Constructed Wetlands in Treating Domestic and Industrial Wastewater in India : A Review

Surface water pollution is a serious environmental problem in developing countries, like India, due to the unregulated discharge of untreated wastewater. To overcome this, the constructed wetlands (CWs) have been proven to be an efficient technology for wastewater treatment. In this study, different existing and experimental facilities were reviewed to be able to determine the current status of constructed wetlands in India. Based on the collected data from published literature, industrial wastewater contained the highest average chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). In terms of total nitrogen (TN), Total phosphorous (TP), the lowest concentration was found on domestic wastewater. Vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) and Horizontal flow constructed wetland (HFCW) were more effective in removing TSS, BOD, TP in domestic and industrial wastewater, whereas hybrid constructed wetlands (HCW) showed the highest removal for COD. The use of constructed wetlands as advanced wastewater treatment facilities in India yielded better water quality. The treatment of wastewater using constructed wetlands also enabled further reuse of wastewater for irrigation and other agricultural purposes. Overall, this study can be beneficial in evaluating and promoting the use of constructed wetlands in India.