Express Water May 2018 by Indian Express

CONTENTS MARKET

Vol 01 No 6 May 2018 Pages72 Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka

14 16

Sr Vice President - BPD

Neil Viegas Editor

Mayur Sharma* DESIGN

National Design Editor

Bivash Barua

SCALABLE AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL SIZE TO BIG SIZE MUNICIPALITIES & PLANTS WE FOLLOW THE MANTRA OF ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ AIMING TO SETUP 1,000 WATER ATMS BY THE END OF 2018-19

Assistant Art Director

Pravin Temble

PROJECTS

Chief Designer

Prasad Tate Senior Designer

Rekha Bisht Graphic Designer

Gauri Deorukhkar DIGITAL TEAM Head of Internet

Viraj Mehta Web Developer

Dhaval Das Senior Executive - Online

CUTTING OUR LOSSES NRW

DEVELOPING RIVER BASIN MODELS AND WATER SHARING POLICY IN THE UPPER GODAVARI

URBAN WATER

100RC AND NIUA ANNOUNCE NATIONAL LEVEL EFFORT FOR URBAN RESILIENCE IN INDIA

Pushkar Worlikar Executive - Online

Salil Sule SCHEDULING & COORDINATION

Santosh Lokare Photo Editor

Water must be managed efficiently since there are already regions where water is a scarce resource. Water experts join us to chalk out an effective NRW (nonrevenue water) reduction plan.

OUT OF THE BOX

ADDRESSING INDIA’S WATER PROBLEMS

Sandeep Patil

19-26 KNOWLEDGE

MARKETING

Kailash Shirodkar CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION

KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRIENTS POLLUTION AMONGST ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES AND MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS IS CRUCIAL

General Manager

B R Tipnis Manager

Bhadresh Valia TM

Express Water

REGD. WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2017/74894.

GROUND REALITY

TECH TALK

ANGLIAN WATER SUCCESSFULLY TRIALS ARVIA TECHNOLOGY

Printed by The Indian Express (P) Ltd.

GROUNDWATER DEPLETION IN FATEHGARH SAHIB, PUNJAB: A CASE STUDY

and published by Ms Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of The Indian Express Press, Plot No. EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400710 and Published from Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021. (Editorial & Administrative Offices: Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman

P06 : EDITOR’S NOTE P08 : IN THE NEWS P67 : BUSINESS AVENUES

MUNICIPAL WATER

WATER REUSE RECLAIM WATER FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES

Point, Mumbai – 400021) Copyright © 2017 The Indian Express (P) Limited. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. *Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act

May, 2018

EXPRESS WATER

EDITOR’S NOTE

CUTTING OUR LOSSES With more cities nearing "Day Zero," the world may soon be looking at the grim picture of a drier future. The available water must be managed efficiently now since there are already many regions where water is a scarce resource. This month’s Express Water issue intends to present and discuss the latest strategies, techniques, and applications of best practices in the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) management. A 2016 World Bank study puts the global estimate of physical water losses at 32 billion cubic meters per year, half of which occurs in developing countries. If the water losses in developing countries could be halved, the saved water would be enough to supply around 90 million people. According to the EPA, every year in the US up to USD 1.41 billion is lost to inefficient energy practices in the water and wastewater industries. And approximately USD 9 Billion worth of non-revenue water is lost due to leaks or unbilled usage, of which up to 75% is recoverable. India’s official non-revenue water rate of 34% is slightly above the global average of 28% and is deemed to be higher. As per a new audit of water pipelines and findings of an expert committee, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been able to bring down the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) in India’s economic capital Mumbai by only 5% in the last five years (down to 22 from 27 percentage NRW). However, some of the recent initiatives by the stakeholders involved seem to have brought on the silver lining. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has been able to bring down its non-revenue water by 12 percent, to 37%. This was achieved with the help of new automated command center which monitors city’s water distribution system us-

“Water is H2O,hydrogen two parts,oxygen one,but there is also a third thing, that makes water and nobody knows what that is.” - D.H. Lawrence, Pansies, 1929

ing big data and predictive-analysis technology. India’s capital, Delhi has an installed capacity for the supply of 900 MGD (million gallons/day). As per estimates, the water loss during transmission and distribution is around 45%. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has started installing flow meters on its primary and secondary underground reservoirs. The state government has allocated INR 2,777.5 crore for water supply & sewage treatment for 2018-19. Around 3,000 bulk meters will be installed to check the amount of water being supplied to residential areas. The use of these flow meters will make it possible to track the actual losses. Accordingly, steps could be taken to resolve the issue. As per a BCC Research report, the efforts to reduce the amount of non-revenue water will be helping the global water meter market to see 5.3% annual growth through 2022. The Asia-Pacific region is expecting corresponding growth in the water mater market for advanced meter reading, with a value of USD 867 million. This shows a clear opportunity for smart water network companies, suppliers, and water utilities to come together and work towards reducing NRW levels further. In our next issue (June 2018), we will focus on “Seawater Desalination” and “Pumping and Piping Technologies”. I welcome editorial contributions on these and all other topics which you find significant for the water sector.

MAYUR SHARMA Editor mayur.sharma@expressindia.com @TheExpressWater

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May, 2018

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IN THE NEWS

SPMLInfra Among World’s Top 50 Private Water Companies

Subhash Sethi, Chairman, SPML Infra Limited

Mayur Sharma India SPML INFRA LIMITED is among the World’s Top 50 Private Water Companies as per the latest research conducted by Global Water Intelligence, London. SPML Infra has been continuously featuring for the past 6 years in the bi-annual

survey of world water companies. In more than 3 decades, SPML has executed over 600 water projects and has helped water utilities to deliver safe and clean drinking water to about 40 million people of India. Subhash Sethi, Chairman SPML Infra Limited, during a conversation with Express Water on being part of world’s top 50 private water companies, said, “SPML Infra has been promoting sustainable water management for decades now and has completed more than 600 water projects across the country. We are happy that our company is continuously featuring among the global top private management companies. As per estimates, only 31 percent of rural and 70 percent of urban households are connected with piped water supply. The huge

gap between water supply and sewage treatment is another area of great concern and we are not treating more than 72 percent of used water before its disposal to rivers and water bodies causing contamination in groundwater sources. Water loss and non-revenue water account for as much as 70 percent of the total water supply at many places and it needs an urgent attention from all stakeholders. For a diverse country like India, the integrated water management approach will be better solutions to all water woes. We are happy that SPML Infra has contributed immensely to India’s water infrastructure development and presently we are executing about 32 such projects to provide drinking water facilities to millions of people of our country.”

Citic Envirotech Won RMB 300 Million PPPProject in Xiaogan City,China EW Staff China THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS of CITIC Envirotech Ltd has announced that the Group was awarded a Public-Private-Partnership project in Xiaogan City, Hubei Province, China. The PPP project involves an investment of RMB 300 million in a 40,000 m3/day Build-OperateTransfer wastewater treatment facility. The project involves the design, construction and operation of the wastewater treatment plant and piping work stretching 12.2 kilometers. The company will apply its proprietary Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology for the wastewater treatment plant to treat 70% municipal waste-

water and 30% industrial wastewater to grade 1A level. A new subsidiary Novo Envirotech (Xiaogan) Co., Ltd with a registered capital of RMB 99.66 million has been set up and is 90% owned by CEL and 10% owned by the local municipal government. Construction of the BOT project will commence immediately and is expected to be completed by 2018. MBR is a very efficient technology as it only requires 20-30% of land area occupied by conventional wastewater treatment plant. CITIC is confident that MBR technology will become widely adopted across China. As an integrated membrane-based water solutions provider with excellent track record, CITIC is well poised to benefit from this trend.

AquaVenture Holdings Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Earnings Results EW Staff USA AQUAVENTURE HOLDINGS Limited, a leader in Water-as-aService™ (WAAS™) solutions, has reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017. For the full year ended on December 31, 2017, the total revenues of $121.2 million reflected a 6.2% increase over the prior year, comprised of 7.8% and 4.5% increases in the Quench and Seven Seas Water segments, respectively. The net loss was $25.8 million, com-

May, 2018

pared to a net loss of $20.5 million in the prior year. Net loss per share for 2017 was ($0.98). There were no ordinary shares outstanding prior to October 6, 2016, and, therefore, no loss per share information has been presented for any period prior to that date. The adjusted EBITDA was $38.1 million, a 6.0% increase over the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 31.5% was flat compared to the prior year. The adjusted EBITDA plus cash collected on the Peru construction contract increased 23.9% to $46.2 million from $37.3 million in the prior

year period. "We achieved strong growth in both our fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results. We continue to benefit from our operational expertise and customer-centric focus delivering Adjusted EBITDA plus cash collected on the Peru construction contract growth of 22.2% in the fourth quarter and 23.9% for the full year," said Doug Brown, AquaVenture's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I am pleased with the progress we have made in our first full year as a public company with positive developments in both

Quench and Seven Seas Water. On the Quench side of the business, we completed three acquisitions in 2017, and we have executed agreements for three more acquisitions already during the first quarter of 2018, with two of these closed in January and the third anticipated to close later today. These acquisitions will bring Quench's total installed rental unit base to over 100,000 units. In addition, we are excited about our recently announced agreement to purchase a majority interest in a desalination plant in Accra, Ghana. This will represent

Seven Seas Water's first venture into Africa and we look forward to working with the project stakeholders in managing through the various closing conditions to bring this to completion. We believe 2018 is off to a great start and we are wellpositioned to build upon our 2017 performance." The impacts of the binding agreement with Abengoa Water to purchase a majority interest in a desalination plant in Accra, Ghana have been not been included in the 2018 outlook due to the pending conditions precedent.

EXPRESS WATER

IN THE NEWS

Consolidated Water Provides Update on Rosarito Project in Mexico EW Staff Cayman Islands CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD., a leading developer and operator of seawater desalination plants, has reported that its wholly-owned Mexican subsidiary N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (NSC), has executed a subscription agreement for the equity funding required to construct and operate a desalination plant and accompanying pipeline in Rosarito, Baja California,

Mexico. The agreement calls for NSC to retain a minimum of 25% of the equity in Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (AdR), the special purpose company formed to own the Project. One or more affiliates of Greenfield SPV VII, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (Greenfield), a Mexico company managed by an affiliate of a leading U.S. asset manager, will acquire a minimum of 55% of AdR. The agreement also provides Suez Medio Ambiente México, S.A. de C.V., (Suez) a

subsidiary of SUEZ International, S.A.S. (SUEZ), with the option to purchase 20% of the equity of AdR. If Suez does not exercise this option, NSC will retain 35% of the equity of AdR and Greenfield will acquire 65% of the equity of AdR. The agreement will become effective when additional conditions related to the Project are met, including but not limited to those conditions previously discussed in CWCO's public filings.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Suez will design and construct the project, while a joint venture company between NSC and Suez will operate the project. "We are delighted that our two partners, SUEZ, a global leader in water treatment, and Greenfield, an affiliate of a leading U.S. asset management firm, have joined us in the Rosarito, Mexico project. This equity partnership agreement marks another major milestone in the development of the

Project, which when completed will be one of the largest seawater desalination facilities in the Western Hemisphere. Our focus now shifts to meeting the various conditions precedent for the effectiveness of the APP Contract, which include among other things, completing the negotiation and execution of the debt financing agreements, as well as obtaining all outstanding permits from the federal, state and municipal authorities," said Rick McTaggart, President & CEO.

