Bengaluru’s property builders now use smart recycling setups to gather, clean, and reuse home wastewater. The city’s growing water shortage pushes them to rely less on private tankers.
Top firms like Brigade, Prestige, Puravankara, and Assetz Property Group have adopted greywater recycling tech. In big home and office buildings, they add dual or triple pipe systems. These go further than rules set by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
“We push it further with dual pipes. We also turn cleaned water for home use in some new builds. We plan to make this standard in all our projects soon,” said Roshin Mathew, executive director and head of engineering at Brigade Group. “This means almost all our sites will reuse treated grey water as much as they can.”
Prestige Group states that every large home, shop, office, and mixed project in Bengaluru includes greywater recycling and reuse.
“Three to five years back, big projects had sewage treatment plants just to meet rules. Reuse was only for gardens or toilets. Now, full dual pipes and cooling reuse are normal in all new large builds,” said Nirbhay Lumde, senior vice president for ESG and sustainability at Prestige Group.
Puravankara saw recycled water use jump almost four times, from 400 kiloliters in FY23 to 1,950 kiloliters in FY24. Assetz Property Group reports up to 86 percent water savings in major projects. They use triple pipes and bigger rainwater collection.
Rules, needs, and prices
Rules still drive changes, but builders note more buyers care about water.
“The best part is buyers now ask more about future water supply,” Mathew said.
Lumde noted that rules set the floor. In dry spots, buyers pick projects that cut tanker needs.
“Buyer knowledge grows fast. Folks know fresh water is rare and will cost more soon,” said Puravankara CEO for the South, Mallanna Sasalu.
Still, these setups cost extra.
Mathew explained that separate treatment plants run 40 percent higher than mixed ones. Reasons include tough builds, more gear, and extra power. In some projects, buyers split the added cost after hearing about long-term gains.
Sasalu said running sewage plants costs Rs 30-35 lakh a year. This covers reverse osmosis filters and expert care. Yet these boost a project’s trust.
Lumde added, “Buyers see water safety as a top perk, mainly in Bengaluru where fresh supply strains thin.”
Hurdles coming up
Adoption spreads, but scaling stays tough, builders say. Issues hit on keeping water clean, handling dual pipes, retrofitting old sites, and finding skilled workers.
“Buyers lack knowledge on using recycled water past toilets. Acceptance stays low. Now’s the time to push…”