Mr. Arun Lakhani at Seminar on Water Stewardship in India

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Commercially Viable Waste Water Management

India is home to the second largest population in the world. The steady population growth along with urbanisation and industrialisation has put a lot of pressure on the fresh water resources in India.Add to this the increasingly stringent environmental laws working towards sustainable solutions and we have a water crisis on our hands.

As a result, the demand for waste water management services and technologies is on the rise. Unfortunately, the existing services are struggling to match up to these demands thanks to lack of adequate investment, laws and R&D required in this segment.

We spoke to Mr. Arun Lakhani, MD Vishvaraj Infrastructure and expert in waste water management solutions for the Government of India to understand different ways of managing the water crisis.

Adapt to water sector PPP regulations:
For too long, the regulations for commercial water usage in India have been far too lenient, leading to wasteful and polluting use of water. Unmonitored commercial usage of water is one of the leading reasons for the current shortage in water supply and water pollution that plagues most urban cities.

Bring in the latest water management technology:
Waste water management requires high-tech plants, processes and technology. The past few years has seen the Indian market pick up on these technologies with the influx of multi-national companies bringing latest technology to India.

Currently, technologies such as filtration, softening, demineralisation (DM), ultrafiltration (UF) are regularly used for water treatment. But that is not sufficient to tackle the water management issue.

The time has come for companies to adopt the latest technologies such as Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology.

To put it in simple words, ZLD is a technology that helps plants meet discharge and water reuse requirements, enabling businesses to better manage water.

One of the examples of successful implementation of ZLD is the Tirupur project in Tamil Nadu. This was undertaken by Praj industries which offer ZLD and recycle and reuse solutions with advanced technologies.

Tirupur was facing severe pollution issues that were caused by textile industries operating within the region. The factories would discharge their coloured effluents into the surrounding water bodies that were polluting the water.

To tackle this situation, Praj industries decided to implement ZLD technology.You can imagine how grave the situation was, as almost 600 textiles units remained closed for almost two years.

By implementing the ZLD technology Praj industries was successful in solving the water pollution problem. Besides, they also found ways to cover the project cost too such as selling the treated water to the end users.

One of the reasons for a lackadaisical attitude of companies towards adopting these technologies is the high cost of acquiring and implementing these techniques.

However, given the fact that regulations will become stricter in the future, investing in technologies like ZLD will bring benefits in the long run.

As per Frost & Sullivan research firm, the Indian water and wastewater treatment market earned more than Rs 6,300 crore in revenue in the year 2011. This is expected to reach Rs 10,230 crore in 2016.

The market is on the rise for waste water management service providers with more and more companies adapting to better solutions.

As the fresh water resources are depleting it is high time the waste water management companies must shift their focus on incorporating sustainable, innovative and advanced technologies.

Final Word:
The waste water management sector is quite dynamic and it will only keep on posing challenges for companies offering these solutions. It is thus imperative that these companies keep incorporating advanced automation, technology and expertise to meet the public needs at affordable cost. It will go a long way in ensuring sustainable economic and environmental development.

Rejuvenating The Ganga

Water, especially fresh river water, has been the cradle of the civilization and has led to both the birth & downfall of human settlements. To see a worthy example of the importance of the rivers in any civilization we need not see any further than the Great Ganga - a historically revered water body across the ages in India.

But the Ganga, as the world knows it, is slowly losing its identity; one of the major reasons for this being industrialization.

Ganga - More than just a river:
Ganga is one of nature's finest spectacles and a sight to behold. Those who have visited this mighty river have never left without being awed by its majesty and grandeur. The river has flown in all its glory since thousands of years giving birth to innumerable stories and scriptures around it.

Sadly, these very cities that the Ganga gave birth to, have contributed to its tragic downfall.

The Ganga is dying a slow and visibly painful death.

Ganga - The Problems:
One of the biggest problems is the pollution and it is not surprising. Take any major river around the world and you will see it facing similar issues.

Toxic is the right word when it comes to defining the current condition of water of Ganga. And the reason for it is not too difficult to find.

One of the obvious reasons being the domestic and industrial sewage that is being released uninhibitedly every day into the river waters. With so many industries flourishing around Ganga it is was only a matter of time before this happened.