Hyflux Awarded Contract for a Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Package in Bandar Abbas, Iran EW Staff Singapore HYFLUX LTD HAS announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Hyflux International Pte Ltd, has been awarded a contract by Asia Water Development Engineering Company (AWDEC) to design, manufacture and

supply a seawater reverse osmosis desalination package in Iran. The project excludes local marine, civil and structural works, and is valued at approximately EUR 68.7 million, with an additional EUR 10.5 million for optional add-ons. The desalination plant is designed to produce 200,000 cubic metres of

water per day, and will form one out of five desalination plants which AWDEC plans to build as part of the proposed Saghi Kosar (SAKO) Desalination and Power Plant in Bandar Abbas, Iran. The SAKO Desalination and Power Plant will feature five desalination plants able to produce 1,000,000 cubic metres of water per day, and a 300-400

MW power plant. When completed, the SAKO Desalination and Power Plant will address the growing domestic water scarcity in Iran and serve industries in the South East of Iran. The contract is to be fulfilled over 2 to 3 years, and is expected to contribute to the financials of Hyflux for the financial year ending 31 December 2018.

Aquarion Group Gets 15 Million Euro Convertible Loan Notes from Sustainable Growth Fund EW Staff Switzerland THE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Fund (SGF), a Convertible Loan Note provider, has signed a deal with Aquarion AG (Aquarion Group) in which Aquarion will get funding of 15 million Euros to accelerate its growth. The funds will be used for project financing and working capital but predominantly to fund

May, 2018

acquisitions to increase Aquarion Group’s revenues to more than 100 million Euros and achieve an EBITDA mar-

Karl Michael Millauer, CEO, Aquarion Group

gin of more than 10%. Aquarion Group’s immediate focus will be on procuring ownership of a disruptive technology for treatment of heavily contaminated wastewaters, for access to new geographic markets, and to expand its products and systems portfolio in order to increase the company’s recurring revenue stream. With this in place, Aquarion Group then aims to

be in the position to complete an IPO in 2019. Karl Michael Millauer, CEO of Aquarion AG, said, “Securing this growth capital is an important step in advancing Aquarion’s plan to become a bigger international player in the industrial water sector. I am extremely excited and motivated by this development and the new relationship with SGF, a fund focused on growth capital. With SGF,

Aquarion obtains a partner who understands our business very well. With a planned IPO in 2019, we will have the opportunity to get considerably more equity capital, which will enable us to continue to grow. I also highly appreciate the support we have gotten from GGF and Green Shoots to get the capital basis for the scheduled expansion and see this as trust and confidence in our future success.”

EXPRESS WATER

IN THE NEWS

Biotech Pioneers, Bruce Rittmann and Mark Van Loosdrecht,Win 2018 Stockholm Water Prize

(Left to Right) Bruce Rittmann and Mark Van Loosdrech

EW Staff Sweden PROFESSORS BRUCE RITTMANN and Mark van Loosdrecht, both prominent members of the International

Water Association, have been named the 2018 Stockholm Water Prize Laureates for revolutionizing water and wastewater treatment. In its citation, the Stockholm Water Prize

Nominating Committee recognizes Professors Rittmann and van Loosdrecht for “pioneering and leading the development of environmental biotechnology-based processes for water and wastewater treatment. They have revolutionized treatment of water for safe drinking, and refined purification of polluted water for release or reuse - all while minimizing the energy footprint”. Revolutionizing microbiological-based technologies in water and wastewater treatment, Professors Mark van Loosdrecht and Bruce Rittmann have demonstrated

the possibilities to remove harmful contaminants from water, cut wastewater treatment costs, reduce energy consumption, and even recover chemicals and nutrients for recycling. Their pioneering research and innovations have led to a new generation of energyefficient water treatment processes that can effectively extract nutrients and other chemicals - both valuable and harmful - from wastewater. Mark van Loosdrecht is Professor in Environmental Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. Bruce

Rittmann is Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, USA. “Together, Professors Rittmann and van Loosdrecht are leading, illuminating and demonstrating the path forward in one of the most challenging human enterprises on this planet – that of providing clean and safe water for humans, industry, and ecosystems,” says SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren.

SUEZ Expands its Activity in ABB Launches Collaborative Operations for the Power Generation Southeast Asia with a New Contract in Vietnam and Water Industries EW Staff Denmark ABB HAS LAUNCHED ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations for Power Generation & Water. Driven from a new ABB Ability Collaborative Operations Center in Genoa, Italy, the new operating model enables leading power generation and water companies to improve operations and maintenance using digital technologies to collaborate with dedicated, co-located operations experts. The Collaborative Operations Center delivers information insights that can increase customers’ profitability and productivity through better asset performance, higher safety

EXPRESS WATER

and security, reduced risk and lower costs. The push toward digitalization has increased the amount of data available to customers. ABB Ability Collaborative Operations uses this data to provide more value to customers through information analytics, making this data more useful for driving decisions that optimize plant and fleet performance. “ABB Ability Collaborative Operations will help us bring the benefits of digitalization to our customers in power generation and water by giving them information insights that lead to better business decisions,” said Kevin Kosisko, Managing Director of ABB’s power generation and water

business. The collaborative operations employs ABB technologies, software and services to automatically gather and analyze information on assets, processes and risks. Through these analytics, performance improvement areas are automatically identified, categorized and prioritized so that customers at operating sites, working with ABB experts in Collaborative Operations Centers, can take actions to ensure that each plant is operating within regulatory, load, environmental and cyber security requirements. Collaboration is scalable to customer needs, capable of being applied at a device or process level, up to plant and enterprise-wide operations.

EW Staff Vietnam SUEZ HAS BEEN AWARDED a contract by the local water authority HAWASUCO1 to supply sanitation services to Vi Thanh, the capital of Vietnam’s southern province of Hau Giang. This €9.5 million contract includes the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and a sewerage network to improve the living standards of over 6,500 inhabitants. Rapid population growth has caused environmental issues in the city of Vi Thanh, located 200 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, Vi Thanh’s wastewater and rainwater, collected by a combined drainage system, are

discharged untreated into the Xang Xa No canal, one of the city’s drinking water supply sources. This system leads to environmental risks. The contract covers the construction of a 3,000 m3/day wastewater treatment plant and a 41-km sewer network with 1,400 household connections. Works are expected to start in late 2018 and will last for 30 months. Financed by Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA Business Finance), the project is a new benchmark for SUEZ in Vietnam, where the Group is currently responsible for building two 3,000 m3/day wastewater treatment plants and sanitation services in cities of Ba Don and Ha Giang.

May, 2018

IN THE NEWS

GUTERMANN and TaKaDu Combine Data-Driven Technologies for Heightened Water Efficiency TaKaDu’s Event Management platform is now integrated with GUTERMANN’s acoustic leak detection system to provide a comprehensive solution for water loss reduction. EW Staff Israel TAKADU, A GLOBAL leader in Integrated Event Management solutions for the water industry, and GUTERMANN, a world leader in acoustic leak detection technology, are teaming up to deliver a comprehensive data-driven solution for improving efficiency. TaKaDu’s platform is being seamlessly integrated with GUTERMANN’s fixed network leak detection technolo-

gy, leveraging TaKaDu’s ability to integrate network events from external systems as well as from its own analytics engine.

For joint customers, TaKaDu’s Integrated Event Management platform can act as the central layer for all network events detected by

both systems. Receiving alerts from two different sources will increase operational confidence about each event, save time and provide information for better decision making - enabling operational teams to validate and find the location of leaks more easily. Uri Gutermann, Head of Business Development & CFO, GUTERMANN, said “Our collaboration with TaKaDu is another stepping stone in GUTERMANN’s strategy to make water leak-

age a central theme for utility managers and to facilitate a more transparent and holistic view on leaks and pipe bursts and how they are handled.” “We’re delighted to collaborate with GUTERMANN, which provides a critical data source and event detection for leakage events. Our combined solution is showing excellent results at Mei Carmel in Haifa, Israel, and we’re also seeing huge potential worldwide.” said Amir Peleg, Founder & CEO, TaKaDu.

WABAG Wins INR 773 Crores Worth of Orders Under Namami Gange Scheme and Repeat Order from KMDA and HMEL (Oil & Gas)

Prime Minister of India Lays Foundation Stone for Four Sewerage Projects Worth INR 1111.56 Crore

Mayur Sharma India

EW Staff India

VA TECH WABAG Limited has been awarded an order for INR 147 crores by the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, under the Namami Gange scheme (National Mission for Clean Ganga - NMCG) towards design, build and operate 60 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Pahari, Patna. The company has been awarded another order for INR 253 crores by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO), under the Namami Gange scheme. The scope includes survey,

May, 2018

review, redesign and build new sewerage system along with a pumping station and operation and maintenance of 10 years at Karmalichak, Patna. Both projects will be jointly financed by World Bank and NMCG. WABAG has also won a repeat order for INR 83 crores towards design, build and operation of 124 MLD Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at Rajpur-Sonarpur in Kolkata (West Bengal) from Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The plant will be designed using space-saving plate settler technology with rapid gravity filters. The project has been awarded under the

AMRUT scheme and includes operation & maintenance for 12 months. WABAG has also secured an order worth INR 290 crores from HPCL - Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL), towards design and build of Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at Guru Gobindh Singh Refinery, Bathinda, Punjab. Commenting on these developments, Pankaj Sachdeva, CEO - India Cluster said, “I am very happy to note that we are winning projects under the prestigious Namami Gange scheme and from key clients in Oil & Gas sector. These wins bear the testimony of WABAG’s technological capabilities and continued customer confidence.”

PRIME MINISTER OF India Mr. Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for four sewerage projects worth INR 1111.56 crore in Patna city. These projects will create new Sewage Treatment Plant capacity of 60 MLD and lay the sewer network of 376.12 km in Saidpur and Pahari sewerage zones of Patna. In addition to the above, three more projects are scheduled to start soon in Patna to create a total of 150 MLD STP capacity and lay 534.54 km of sewerage network. Two of these three projects are under Hybrid Annuity-based PPP mode.

Earlier, on 14th October 2017, the Prime Minister Mr. Modi had laid the foundation stone for four projects in Patna at Mokama in Bihar. The total awarded cost of these projects was Rs. 738.04 crore. They will create STP capacity of 140 MLD and lay 422.88 km of sewerage network. The above 11 projects in Patna worth Rs 3237.69 crore will create total of 350 MLD sewage treatment capacity and lay down 1140.26 km of sewerage lines. The expected sewage load for the city by 2035 is 320 MLD. Besides these, a total of 29 projects worth Rs 5042.11 crore are ongoing in Bihar under Namami Gange programme.

