Arun Lakhani Talks about Reusing and Recycling Waste Water

Water is a fundamental life component and a valuable resource. Around the globe various countries are facing water related issues, not the least India with its rapidly growing population and urbanization.

Unfortunately as the population of India increases, the scarcity of water has become a deadly challenge. The challenge lies in dealing with water scarcity while at the same time managing increasing consumption due to the growing population.

It is not as though we cannot fight this issue. One of the best ways is to reuse and recycle waste water.

The problem that we face today
One of the areas where we can start is agriculture. Using the drip irrigation method, efficient management of waste water is quite possible. A major obstacle in implementing this method is the un-organised nature of this sector. On top of that, the number of small land holdings is quite large that makes it more complicated and challenging to put into practice such efficiency measures.

At the other end of the spectrum urbanization has led to massive migrations form rural areas to towns and cities intensifying the problem of managing water requirements. The ever growing human density, lack of efficient conservation measures, industrialization and changing ecological environment is leading to an unprecedented change in water consumption patterns and the balance of demand & supply.

One of the reasons for such a situation is the lack of budget for local bodies to implement any waste water management methods. In addition to it, urban areas are becoming industrial hubs which have resulted in disproportionate usage of water. The conflict between agriculture & industry and rural and urban with agricultural sector is thus complicating the waste water management issue.

Probable solution:
To find a sustainable solution we spoke to Mr. Arun Lakahani, MD VIL and leading expert in PPPs for waste water management.

Lakhani says the way forward is to look at countries such as Singapore, Korea and even USA, not to copy their methods but to customize available technology to suit out ecosystem and requirements. These countries have adopted efficient and effective methods for waste water management which if used smartly would greatly benefit India.

One of the successful methods involves waste water being given tertiary treatment that will make it usable (in this case drinkable). This not only ensures that waste water is managed well but also utilized effectively & productively.

"Now, if we try to fit this process in India as it is, it will be difficult; more because of cultural acceptability rather than any other thing." Says Lakhani

So maybe the way to work around this is to take the treated water and divert it towards industrial use and conserving fresh water for domestic usage.