Another reason that has contributed greatly to the pollution of Ganga are the rituals performed at its bank; immersing the ashes of a dead person being one of them.

But that's not all. If you think human beings are the only ones affected by this, you are wrong.

The polluted water has led to the depletion and in many cases extinction of the freshwater flora and fauna. To get the idea of how bad the situation is sample this. There are only four species of river Dolphins left in the world and one of them happens to be in Ganga and it has been declared endangered.

Over fishing is another menace plaguing Ganga. The river is a hunting ground for fishermen. But the fishermen too cannot be blamed for it as there is hardly any other alternative way of earning their livelihood.

Solutions for cleaner Ganga:
The solutions to these problems need to be implemented in a planned manner which must be pursued with strong dedication over a long period of time.

"The immediate step to take would be minimizing the pollution of the water. The river bank needs to be stabilised by carrying out activities like plantation. Laws must be put in place specifically for industries around Ganga so as to minimize the damage to the river." Says Mr. Arun Lakhani, MD Vishvaraj Infrastructure and leading authority on waste water management.

Another method is to bring in private partners in this cleanliness drive. They must be engaged through partnerships of varying types. Thanks to the advancements in water conservation technology there are now methods available to ensure the preservation of this great river.

We now come to the most important component of the solution, people.

An awareness must be inculcated in people about how their actions (and inactions) are hurting the Ganga. By making these very people a part of the solution will go a long way in ensuring a cleaner Ganga.

They must be encouraged to inculcate civic habits that improve the quality of Ganga's surroundings. The dependence of fishermen on Ganga should be minimised by providing them an alternative source of livelihood.

The cleaner Ganga movement has gained a lot of momentum. We must stop viewing Ganga as a part of a particular community but rather as a source of national pride.

This should be looked at as preserving a national heritage that cuts across the lines of faith and unites people. Hence, it must be considered as a duty of every Indian to contribute towards it.

PPP to Manage Urban Water Supply

In a country like India with a population of more than a billion and a large section of the population living in rural areas resources like water are worth their weight in gold.

Changing climatic conditions, irregular rains, lack of waste water management and pollution in lakes, rivers and local water bodies have led to a water crisis across the country. Although the government is trying to solve this problem at various levels the effort has not been very successful.

It has come to a stage where participation of private players must be considered to tackle the situation prevailing in these areas. But this is not as easy as it appears. Water privatization has been contentious topic and needs to be handled delicately.

To understand more about Public-Private-Partnerships in water and waste water management we spoke to Mr. Arun Lakhani, MD Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd. one of the leading organisations taking up PPP projects in India. Here's what he had to say about one of their landmark projects – Nagpur 24x7 water project.

The Project:
Nagpur is the third largest city in the state of Maharashtra and the seat of the annual winter session of the Maharashtra state assembly, "Vidhan Sabha". The city needs about 540lts a day for its population of 2.5million people.

For the first time in India a government body – Nagpur Municipal Corporation build a Public Private Partnership to deliver 24x7 water supply to an urban city. One of main challenges was that such a venture had never been tried before. The Nagpur water PPP project was first of its kind in India and took some time to design an acceptable and sustainable structure.

As the driving force behind this project Lakhani spearheaded the project with a clear plan and transparent processes. The venture has been successful and now a model for future projects.

The New Challenge:
Currently, Vishvaraj Infrastructure is implementing new projects in five districts of Karnataka; Magadi, Bidar, Basavakalyan, Shahabad and Yadgir.

The aim behind these projects is to create 3.81 lakh water connections across these five cities. Simultaneously, it also plans to lay 922 kilometres of pipeline.

The outcome of the project will be that more than 81,000 people will be receiving drinking water directly in their house taps. A goal that will greatly decrease the disease rate and increase sanitation and hygiene. The main goal of these projects is to overhaul the water distribution system in these five cities.

Talking on how the concerns regarding water privatization, it must be noted that the private partner is responsible for operations and providing tap water connections to the households of the targeted cities.

The Government body is responsible for deciding tariff and development plan for the city.

One thing that must be highlighted is that ever since the project has been implemented, people have been regularly paying bills without follow-ups. This shows how much receiving clean drinking water at home has impacted the lives of people.

Various state governments have now started turning to PPPs to manage drinking water supply to urban and rural areas.