EXPRESS WATER

TECH TALK

Anglian Water SuccessfullyTrials Arvia Technology • UK utility pilots tertiary treatment combining oxidation and adsorption • Effective removal rates achieved for a number of substances investigated • Opportunity to compare the Arvia process to others on the market By Express Water Bureau

Internal View of the Full-Scale Nyex 7-50a System

TRIALS OF AN ADVANCED tertiary water and wastewater treatment system have proven its effectiveness in removing several trace substances from wastewater final effluent. A laboratory-scale version of Arvia Technology’s Nyex treatment system was initially tested in partnership with Anglian Water at Arvia’s inhouse facility. The capabilities proved by Arvia’s Nyex 1-20a resulted in the project being

scaled-up, with the construction of a Nyex 7-50a pilot system on the site of 16,000 population equivalent wastewater treatment plant owned and operated by Anglian Water. The onsite trial aimed to assess the system’s performance in treating a side-stream of real effluent containing a range of 60 selected trace substances over a 12-month period in 2016-17. Anglian Water carried out analysis on water samples pre- and post- treatment throughout the demonstration period. As part of the UK water industry’s undertaking to achieve tighter water quality targets, a UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) collaborative programme of work is underway. The Chemicals Investigation Programme 2 is being led by the water utilities and environmental regulators and seeks to investigate the sources of trace substances, where they occur and their removal from final wastewater effluents. One part of the investigation was to assess - at the pilot

The Nyex Unit was Used to Test for 60 Priority Substances During the Trial

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and full scale - technologies capable of removing trace substances such as pharmaceuticals and natural hormones. Anglian Water took the opportunity to trial Arvia’s Nyex process alongside water companies trialing a variety of other technologies.

Targeted Solution Arvia chief executive Mike Lodge said: “Nyex treatment offers a targeted and costeffective solution against persistent micro-pollutants in wastewater - which is an increasingly important issue for utilities.” Arvia’s Nyex treatment systems combine adsorption with advanced oxidation in a single, scalable unit. Trace organics are concentrated on the surface of Arvia’s proprietary media, which is nonporous with high electrical conductivity. This patented adsorbent media allows for targeted and continuous oxidation. Unlike granular activated carbon, Nyex media is effectively regenerated in situ and the process can continue without interruption or replacement. Results are achieved without chemical dosing or the generation of sludge, reducing costs in terms of transport of chemicals and specialist waste disposal. Mike Lodge says, “Nyex has fully demonstrated its usefulness for the removal of

The Arvia Nyex Unit is Installed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for the Technology’s Utility Demonstration Trial

micro-pollutants in tertiary treatment. “Results from the technology trials have already been used to cost a range of full-size systems from 2,000 to 500,000 PE as part of the utility’s preparations for PR19 the regulatory price controls for water companies in England and Wales which come into play in 2020.”

Water Industry Partnerships Arvia co-founder Nigel Brown said: “Arvia is continuing to build partnerships with utilities and industrial companies and we are delighted with the success of this project. Our technology is practical, cost-efficient and scientifically sound. There are no internal moving parts and although electricity is part of the

process, it uses comparatively little energy.” Nyex™ Treatment Systems provide a recognized solution against micro-pollutants and emerging contaminants. The flexible, modular nature of the systems allows them to be optimized to treat water and wastewater in changing volumes and ensures treatment is futureproof against tightening standards. Its patented Nyex™ media benefits from regeneration in-situ which means the avoidance of expensive off-site trucking for regeneration or incineration. The operational costs are further reduced as energy use for the removal of micro-pollutants to below regulatory limits averages 0.1 to 0.3 kWh/m³. This is around half of the energy required for comparable advanced oxidation processes such as ozone.

May, 2018

MARKET

Scalable Automation Solutions for Small Size to Big Size Municipalities & Plants Sajiv Nath is the Managing Director of Yokogawa India Limited. Yokogawa provides control solutions for sustainable water production. It supports water control applications in both the municipal and industrial water markets. Mayur Sharma talked to him about his new role at Yokogawa India, and their plans and strategies for the municipal and industrial water projects.

regions that will face water shortage in future) and this is set to rise to 3.9 billion by 2030. An investigation by Asian Development Bank (2007) finds that water deficiencies in a few sections of the world have as of now turn out to be severe to the point that city authorities are starting to constrain new improvement in zones lacking water and have stressed upon activities, for example, utilising less and reusing more as a way to bail out Asia's water crisis. The journey so far is good as Yokogawa is pioneer in providing Industrial Water Management solutions in Process Plants including WTP and STP. Yokogawa has started looking into promising sectors of water distribution and District Water management based on international experiences. The company has rich experience in these sector(s). My thrust at Yokogawa will be to cater to these sectors with available / existing product portfolio/ rich experience in these sector(s) internationally.

How has been your journey in the water sector so far? Please shed some light on your new role in Yokogawa India. Mr. Nath: Water assumes a vital role in the human framework, farming, and industry. The twentieth century saw an enormous rise in the demand for fresh water due to

May, 2018

the expansion of population along with the growth in industries and urbanization. This rising level of water demand is directly impacting the worldwide shortage of water. Global demand for water is presently developing by 64 billion m3 (2.2 trillion ft3) per annum, and yearly global

water withdrawal is relied upon to develop by about 1012% at regular intervals and is estimated to reach a whopping 5,240 km3 (or an increase of 1.38 times since 1995) by 2025.The World Economic Forum gauges that 2.8 billion individuals effectively live in zones of high water pressure (i.e., the

Can you give our readers a primer on your product portfolio? How are they unique from their counterparts? Mr. Nath: Yokogawa has presence in implementing water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, desalination plants, water distribution and pipeline management and industrial water/

wastewater treatment plants. The complete portfolio for giving a â&#x20AC;&#x153;one stop solutionâ&#x20AC;? for these sectors are in house available at Yokogawa. The portfolio includes DCS, RTU/PLC, SCADA, Field instruments- Transmitters, Flow meters, analyzers etc. We feel that even after few successful implementation of water demand management strategies in India, it is important to balance rising demand with limited supplies of water, there are regions around the world where water management is required and we will be able to cater to these demands with our new-edge technology.

Please share with our readers some of the international project success stories of Yokogawa in the water management segment. Mr. Nath: A 2016 World Bank study claims physical water loss to be around 32 billion cubic meters every year; with nearly a half of it being contributed by the developing world. Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official non-revenue water rate of 34% is slightly above the global average of 28% and is deemed to be higher. As a gist on international success stories, need to be shared that Yokogawa has successfully automated desalination plants in Middle East, Water distribution and management sector in South East Asian countries,

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MARKET Australia and New Zealend and water treatment plants across the globe. It will be in order to place that more than 400+ installation in this sector are in Japan and 800+ installations across the globe are automated by Yokogawa’s solution(s).

For Yokogawa, the first order from a water municipality in India was for your SCADA software and control system in Bangalore city’s Centralized SCADA Monitoring Center. Tell us about that. Mr. Nath: Our first experience in India as rightly placed by you, was in Supplying SCADA and telecom for water pipeline project for Bangalore city. Further we automated by extending it to pumping stations, integrating same with wastewater treatment plants and provide Bangalore city with integrated water management improvement system.

What are your plans for ‘Smart City projects’ in India? What do you want Smart City CEOs to know about Yokogawa India? Mr. Nath: As per recent report by World Water Council by 2030 more than 40% of the world’s population will live in river basins under severe water stress and 20% of the population will be at risk from floods. The Smart City initiative by the Government needs technology advancements and we are equipped to cater to the demand. Yokogawa has ambitious plans looking into SMART City projects being a reality. These projects are looking at integrated approach of water management, water distribution, water leakage management, Water hydraulics and analyitics, Water meter reading and billing coupled with security solutions and axis controls - on a single integrated platform. We can provide “one stop solution” for all these requirements to SMART City project(s) and

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can provide an integrated water management platform to operate and monitor the plant from Smart Control room including integration of various water treatments plants across cities.

Are there still gaps between what utilities need and what current technologies are providing? Mr. Nath: By 2030 there will be a 50% increase in demand for energy and water, requiring a water infrastructure capital investment of three times the current level and these analysis by World Water Council need to be heeded seriously. Normally, current technology available can cater to the needs of Utilities. However, as technology is always innovating and smarter ideas come through, Yokogawa has always believed in “Co-innovating Tomorrow” and Yokogawa’s endeavor is to provide the latest technology to their esteemed customers developed across the globe based on the requirement from any part of world. This is so as Yokogawa has always believed in Co-innovating technology with the needs and requirement of customers.

What do you plan to offer to the Indian market in terms of advanced technologies and solutions to the ever-existing issue of ‘water loss and leakage’ to reduce NRW (non revenue water)? Mr. Nath: Water Loss and leakage is the prime reason cited for any automation as “Save Water” is the campaign and need of an hour. Yokogawa has water loss and leakage management solution implemented at the district level water management. This can ensure reduction in non-revenue of water.

In your opinion, what are India's water needs and how much is currently being fulfilled in water treatment, desalination, and wastewater management?

Mr. Nath: At present as exist, there is neither automation in this sector nor water management being available in any of the district(s). Water being a precious commodity, loss and leakage in water result in non-revenue and is a challenge. From Yokogawa’s solution, same can be addressed and in a better fashion same can be administered and monitored. Further, we at Yokogawa feel that Water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants in any district need to be integrated so that in a nutshell on a dashboard in Control room, availability and usage of water can be monitored in real time and/ or on a cumulative basis. Numerous water utilities in Asia practice aloof spillage control, implying that they repair just those leakages that are obvious. This is obviously insufficient since 90% of the breaks are normally not noticeable at first glance. This implies it takes extremely long, years, until the point when the utility is even noticing that there is a break. Since the time taken to notice water loss from pipe bursts, utilities need to be more alert and adopt technology that not only reduces the volume of water loss but also lessens the time taken to notice such faults. The most conventional and fundamental strategy is to have a group of leak identification authorities who check all channels all the time. Since the sound of leaking can be recognized, this work is finished with an extensive variety of listening gadgets, going from straightforward mechanical listening sticks to electronic ground amplifiers or even break clamor correlators. Spillage examiners utilize this gear to tune in to the system and distinguish issues, much like specialists utilize stethoscopes. In order to measure the amount of water loss there should be automated system installed at discrete zones that will keep a tab on the volume of spillage in each zone and aid on-site engineers to check and correct a possible leak.

Are you looking at both government as well as the private projects? Mr. Nath: We at Yokogawa look forward for providing solution for requirements, whether it comes from Government or private players. In our opinion, we feel that district level management will be more of district authorities/ State govt requirements. We at Yokogawa are, as solution provider open for either case.

Will ‘automation’ really be the ‘Future of the Industry’? What is your opinion? Mr. Nath: Water is a precious commodity of present and future, any water loss needs to be answered and addressed as we cannot afford further water losses. Without automation, it will be near to difficult to learn about the losses and almost impossible to find out the reason for the losses and control the same. Having said that automation will also lead to billing to each consumer automatically and also have an insight plan on consumption pattern and can help plan better for water needs in future as the district/cities flourish. The automation future in Industry is very bright. As rightly conveyed, considering Water as precious commodity of present and future, any water loss need to be answered and address as we cannot afford to have water losses. Without automation neither we will be able to know the reason of losses nor we will be able to control same. More so automation will also lead to billing to each consumer automatically and also have an insight plan on consumption pattern and can plan for water needs in future as district/ cities grow. Automation is most likely to impact the water industry in the short term. In the longer term, as the industry moves away from enhanced capital schemes, and pressure to reduce customer bills increases, automation will become more prevalent.

There appears to be some way to go before automation starts to make a significant impact in the water industry, but the scope of work continues to change quickly. Intriguingly, and perhaps counter-intuitively, it seems automation will impact positively in curtailing NRW.

