day). 
New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) The Railways aims to cut down its water bill and save up to Rs 400 crore annually with a roadmap for buying recycled water from private players. With the dual aim of conserving the precious resource and reducing its consumption, the Railways will unveil its water policy, a first for the national transporter, for extensive use of treated water from water treatment plants for non-drinking purposes. The Indian Railways Water Policy, expected to be rolled out on March 22 (World Water Day), will spell out the way forward for all the railway zones including colonies, hospitals, factories, workshops and training centres to achieve the goal of reduced consumption and increased use of recycled water. Currently, the Railways buys water from the states and its water bill is about Rs 4,000 crore a year. "The water policy envisages buying treated water from water treatment plants for two paise per litre, while we now purchase water for seven paise per litre," said a senior Railway Ministry official. The policy has drawn out a detailed framework for setting up water treatment plants with private participation to generate an adequate amount of treated water for non-potable purposes. The private players will be encouraged to set up these plants and the Railways will ensure the purchase of treated water from these units, said the official. The water policy also envisages the revival of all the defunct water bodies on railway land across the country, various ways of recharging groundwater, including rainwater harvesting in all railway buildings. 