The larger municipalities have already stared adopting various control and automation solutions, and are now reaping its benefits as well. However, do you think the automation will really pay off in the smaller municipalities as well? Mr. Nath: Reduction in the NRW is the key to smart water management in India. We can learn from the success of public utilities that have drastically curtailed NRW losses, achieved through the right management and political backing namely, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority that managed to bring down its NRW from about 73% in 1993 to 6% in 2010, and the Hai Phong Water Supply Company in Vietnam reducing waste from 73% in 1993 to 25% in 2008, with an eight-fold increase in water connections to the public. Recently, water governing bodies of various state governments like Rajasthan, are implementing automation for reduction of NRW under the initiative of smart city. The uniqueness in Yokogawa’s solution is that the automation solution is scalable, that is Yokogawa can provide solution for smaller to big requirement. Depending on the requirement we can address the solution for small size municipality to a bigger size municipality. Our objective will be to be part of “Save Water” campaign and would like to associate for same in fashion of automation solution provider. In nutshell because of technology benefits of automation can be reaped by user irrespective of their size.

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We Follow the Mantra of ‘Make in India’ Abhijeet Puranik is a mechanical engineer with 25 years of experience in sales and application engineering of various industrial products such as mechanical seals, pumps, and advanced membrane products like UF, MBR and EDI. Currently, he is General Manager Global Sales & Marketing, QUA Group (a company headquartered in USA and engaged in the development and manufacturing of advanced membrane products). In this conversation with Mayur Sharma, he talks about QUA’s market performance, FEDI technology, and their recent projects including a wastewater recycle plant at Mumbai International Airport in India. treatment. Our very strong background and experience in research and development has meant that all of our products are the result of extensive research for over a decade at its R&D centre. We currently have the following high performance membrane products in the global market: Polymeric (QSEP) and ceramic (CeraQ) ultrafiltration membranes, electrodeionization (FEDI), and submerged membranes for MBR application (EnviQ) specifically designed for ultrapure process water, seawater desalination, potable water purification, and wastewater recycle/reuse applications. We also have FEDI-Rx specifically for the high purity required by the Pharmaceutical sector. QUA’s innovative membranes have been developed by water treatment experts who have extensive experience in engineering, constructing and operating complex water treatment facilities. This has resulted in cutting edge products, which make the water treatment systems built around our products easy to operate and maintain peak performance.

Please shed some light on the product and services portfolio of your company. Which are the new launches that you have come up with recently? Mr. Puranik: QUA manufactures superior membrane

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products that meet the most demanding water purification system requirements. Headquartered in the USA, QUA provides global customers and OEM partners in industrial, manufacturing, and infrastructure markets with

best practices in R&D, innovation, quality, and customer service. With our core value of Pure Technology, QUA has always been at the forefront in introducing innovative products for water and wastewater

Which are the three most important target markets for you currently (pharma, chemicals etc)? What are the unique requirements and challenges of each of them? Mr. Puranik: Our FEDIRx, the next generation EDI for Pharmaceutical Industry,

has been a major success in Indian market. We have also started making inroads in China now. We will continue to expand our footprint globally, typically for this sector. Our Q-SEP UF membranes have been treating water and wastewater in all the challenging applications, spanning the entire spectrum of the industry, be it power, be it refineries, textile industry, pharmaceutical or infrastructure. We will continue to build more success stories in all of these industries. EnviQ, with a very compact and easy to maintain design, has proven a sunrise product for us. With our installation base in USA growing, we expect a rapid growth in this product all across the globe.

What were the achievements of QUA in 2017-18? How has the company grown? Mr. Puranik: 2017 has been the most successful year in QUA’s journey till date. We have supplied our Q-SEP membranes to a huge refinery project in Kuwait, which is expected to get commissioned in 2018. Our FEDI installation for 300 m³/hr, for a power project in Oman is likely to go live in May 2018. Our desalination installation, supplied in 2017, has been commissioned and has already clocked 5 months of successful performance. The EnviQ installation at a pharmaceutical facility in Western India, treating sur-

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MARKET face water, has clocked almost a year of successful operation. Besides this, our footprint has been growing globally. We have posted a double digit growth in our revenue and our exports have grown by 30%.

In order to stay ahead of the market curve, what are the strategies and plans that QUA is looking forward to? Mr. Puranik: QUA’s strengths have been its innovative solutions and products which are always ahead of other manufacturers. We will continue to bring new state of the art products to the market, consolidating our current product portfolio. Technical support has been and will remain our core focus activity. We will continue to develop and strengthen the partnerships with our valued OEMs and our channel partners across the world. At QUA, innovation is a journey. QUA owns the intellectual property behind all its products. It has a high level of commitment to quality with stringent quality controls, as is evident with its various awards and certifications. Our products have US patents for manufacturing. Getting patents for manufacturing, in spite of many players already existing global market, itself is the manifestation of the superiority of our products and technology. And we do follow the mantra of make in India. QUA® products are of truly global quality. And our stateof-the-art manufacturing facility at Pune is the only facility for manufacturing for our global operations. This is an added advantage to our valued Indian customers. The major projects that QUA has executed within the short span of few years is recognition of the superiority of our products, accepted by customers globally.

How have you developed your R&D (research and development) capabilities in past few years? Mr.

Puranik:

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‘Pure

Technology’, our tagline, explains QUA’s DNA. Our R&D has been the backbone of all our products. The cutting edge research over decades has enabled us to manufacture state of the art products. The development of R&D capabilities has been a journey for us and not the destination. We have and will continue to strengthen the same.

Tell us about your patented Fractional Electrodeionization (FEDI) technology. How is it different from the conventional EDI process? Mr. Puranik: With its patented dual voltage technology, QUA’s FEDI (Fractional ElectroDeionization) technology is the next generation EDI technology for production of high purity water. Developed taking into account the limitations of conventional EDI, FEDI improves the reliability of EDI for the production of high purity water for power and semiconductor applications. Unlike conventional EDI, FEDI stacks are able to tolerate more hardness in the feed water. As a result, FEDI can be used after single pass RO without the need for softening, or second pass RO, on most feed waters. FEDI eliminates the use of chemicals and treatment of chemical laden waste water, as required by the conventional process. Thus it is a green technology which reduces the environmental foot print. Each FEDI stack is equipped with two sets of electrodes. FEDI’s dual voltage technology allows for a higher flexibility to inlet water conditions, thus lowering the risk of scaling and improving reliability. Hardness and the majority of the other ions are removed in the first stage of the stack at low current density and low scaling conditions, while the final product water polishing takes place in the second stage of the stack, at high current density. In the FEDI® two-stage

separation, hardness is the scaling component and the main limiting factor for feed conditions in a conventional EDI. By incorporating a twostage separation process with different voltages the FEDI® process is able to achieve a higher hardness tolerance by having distinctly different concentrate chambers with separate reject streams and thus reducing the potential of hardness scaling. It optimizes power consumption by using higher electrical current only where required. And it ensures the best water quality, continuously & consistently by removing a major part of the deionization load in the 'hardness removal zone', while residual ionic impurities are effectively removed in the 'silica removal zone', which stays in a polishing mode.

What are some of QUA’s major orders won in last two years? Mr. Puranik: As explained earlier, we have implemented a major desalination project in India and a large refinery effluent project in Kuwait for our Q-SEP membranes. Our FEDI project in Oman will be at the top of the list of notable achievements. Our three FEDI projects in China are more than 100 M³/Hr. Besides this, we have had phenomenal success in midsize projects. Q-SEP has been the preferred choice of the OEMs and end users, with modules supplied for projects in Russia, Romania, USA, Middle East, Africa and India. QUA’s EnviQ has been the choice of the OEMs in USA, and we have won a major order for supplying more than 200 cartridges. We have also won a major order for our CeraQ membranes for a project in USA.

Tell us about the various projects of QUA which are in the pipeline. What is their individual progress? Mr. Puranik: We have a very healthy projects pipeline for all the products. With many important OEMs realiz-

ing the advantages of our products and patronizing our products for major projects, we will take our project success of the last two years to a different level in the years to come.

In an earlier project for a Wastewater Recycle Plant at Mumbai International Airport, your Q-SEP modules were used. How has been their performance? Mr. Puranik: The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai (CSIA) project is a landmark project for QUA, and a lighthouse reference. QUA is very proud to be associated with such a prominent and respected end-user and industry. With the successful and reliable performance demonstrated by our Q-SEP membranes, we have subsequently won the expansion project for the same site. QUA’s Q-SEP system has been running successfully for more than 3 years now at CSIA. The CSIA has an on-site wastewater and sewage treatment plant (STP), to recycle and reuses the treated water for operations such as horticulture, HVAC cooling makeup water, and flushing. QUA’s UF membranes Q-SEP® successfully provided the airport STP with a robust RO pretreatment component to ensure a long term solution for their effluent recycling system. Since the feed to the RO pre-treatment system was sewage wastewater, it needed to be designed to handle variable water qualities and extremely high turbidity levels, the objective being to reduce the silt density index (SDI) and turbidity of the feed water to a point where RO cleaning would be minimized. Q-SEP modules successfully fit the plant’s requirements due to their large surface area and high operating efficiency. The UF TMP has been below 0.4 bar on average, and the average product water turbidity has been con-

sistently very low at less than 0.04 NTU. SDI has been less than 3, and the Q-SEP membrane cleaning is done by regular backwashes and CEBs. CIP has not been required since the start-up of the UF membranes. We have again supplied QSEP modules to CSIA in 2017, for their expansion project at the same site.

Finally, what are your growth and expansion plans for the next 5 years? And which factors do you see as major drivers in the industrial water & process water market in the coming years? Mr. Puranik: Our growth has been significant in last few years, thanks to the confidence shown and support extended by our valued customers and business partners. While we do cherish these moments of success, our never dying hunger will lead us to raise the bar. We would like to expand our footprint in the other regions of the world and will continue to strengthen our position in current markets. We expect an additional manufacturing facility in next couple of years. I am sure it will be a challenge for us, but taking up new challenges and conquering those, has been the reason for our success. ‘Pure Technology’ and the conquering of seemingly insurmountable challenges have been the values which we breathe and nurture. With the water stress increasing, leading to the increased focus of end users and governments on the wastewater treatment around the world, the focus on clean and green technologies will be the key market drivers. These factors will be QUA’s growth drivers. Every user looks for a reliable, low cost of ownership products, which augurs well with our innovative designs. The perfect synergy between customer’s requirements and our product features will be the key to our success.

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Aiming to Set-up 1,000 Water ATMs by the End of 2018-19 Dr. Vibha Tripathi is the Managing Director & Founder at Swajal. She is a physicist and PhD from IIT Kanpur and a social entrepreneur working in the energy/water segment. Swajal is an award-winning IoT-enabled water purification solutions provider. The company offers mineralized purified water with ultra-filtration and RO. It has diversified its solutions and product offerings into RFID-based Water Purification Systems, Water ATM Machines, Solar Powered Water Purification Systems, Water Huts, Solar Submersible Pumps, RO Systems, and large Drinking Water Plants with tracked water bottles. She talks to Mayur Sharma about her journey in the water sector, the much-talked about IoT-enabled Water ATMs, and the community water market in India.

Tell us about yourself. How did you enter the water industry? How did the idea of Swajal come up? Dr. Tripathi: I am a social entrepreneur working in energy/water segment along with my son Advait Kumar, an exbanker from J. P. Morgan and also a Penn State University graduate with specialization

May, 2018

in Electrical Engineering. The idea of providing people with clean drinking water came across when Advait was deeply moved by the plight of workers that faced considerable challenge while collecting drinkable water on a day-today basis. We had earlier installed a water purifier outside our home so that the

urban slum dwellers nearby could collect the same. But the queue at this water purifier grew with every day that passed and at times tensions heightened, highlighting the need of clean water in India. One of my cousins had also died due to Diarrhoea at a very young age. These two incidences had a lasting

impact on us and in 2014 the idea of providing people with clean drinking water took off the ground in the form of Swajal. Swajal works with communities where technological intervention alleviates critical issues regarding water. Our machines, therefore, are solarpowered, automated, and

The most exciting projects for us have been the CSR projects for schools and villages. Schools used to face the challenge of absenteeism and half-day leaves due to wide-ranging health problems. Such cases had been reduced by about 90 percent after the Swajal purification machines were installed. remotely-controlled drinking water stations. Constantly evolving from being a mere concept, Swajal is now actively providing clean drinking water to over 5 lakh people daily and is responsible for

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MARKET Key Highlights of Swajal • In 2015, Swajal raised USD 1.2M from Abhishek Gupta and other investors. • Swajal serves about 2,00,000 people across India daily. • Swajal Water ATMs have 9-stage cleaning process. • The RFID enabled card can be pre-loaded for water payments and coin acceptor in these Water ATMs. • The company offers products like QR code tracked water bottles and remote sensing water purification systems as well. keeping more than 5,000 tons of plastic off the streets every year. The social venture has simultaneously generated employment for more than 150 people at the grass-root level. We envision solving problems for the marginalized section of our society using innovative technologies and hope that through our initiative, we will be able to inspire many others to join hands and change the drinking water scenario in India.

Please explain to us the technology used in Swajal Water ATMs? Dr. Tripathi: Swajal Water ATMs are solar-ready and provide access to clean drinking water through the brand’s state-of-the-art water purification mechanism as well as an array of technologies including IoT, cloud, and Artificial Intelligence. IoT and cloud enable us to remotely anticipate maintenance requirement, which essentially ensures zero to minimal downtime, and gather data for predictive analysis. On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are leveraged to run predictive maintenance algorithms that enable us to forecast system failure before it occurs. Our award-winning machines are based on our proprietary design as well as in-house manufacturing and are capable of dealing with the widest range of ground water contaminants.

enabled us to use the power of cloud to our advantage. Our Water ATMs feature an award-winning IoT framework that Swajal’s R&D team has built from the ground up. IoT-based monitoring on cloud platform allows us to remotely manage, update, and repair each system. Our IoT framework can automatically conduct a root cause analysis and take the relevant actions if any machine faces an issue. We, moreover, have systems installed in remote areas, rural slums, and villages. The IoT technology has made us capable of measuring the impact even across remote areas in real-time. Tell us about the costs involved in the installation of one water ATM. The cost of one unit varies from Rs. 4 to 10 lakhs.

How do you ensure that the water quality remains the same? Is there a certification or audit process involved? Dr. Tripathi: The alert is triggered based on multiple predefined parameters. Even a slightest variation from the expected normal gets documented and relevant data is sent across to the centre of operations. Since each machine is remotely monitored, Swajal’s IoT (Industrial Internet of things) platform constantly examines each system and the quality of water that gets dispensed every time.

What is the role of IoT in your Water ATMs? And why IoT?

Please shed some light on the milestones that Swajal has achieved. How has the company grown recently?

Dr. Tripathi: At Swajal, we stay at the forefront of innovation and technology. IoT has

Dr. Tripathi: In 2014, Swajal was recognized and supported by the United

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Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP). This helped the company in building prototypes and conducting a pilot and market survey to develop the business model. The brand also raised an angel investment of $1.2 million in 2015. In the following year, we setup our own in-house manufacturing unit and won several awards and accolades including “Millennium Alliance Award 2016”. In 2017, Swajal was yet again felicitated with “IT Adoption and Innovation

IoT has enabled us to use the power of cloud to our advantage. Our Water ATMs feature an awardwinning IoT framework that Swajal’s R&D team has built from the ground up. IoTbased monitoring on cloud platform allows us to remotely manage, update, and repair each system. for Spirit of Manufacturing Award” by TiE as well as “IoT Startup Award” (2017) from IoT India Congress for its prudent and cost-effective development IoT (Industrial Internet of things).

What is the current size of the overall community water market in India and what are the forecasts? Can you give us some fact and figures? Dr. Tripathi: Though fig-

ures specifically related to community water market are unavailable, the market at present is estimated to be around $1.5 billion. It is further expected to become worth $4 billion by 2024 experiencing a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 15.4 percent according to Transparency Market Research. But we expect the market to be become greater than that. India, a country of 1.3 billion people, is currently facing a looming water crisis. As per the recent figures released by the World Bank, more than 75 percent of communicable diseases in India are directly related to water. Also, over 63 million of Indians across rural areas don’t have access to clean drinking water. Urban cities, which are expected to be home to 600 million people by 2030, are not faring any better either and this situation is only going to aggravate in the future. Major metropolitan cities including Bangalore and Chennai are already nearing a Day Zero situation and this water deficit in our country is expected to reach 50 percent by 2030. If anything has to be done, it has to be done right now, otherwise it will be too late to make any difference to the nation that houses more than a billion lives.

What is the social impact of Water ATMs in your opinion? Dr. Tripathi: One of the biggest social impacts, apart from providing clean RObased water, is that these ATMs generate hundreds of livelihood by hiring local operators at the machine. This employment gets simultaneously generated for technicians and other individuals that contribute to the value chain. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study shows that a two litre bottled water creates a similar carbon footprint in a year as that of a car driven for 500 miles. We, therefore, discourage plastic and ask people to get their own utensils or reuse the bot-

tle for filling water – preventing about 5,000 tons of plastic coming to street annually. This obviously is in addition to 5 lakh lives that we touch everyday by providing access to affordable and clean drinking water.

Please tell us about some of your most exciting projects? What were the challenges? Dr. Tripathi: The most exciting projects for us have been the CSR projects for schools and villages. Schools used to face the challenge of absenteeism and half-day leaves due to wide-ranging health problems. Such cases had been reduced by about 90 percent after the Swajal purification machines were installed in one of the schools in Mewat, Haryana. Deploying clean drinking water systems at schools and in villages have been the most satisfying experience for us.

What are your growth and expansion plans for the next 5 years? Which factors do you see as major drivers in the community water market in the coming years? Dr. Tripathi: To accelerate the company’s growth, we are aiming to setup 1,000 water ATMs by the end of 2018-19. Swajal operates on a franchisee-based business model. The company works in partnership with local vendors and shop owners to promote local entrepreneurship and to allow locally-generated revenue to be absorbed by the local economy. We want to grow and consolidate in India and also explore broader market opportunities, such as larger purification systems that can cater to a complete town. Moving forward, we envision to generate 100s of livelihood and providing water to millions everyday through our environment-friendly approach. Innovation-driven smart water initiatives are going to evidently drive the community water market in the years to come.

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Thermosift Successfully Completes Test Run of TS-30™ System The Indian start-up, Thermosift Engineering Private Limited, is ambitious to get its first commercial pilot project. A technology-based company registered in India, Thermosift is in the process of setting up its subsidiary in Singapore. It is the developer and manufacturer of innovative Joule Thompson Effect (JTE) based thermal membrane process, separation system TS-30™, and vapour transfer membrane STOMATE™.

“With positive outcome, we hope to commercialize our TS-30™ system in the near future.”

Dr. J Antony Prince

The TS-30™ System Illustration

DISCHARGING THE MINING industry wastewater with high salinity into the sewer or sea is prohibited to prevent overloading at the treatment plant or destruction to the marine lives respectively. Reverse osmosis (RO) is one of the major technology, which has been used to treat saline water. However, the drawback of

May, 2018

this technology is that the limitation of recovery due to concentration polarization or higher osmotic strength (the limitation in recovery is also due to the mechanical strength of polymeric RO membranes and the high cost of energy used for the highly pressurized system). Disposing the brine to the sea or sewer is another environmental issue that needs to

be addressed. Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) will be a potential solution for this issue. In general, conventional thermal separation processes such as, mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) evaporator and crystallizer are being used as a post RO process to recover more water and to reach ZLD. It should be pointed out that the current evaporation methods are highly energy intensive. Membrane Distillation is a fairly new process which may address this issue as it is being considered worldwide as a low cost, energy-saving alternative to conventional separation processes such as distillation and multi stage evaporation. However, it has limitation to treat industrial wastewater containing high organic content. Moreover, membrane distillation membranes are very

sensitive to acid and organic that will alter the membrane surface that could be easily wetted. If the membrane undergoes wetting, it will allow the salt to pass through the membrane and hence this process has operational limitation in the field especially to treat industrial wastewater. In order to address the above issues, Thermosift has developed a patented Joule Thompson Effect (JTE) based thermal membrane process (TS-30™) which is capable of producing up to 30 liters of water per meter square membrane. The TS-30™ system is a perfect option to treat the wastewater containing high salinity or inorganic contents. The main advantage of the system is that it operates at relatively low pressure and temperature compared to the conventional thermal based separation process. Moreover, the highly scala-

ble TS-30™ system has many other advantages such as very high water recovery at a minimum energy consumption, small footprint and minimum capital cost compared to the conventional thermal separation systems. Recently, Thermosift Engineering Private Limited has successfully completed the test run of their TS-30™ system for the hydrometallurgical process wastewater with an European partner for the salty effluent treatment. It has been proved that the innovative Joule Thompson Effect (JTE) based TS-30™ system helps to treat the high saline (TDS: 35,000ppm to 350,000ppm) water and recover the valuable inorganic salt from the hydro-metallurgical process. With the positive outcome, Thermosift hopes to commercialize their TS-30™ system in the near future. The Indian start-up is ambitious to get its first commercial pilot project.

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Express Water Exclusive Mayur Sharma interacted with Dr. J Antony Prince, Non-Executive Director at Thermosift Engineering Private Limited about their new start-up. Please tell us about the idea behind your technology-based start-up. Dr. Prince: Studies shows that the industries are the major user of fresh water and they are recycling only <20% of the used water and the remaining >80% of the industrial wastewater are dumped into the sewer which pollute the water bodies and create huge environmental impact which affect the aquatic animals and human food chain. Even though, some of the industries are trying to treat their wastewater to meet the stringent legislation, they are facing challenges in getting right solution. It is mainly because of lack in awareness of available technologies or its high cost. Most of the industries like Power Plants, textile, Pharma, Tanneries Pulp & Paper, Food, Chemicals etc., generate wastewater with high salinity which includes heavy metals and valuable resources. Conventional treatment processes (chemical and biological) does not remove salinity and the pressure driven membrane process (Reverse Osmosis - RO) has its own limitation on the recovery (RO is limited in recovery due to osmotic strength) and some time it makes the scenario even worse due to the discharge of brine (Concentrated RO reject) to the sewer. Conventional evaporation and crystallization technologies are the right solution in treating high strength industrial effluent. However, it is not economically viable for many small companies. This gap/challenge in the industry is the reason and inception of Thermosift to develop economically viable sustainable technologies to address the

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brine issues to protect the environment, save water for reuse & recycling and recover valuable resources. Nowadays, everyone knows about the climate change, water demand and the importance of water. However, many of us do not do the necessary things to protect the environment and save water. Studies shows that the industries are the major user of fresh water and they are recycling only <20% of the used water and the remaining >80% of the industrial wastewater are dumped into the sewer which pollute the water bodies and create huge environmental impact which affect the aquatic animals and human food chain. Even though, some of the industries are trying to treat their wastewater to meet the stringent legislation, they are facing challenges in getting right solution. It is mainly because of lack in awareness of available technologies or its high cost. Most of the industries like Power Plants, textile, Pharma, Tanneries Pulp & Paper, Food, Chemicals etc., generate wastewater with high salinity which includes heavy metals and valuable resources. Conventional treatment processes (chemical and biological) does not remove salinity and the pressure driven membrane process (reverse osmosis -RO) has its own limitation on the recovery (RO is limited in recovery due to osmotic strength) and some time it makes the scenario even worse due to the discharge of brine (Concentrated RO reject) to the sewer. Conventional evaporation and crystallization technologies are the right solution in treating high strength industrial effluent. However, it is not

economically viable for many small companies. This gap/challenge in the industry is the reason and inception of Thermosift to develop economically viable sustainable technologies to address the brine issues to protect the environment, save water for reuse & recycling and recover valuable resources. This gap/challenge in the industry is the reason and inception of Thermosift to develop economically viable sustainable technologies to address the brine issues to protect the environment, save water for reuse & recycling and recover valuable resources.

What is the Joule Thompson Effect (JTE)? Dr. Prince: The Joule Thompson Effect (JTE) is the change in temperature of a fluid upon expansion (i.e., pressure decrease) in a steady flow process involving no heat transfer nor work or must not be expanded through a turbine (i.e., at constant enthalpy). This occurs in "throttling" type processes such as adiabatic flow through a porous plug or an expansion valve. In our TS-30™ system, we are using our propitiatory microporous membrane STOMAT™ as a ‘throttling device’ that will work as the porous plug or the expansion valve. This JTE process helps to increase the mass transfer due to heat loss and our product design helps to recover the heat, which in turn improves the thermal efficiency of the entire TS-30™ system and reduce the desalination energy by up to 50%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first thermal membrane process based on JTE and Thermosift has own the Patent on this technology.

There are several thermal distillation, membrane distillation, evaporation and crystallization technologies are available but none of them is based on this concept.

In terms of energy-efficiency and cost-savings (on the basis of test-runs), how do see your products' performance? Dr. Prince: Based on the preliminary study, the system consume only 50% of the energy compared to conventional thermal desalination systems. In addition, the innovative TS30™ system is capable of recovering >95% water at 50% less footprint (STOMATE™ capillaries help to increase surface area per unit volume). As the system is made up of plastic materials, the capital cost can be reduced significantly. Moreover, the highly scalable JTE based process is independent of salt concentration in the feed water and it required very less pre-treatment.

Tell us more about the application areas of your products? Dr. Prince: We are foreseeing several applications for this novel JTE based TS-30™ system. However, our primary focus will be on the brine (RO reject) treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) to treat the industrial wastewater and recover precious metal and valuable resource from industrial wastewater. We believe, this will help to solve the environmental issues arising from the industrial wastewater discharge. We are planning to do this through decentralized TS-30™ systems with the capacity of 1m3/day to 500m3/day. Perhaps, currently, we are in discussion with an

Indian University to set up a joint research facility and to explore possible applications for this novel JTE based TS30™ system. We are foreseeing several applications for this novel JTE based TS-30™ system. However, our primary focus will be on the brine (RO reject) treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) to treat the industrial wastewater and recover precious metal and valuable resource from industrial wastewater. We believe, this will help to solve the environmental issues arising from the industrial wastewater discharge. We are planning to do this through decentralized TS-30™ systems with the capacity of 1m3/day to 500m3/day. Perhaps, currently, we are in discussion with an Indian University to set up a joint research facility and to explore possible applications for this novel JTE based TS30™ system. Recently, we have completed a test run on the hydrometallurgical process wastewater with an European partner and hope to do a commercial pilot with them for the field trial. After the completion of the field trial, we will commercialize the TS-30 system for the high saline waste water treatment for hydrometallurgical and mining industries. On the other hand, we are in discussion with a Saudi Arabian company and exploring partnership agreement to represent the TS-30™ system in the GCC region. Apart from these, we are also in discussion with an Indian University to set up a joint research facility at the University campus to further develop our products and explore possible applications for our products.

May, 2018

MARKET

Gradiant Corporation Establishes Indian Subsidiary

(From Left to Right) Prakash Govindan, CTO and Anurag Bajpayee, CEO - Gradiant Corporation

G R A D I A N T CORPORATION, A leader in innovative solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and desalination, has announced the establishment of its Indian subsidiary following the successful commercialization of products in the region. The division, called Gradiant India Pvt. Ltd., will provide zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and water footprint reduction solutions for textile processors, dye stuff manufactures, pharmaceutical companies, and other industrial facilities. Gradiant India will provide local leadership, sales and service personnel, while product development and engi-

neering support will remain within the parent, Gradiant Corporation. Leading the local team as managing director will be Ravi Selvaraj. He has more than 30 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment having worked at major corporations in India and the Asia Pacific Region. “With ZLD requirements in place for wastewater producers across India, innovative solutions have gained in popularity as facilities throughout the country seek cost-effective options,” said Selvaraj. “We are excited to help solve these issues using Gradiant’s technologies, which reduce the life-cycle cost to treat and recover

water for many industries.” Gradiant Corporation began commercialization efforts in India in 2017 providing end-to-end water solutions, including its flagship humidification-dehumidification system known as Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE). This evaporator alternative, which mimics nature’s rain cycle to reduce the cost of treatment while increasing reliability, is designed to transform the most challenging industrial waste streams into valuable water resources. Most recently, the technology was selected over conventional evaporative technologies for textile manufacturing wastewater treatment in Tamil Nadu

based on life-cycle cost and simplicity of operation. “We are proud to partner with customers in India to treat complex industrial wastewaters in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment,” stated Anurag Bajpayee, CEO of Gradiant Corporation. “Our recent success in this market was a major catalyst in our decision to invest more in our growth by following a similar model as our oilfield services subsidiary”, he concludes. Gradiant Corporation has invested in the establishment of Gradiant India and will finalize an initial round of funding with local and strategic partners in May 2018.

Express Water Exclusive Mayur Sharma interacted with the Gradiant team (Anurag Bajpayee, CEO and Prakash Govindan, CTO - Gradiant Corporation; and Ravi Selvaraj, MD - Gradiant India) about the establishment of their Indian subsidiary.

Ravi Selvaraj, MD - Gradiant India

Can you first give our readers a primer on your product portfolio? Gradiant Team: Gradiant offers a broad portfolio of solutions for water reuse and zero liquid discharge (ZLD). Our flagship product, which was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is an evaporator-alternative called

May, 2018

Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE). The system employs humidification-dehumidification to reduce the total cost to recover high salinity feeds. This breakthrough technology mimics nature’s hydrologic cycle, much like how a cloud is formed and releases fresh water back to earth, eliminating many of the concerns associated with thermal evaporators while increasing overall reliability. Gradiant also offers permanent and mobile clarification units, called Selective Chemical Extraction (SCE), designed to remove solids, grease, heavy metals and harmful contaminants. Additional technologies for biological treatment, disinfec-

tion, desalination, and crystallization are incorporated into full solutions as per application and customer need.

How do you see the growth prospects of Grandiant's business in the coming year? Gradiant Team: There is significant opportunity for ZLD due to increasingly stringent regulations for industrial discharge. Gradiant offers solutions that are simple to operate and achieve a lower total cost of ownership in comparison to conventional technologies. In addition, there is a general shortage of fresh water in many locations, driving higher cost of this resource. Combined, regula-

tions and increased cost for fresh water have resulted in a greater focus on the use of alternative resources and to reduce water footprint. These dynamics created an opportunity for Gradaint to bring its technologically advanced solutions to the Indian marketplace.

requirements for discharge. We are also participating in wastewater treatment projects in the food and beverage industry. This industry is increasingly focused on reducing their water footprint.

What markets do you see most important in the coming years for Gradiant, and why?

Gradiant Team: GES operates dozens of mobile assets treating produced water in the Permian Basin. Gradiant has also commissioned the CGE system for coal-fired power flue gas desulfurization wastewater treatment in China. In total, Gradiant has treated more than 5 billion gallons of industrial wastewater.

Gradiant Team: The initial markets for Gradiant’s ZLD and water reuse solutions are textile processing, pharmaceuticals and primary metals. Projects in these industries are often similar scale and have similar

Please tell us in brief about your recent successful international projects.

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PROJECTS

Developing River Basin Models and Water Sharing Policyin the Upper Godavari Dr. Carl Daamen is the Principal Hydrologist at eWater. In this interview, he discusses Maharashtra and the work eWater has engaged in the Upper Godavari River. By Shaleen Chinenere, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Talking about the development of a science to policy modelling framework to support the development of an integrated Water Resource Management Plan for the Upper Godavari surface, how did the project come about? Mr. Daamen: Well, the project came about partly

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through an MOU between the Government of New South Wales and the Government of Maharashtra. They signed this MOU in 2012, and following on from that, there was a water crisis in Maharashtra, so the basin that we ended up working in is the Upper Godavari. Godavari River is one of the larger rivers in India, I think

it’s the second largest basin, second only to the Ganga and we are working in the head waters of the Upper Godavari. So, the reason approaching came about was because the sharing of water between upstream water users and downstream water users within this sub-basin was not happening in a way that was

acceptable to all of the people in the basin. In 2012, it reached crisis point because a lot of the dams and the upstream of the catchment had a lot of water in them and the large dam at the base of the catchment had nothing in it and the, obviously, the downstream people we’re not happy and they said, we would like you to release some water so that we have at least a small amount in our lower dam; and the upstream people said, but we don’t have a lot of water this year we need it all, sort of thing. There was a bit of a conversation and in India that usually results in when it gets… when the discussions get tough, it ends up in court and this is what happened in this case, there was a big court case and eventually the High Court, eventually, well one of the management agencies made a decision to release water and that was challenged, but the High Court upheld the decision of this management, this management of authority, the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority maintained their right to order the release of water and the water was released. But out of all of that process came this need to understand the catchment better and to manage it better and that’s really what sparked the project. In the middle of this crisis or towards the end of this crisis the project specification was written and

agreed and then eWater was engaged by New South Wales to assist with the execution of the project.

What were the deep-desired outcomes of the project? Mr. Daamen: The desired outcomes were to use the tools, the eWater Source River Basin Modelling Tool to support decision making with regards to the sharing of water. We used the scientific method to evaluate what the options were for sharing water between the upstream reservoirs and the downstream reservoir, basically.

With any project there are challenges that come about, so were there any challenges that came from figuring this out and bringing the whole project together? Mr. Daamen: Yeah, definitely. I think it was a big change in perspective for the Department of Water Resources in Maharashtra, they hadn’t done this sort of work before, and mostly, the reservoirs are managed on a reservoir-by-reservoir basis, not at a basin scale. That was a big challenge just to, I guess, and one of the obvious things that have been difficult is the gathering of data in one central location to build a model, we had a lot of administrative challenges as well because there hadn’t been a lot of previous projects within the Water Resources Department

May, 2018

PROJECTS Management across the state of Maharashtra.

What role does modelling play in the development of the Upper Godavari?

(Left to Right) Meryl McKerrow, Partnerships Manager, eWater; VM Kulkarni, Member (Engineering), Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority; Amit Patjoshi, KPMG, Mumbai; RB Shukla, Deputy Secretary and Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Department, Govt. of Maharashtra; Dr. Carl Daamen, Principal Hydrologist, eWater; KP Bakshi, Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority; IS Chahal, Principal Secretary (Water Resources), Water Resources Department; Karina Redpath, Senior Hydrologist, eWater; Avinash Surve, Executive Director, Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, Nagpur; Prasad Narvekar, Superintending Engineer, Gosikhurd Lift Irrigation Project Division, Bhandara

with an international input to those projects, so the administrative details of how an international project would be run were also one of the challenges that the project was presented with. But we worked through all of that, it’s taken a bit longer than we wanted but we’re in a very good position now and we’re actually hosting a group of Maharashtra officials. As we speak they are in Australia and I’m going to join them in Sydney tonight and we’re going to tour some of Australia’s sort of Irrigation Management Agencies but also go to an irrigation area and show them how it’s done in Australia, or how we’d like things to be done in Australia.

What do you see for the future of Maharashtra and eWater? Mr. Daamen: Well, we are very keen to maintain our relationship with the government of Maharashtra, we think we’ve made some good strides forward in terms of developing some understanding and good personal relationships, but also a change in attitude towards management in the basin, at basin level really. We’re coming to the end of our current project but there’s been a lot of discussion of perhaps formation of a Center of

May, 2018

Excellence for Integrated Water Resource Management and we’re hoping we ‘ll be able to support Maharashtra in the establishment of that center and potentially have the opportunity to take groups of experts from New South Wales or from Australia more broadly to share their understanding and also share the troubles they’ve had in managing their water resources so that Maharashtra can learn form those experiences and through this center of excellence then there’ll be a focus group, if you like, that will know what the best practice is for Water Resource

Mr. Daamen: Modelling is very important because one of the big issues in any River Basin Management Study is having all of your stakeholders agree, and if they don’t agree then at least to be able to understand why a particular decision is being made. River basin modelling is very good to assist with that, to a large degree, if you build your model well it can be an objective assessment of different management options. The Maharashtra team has already come up with a set of options for sharing water between the upstream reservoirs and the downstream reservoir, they’re quite a complicated set of rules that we’ve put into our river basin model. We’re now looking at those results and we’re seeing that in some cases it seems that perhaps they’re releasing too much water, and in other cases, it’s looking like the rules are going well. We can use the model to test different options, to adjust the rules so that we can optimise the outcomes; and the optimum outcome is not, obviously, is not something you can just assume anybody knows because the upstream stakeholders have

The Background eWater has been working with the Water Resources Department of State Government of Maharashtra in India to build capacity in the use of tools to improve water management in the Upper Godavari basin. The Godavari river basin is the second largest in India and is a key area for irrigated agriculture in Maharashtra. Recently in Maharashtra, the total rainfall and the timing of Kharif rainfall are becoming more variable and this is causing distress in the catchment. A recent water shortage in the Upper Godavari basin increased pressure on the sharing of water between the upstream water users (with reservoirs nearly full) and downstream water users (with reservoirs nearly

one optimum and outcome downstream stakeholders have another optimum outcome, so the model helps the stakeholders talk to each other and also helps us come up with a scientifically based solution that will help the legislators put in a policy or a guideline that will come up with a fairer way of sharing the resource.

Modelling is important for robust decision making, what could be the longterm strategy for integrating modelling into decision support systems for Maharashtra? Mr. Daamen: Well the long-term strategy, I guess, if we follow the example that’s been said in Australia there might be a management cycle, so we might, in Australia quite often we might have a Catchment Management Plan or a River Basin Management Plan that is renewed every ten years or so. Every ten years you go back and you have a look, and you see the set of water sharing rules…are they working OK or are there conditions under which they are not working or perhaps the irrigators are growing a new crop that wasn’t previously considered in the model. There are always things to change in a model and there are always improvements to make. So, as we do in

empty) and this resulted in legal action. Around this time, the Government of Maharashtra, India, established a Sister State relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. NSW (and Australia more generally) is in a unique position to help Maharashtra drawing on its experience of the water reform process. This includes helping Maharashtra: • Develop a better understanding of their water resource base, • Implement robust basin-scale planning, • Enact governance reforms supported by innovative policy and legal frameworks, • Strengthen institutions and build

Australia, I’d like to see in Maharashtra, a regular cycle of planning and as well as that use of the model for operational decisions. Maharashtra is very dominated by a single season of rainfall, the Kharif season, the monsoon season is the only season when there’s any rainfall or any significant rainfall, and what happens that towards the end of that season in the middle of October they quite often make decisions about how they’re going to share that water resource. In October, we could apply the model or run the model under a range of different conditions… well under a range of different water release strategies should I say we could look at the effects of those different release strategies under following conditions of climate and under different scenarios within each part of the catchment. So they’re the two ways; river basin modelling is a part of a long-term planning strategy and it’s updated and renewed and also using the river basin model for operational use in the sense of testing different release scenarios in reservoirs from reservoirs. The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) is an Australian Government development initiative enhancing the sustainable management of water across the Indo-Pacific.

professional capability. eWater is working with NSW to progress these outcomes. It has supported the establishment of long-term modelling capability in Maharashtra using Source (Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform) as the river basin modelling tool. eWater helped to navigate data collection, administration, and model building capacity during the establishment of the Government of Maharashtra IWRM modelling team and were on hand to lead model conceptualization, calibration and scenario studies using the Source river basin model. These models are now being used to support the development of water sharing policy for upstream and downstream reservoirs.

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COVER STORY

CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW Water must be managed efficiently since there are already many regions where water is a scarce resource. Water experts join us to chalk out an effective NRW (non-revenue water) reduction plan.

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May, 2018

COVER STORY

Water Loss Management Necessityof Time Water has become a serious economic, social and political issue with increased importance. Every day, this new oil of future is on the headlines amongst the biggest stories of our era. We need to think deeply about the challenges and work towards enduring solutions. By Subhash Sethi

lated and it is projected to very soon overtake the availability of water. The water demand will continue to grow and by the year 2025, it is expected to increase by over 20 percent, fueled by the industrial requirements which are projected to double from 23.2 trillion liters at present to 47 trillion liters. Domestic demand is expected to grow by around 40 percent from 41 to 55 trillion liters while irrigation will require 14 percent more to 592 trillion liters up from 517 trillion liters currently. The water ministry predicts that per capita water availability will reduce by 36 percent in 2025 and by about 60 percent in 2050 from the level of 2001. While agriculture will remain to be the major water user in India, the challenges posed by growing urbanization on water requirement calls for a monumental shift in response from all stakeholders.

Non-Revenue Water Subhash Sethi, Chairman, SPML Infra Limited

IN INDIA, ALMOST one-third of the population lives in cities and this is set to grow to half of the population in the decades to come. With economic growth, the urbanization is happening rapidly and resulting in major pressure on water supplies, wastewater collection and

May, 2018

treatment, water quality and public health. With increasing population and rising consumption level, India is sooner than later going to be confronted with a serious resource challenge. The available resource has reduced over the years but the demand esca-

One of the major issues affecting water utilities in India is the considerable loss of water from the amount of water put into the distribution system and the actual water billed to consumers. A phenomenon called as non-revenue water (NRW), a well-known issue that results in large volumes of water being lost through leaks in the supply system and not being invoiced to customers. It is a very real challenge faced by the majority

of water utilities as a consequence of increased urbanization, higher demand, increased prices and ageing and dilapidated distribution networks. In India, the non-revenue water level is quite high which results in huge volumes of treated water being lost during transmission and distribution that affects the financial capability of water utilities through lost revenues and increased operational costs. A high level of NRW indicates that our water utilities are poorly managed with governance issues, lacks in accountability and technical and managerial skills necessary to provide reliable service to their citizens. In western countries, urbanization took place when their economic conditions were improving steadily, and over a significantly longer period. The cities were planned with adequate funds and expertise to develop required infrastructure to manage their water and wastewater properly. In contrast, the magnitude of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasing population and levels of urbanization simply overwhelmed the financial and management capacities of the cities, including their water supply and wastewater management systems. The problems have been further aggravated because the policymakers have been interested in water-related issues only when droughts and floods occur. Once these

natural disasters were over, the interest in water basically evaporated and plans made during the challenging times put to rest.

Water Loss Management The water utilities in India are struggling to provide clean drinking water due to everincreasing populations, expanding service areas and high level of water loss. Reducing water losses is critical to efficient resource utilization, efficient utility management, enhanced consumer satisfaction, and reduction in capital-intensive capacity addition. The costs of water service are much lower when undertaken through investments in reducing water losses rather than through investments in capital projects to augment supply capacities. The utility, which has initiated and sustained water loss management programs, has significantly gained in terms of financial returns and better consumer services. An example is Bangalore water loss management project

Damaged Supply Line in Bengaluru

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

Mechanical Joint in Supply Pipeline in Bengaluru NRW Project

which was initiated by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board. This JICA funded project was awarded to SPML Infra in consortium with Suez. By using innovative technology of helium leak detection to accurately identify and locate hidden leaks in large and small pipes, the NRW reduced significantly from 61 percent at the beginning of the project to 33 percent thus saving 16.5 MLD of drinking water. In a busy city like Bangalore, executing water loss management project in central part was an engineering challenge due to very high traffic volume combined with narrow streets of thickly populated areas and business hubs. The works also executed in areas with the maximum number of slums posing as a tough challenge to bring down the water loss from the existing levels to the present levels. The project has already covered major areas where 50-60-year-old pipes are replaced with new pipes, leakage has been sealed and electronic district meters suitable for GSM/GPRS communication for measuring flow and pressure control are installed. The project is under execution and we envisage that water loss level will be further reduced to get a standard city level by the time project is completed. From the 16.5 million liters of water saved by this water loss management project, the government of Karnataka has implemented a scheme to provide 10,000 liters free water each month to every household with the regularized connection to the economically poor, SC and ST families. The need for water loss management is so important to the operational and financial

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feasibility of our water utilities but it is hard to understand why efforts to improve the situation have been so limited. Cities like Singapore, Manila and Phnom Penh have successfully implemented water loss management programs to reduce NRW to below 20 percent levels. In India a few successful examples of utilities (e.g. BWSSB) and some places where serious actions for water loss management have at least started. For all water utilities in India, reducing NRW should be the top priority to follow when addressing the increased demand for piped water supply. Expanding water networks without addressing water losses will only lead to a cycle of waste and inefficiency. The high rate of NRW is also related to poor energy efficiency since water transported in the distribution system is loaded with energy through the distribution and treatment processes. Thus, energy is lost along with the water. Therefore, reducing NRW is important to overall efficiency and financial sustainability of the utilities, since it provides additional rev-

Split Collar to Repair Barrel Crack in Bengaluru NRW Project

enues and reduces costs. Although it is not feasible for water utilities to eliminate the NRW completely, even reducing it by half the current level of losses in cities appears a realistic target. If we can achieve this much reduction, the utilities can save a good amount of money every year from both increased revenues and reduced costs and can service additional population without any new investments in production facilities nor drawing further on scarce water resources. In more and more states in India, the unthinkable is hap-

pening. Water scarcity has become real, the long dry spell that has sent farm production plummeting, depleted and dried ground wells, dams, reservoirs, and several rivers are dying and trickling into the sand. The water distribution is also not even across the country. Gujarat and Rajasthan are among the most water-deprived states with respect to rainfall and per capita water availability. They face acute water scarcity challenges as rainfall patterns are impacted by climate change. Increasing agricultural and industrial demand is placing additional pressure on dwindling water resources. Over the years, the unrestricted exploitation of groundwater across the country has led to aquifers no longer being able to naturally replenish themselves. In the absence of surface water resources in major parts of the country, drinking water is drawn either from underground sources or physically transported over long distances. For such areas, water is not free and maybe even more precious than oil due to huge challenges in getting it. SPML Infra has contributed immensely in developing robust and sustainable water infrastructure in Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and other states over the last three decades which has helped in providing clean drinking water facilities to millions of people across the country. The number of projects executed by SPML Infra has also helped the water utilities in saving on cost in terms of water loss management and better supply services and connecting new areas with piped water supply. Some of the key drinking water projects executed by SPML Infra in the country are: • Phase 2 of SaurashtraNarmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana that envisages to irrigate 1.8 million hectares of land in Saurashtra, Kutch, and north Gujarat; benefiting millions of farmers and supplying potable water to 39 million people across 132 towns and

•

11,456 villages in Gujarat to address the scarcity of drinking water. SPML Infra is executing urban water supply projects for improvement in water distribution network in Delhi for Mehrauli & Vasant Vihar and adjoining areas covering around 50,000 house service connections, non-revenue water management, installation of AMR & Non AMR water meters, 24x7 consumer care centre, metering, and billing including operations & maintenance for 10 years. SPML Infra is also executing 6 important ADB funded 24X7 urban water supply projects in Karnataka in the cities: Bellary, Raichur, Haveri, Hospet, GadagBetageri, and Sindhanur to serve a combined population of about 1.3 million. The work involves rehabilitation and development of water distribution network; over 2500 km of water supply pipelines, rehabilitation, and replacement of 2,50,000 house service connections with installation of advanced water meters, non-revenue water management, 24x7 consumer care center, metering, billing including operations & maintenance in all cities for 5 years. SPML Infra has earlier completed Cauvery Water Supply Scheme for Bengaluru City with 500 MLD modern pumping station that has helped the water utility to provide drinking water facilities to over two million residents of new Bengaluru areas. Pokhran Water Supply Project is executed to provide a sustainable source of clean drinking water to over 12 lac populations residing in 580 villages of Jaisalmer and Barmer districts and nearby towns of Pokaran, Falsoond, Balotra and Siwana and along with bulk water demands of industries and defence forces. SPML Infra has executed the water supply project in the drought-prone south-east

•

region of Rajasthan to cater to the complete water requirement of Sawai Madhopur and Karauli. The 108 kilometers water pipeline linkage project in Pali, Rajasthan has resolved the water crisis of Pali city, benefiting 531 villages and 10 towns having over 8 lac populations. Bisalpur-Jaipur water supply project with additional 200 MLD water treatment plant at Surajpura is constructed to augment water supply services to Jaipur city and other areas to reduce the city’s dependence on existing groundwater sources. Ramganjmandi Pachpahar water supply project is designed to provide drinking water facilities to 220 villages of and 4 towns catering to water needs of lacs of people of the area. The Gagreen water supply project is designed to provide drinking water facilities to more than 6 lac populations residing in 315 villages and 36 dhanies of Jhalawar district. Chambal-SawaimadhopurNadauti water supply project is being executed to provide drinking water facilities to 926 villages and 3 towns of Gangapur, Karauli, and Sawaimadhopur for the benefit of several lac residents of the area. Integrated water supply project for LaxmangarhFatehpur & RatangarhSujangarh is designed for the extension of existing water infrastructure to augment the drinking water supply to Ratangarh-Sujangarh & Fatehpur-Laxmangarh towns in Churu district. This project envisaged to provide drinking water to 6 towns & 431 villages of Churu district and 13 villages of Jhunjhunu district. These districts are well known for ground brackish water which was the only source of water for them which has also affected the health of a large number of residents. Bharatpur water supply project envisages to develop a

May, 2018

COVER STORY regional water supply infrastructure for the 246 villages (and their NRVs and dhanies of Kaman and Pahari tehsils and 63 villages), and other habitant of Nadouti tehsil (and 46 en-route villages of Gangapur and Karouli towns) in Rajasthan. Water being a common resource is not properly regulated and hence subject to several market and system failures, both from the supply and user sides. With a target to provide access to sustainable water supply to the people, the water utilities can consider the following very important aspects to mitigate their water losses and manage the vital resources in a much better way. Equitable Water Distribution The World Bank report found that up to 80 percent of subsidies in the country went to medium and large farmers whereas the most affected by falling water tables are the rural poor and marginal farmers who lack the means to deepen their wells and install more powerful pumps. Make regulation to delinking water rights from land rights and treat groundwater a common resource so that the overexploitation can be controlled. At the same time, start the process of recharging aquifers through both natural processes and human efforts. Demand Management and Tariff Reform With ever-growing demand and widening gap in supply can only be controlled with an appropriate pricing of water backed by legislation and institutional support. The tariff reform must be combined with water delivery mechanism that consistently works and eliminates inefficiencies such as transmission losses and theft of water. For agriculture, the ideal policy is to promote water-saving crop and adoption of new irrigation technologies. The tariff structure that truly works for domestic, agricultural, and industrial users needs to be considered

May, 2018

Delivery Efficiency with Technology Water delivery mechanism should be accurate as a fully functional consumer metering system can limit drinking water wastage and enforce conservation. Bulk metering for all water sources should go with consumer metering for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. In the absence of a well-planned and rigorous framework, despite governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good intentions by way of policy documents, annual plans, and heavy central and state subsidies, adoption of relevant technologies by consumers and farmers are inadequate. The stringent legislation can help streamline equipment supply by discouraging production of inefficient conventional devices. Groundwater Management In many states of India, the groundwater withdrawal has surpassed recharge capabilities. In a state like Rajasthan with 90 percent dependence on groundwater, the water situation will soon become distressed. In many parts of the state physical transportation of water is the only solution to meet drinking water needs, an unsustainable practice. Every effort to help recharge underground aquifers across the country needs to be made, including micro watershed planning and restoration of traditional water bodies. Water Harvesting Rainfall during the monsoon is very limited in several parts of the country. Groundwater is not an option due to depletion or high total dissolved solids (TDS). With surface water also not available, rainwater harvesting is the most viable solution to meet drinking water needs. Rainwater harvesting must be a part of the microwatershed planning and undertaken in all rural and urban settings to meet the demand for drinking, domestic, agriculture, and industrial water. Improving Affordability Improving affordability of

service would require cost optimization together with cost recovery strategies. This can be done through transparent, welltargeted subsidies for the poor, both to help obtain proper connections to service and to encourage the consumption of a minimum quantity of water. Capacity Building Capacity building in urban water supply and sanitation sector is an important step. A professional association of service providers could play a key role in disseminating best practices, implementing full scale benchmarking, and providing training and certification for sector professionals. Training institutions would need to adapt their programs, currently focused mainly on technical design issues, to the new needs of the urban sector. Special information programs would need to be developed for key stakeholders including local politicians, consumers, decision makers, engineers and the nongovernment organizations with a special interest in water supply and sanitation. In the rural sector, special training programs would also need to be developed to build the capacity of local municipalities and panchayats.

Way Forward Water is paramount to a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustainability, but too often it is being wasted, polluted and taken for granted. Utilities which carefully and creatively use their water assets for strategic urban advantage will ultimately be more sustainable and competitive. To succeed in an increasingly complex water situation, the utilities need to focus on an alternative way for a more efficient water management and the opportunities new technology is offering in maintaining municipal water systems. A strategic and pragmatic approach, based on real-time data and business processes analysis has to be implemented in order to address properly some of the key challenges if they are to thrive and remain

The water utilities in India are struggling to provide us clean drinking water due to everincreasing populations, tha expanding service areas and high levels of water loss. competitive over the coming decades. sThe good news is there are inspirational efforts currently in place in many of our cities to improve the provision of water. We need to prioritize greater investment and move faster from the strategizing and goal setting into actions that improve the availability of water with quality. About the Author Subhash Sethi is Chairman of SPML Infra Limited, a listed infrastructure development company in India. In the past over

three decades, he worked relentlessly with his mission to create enduring value and wealth for the country and the organization. Under his leadership, SPML Infra went on to establish itself as a leading Engineering and Infrastructure Development organization in India with over 600 completed projects in the domains of Water, Power, Sanitation, Environment, and Civil Infrastructure. The sustainable infrastructure created by SPML Infra helps water utilities to deliver safe and clean drinking water to about 40 million people of India.

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

Water Loss: Tuning in on a Vital Resource Problem By AVK Holding A/S imum without affecting the consumers and then to keep this pressure as stable as possible. Also, there is simply no point in keeping the same high water pressure in the network during nighttime as has been defined for daytime, so this is an intelligent way of cutting off unnecessary efforts.

ONLY ONE PERCENT of the world’s freshwater is readily accessible for our use. A scarcity in itself, but by adding inadequate water distribution, we are faced with a more invisible, yet critical matter: water loss. An issue only contributing to the situation of one-third of the world’s population living in socalled “water-stressed” countries, where the water consumption ratio surpasses the actual supply. But what is actually meant by water loss, and why does it occur?

Lost Somewhere in the System Water loss, often referred to as NRW (Non-Revenue Water), is water that is lost somewhere in the distribution system, before it reaches its final customer. This means clean water that is produced but never finally used or paid for, affecting both local economies and the resources available. This is a universal problem, ranging from an NRW level of 5% to as much as 80% in specific areas. The reasons to water losses are many, but can, in general, be summed up in two main categories; apparent losses, caused by metering inaccuracies or illegal connections (theft), or by physical losses, such as outflows through leaking valves or cracks in pipes. Physical losses are primarily caused by bad quality equipment, poor workmanship, system deterioration or corrosion of materials, or from poor water pressure management. A World Bank study puts the global estimate of physical water losses at 32 billion cubic meters each year, half of

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which occurs in developing countries. Could these water losses be halved, it would be enough to supply around 90 million people. The aspiration should be to reduce NRW to the economic level of leakage, an ideal level defined by the International Water Association (IWA), with a view to maximizing benefits. Not only is it good for the environment, it is a simply good business. In the long run, a sustainable approach to clean water distribution does not cost money - it saves money, for utilities as well as for consumers.

Strategic Planning and Advanced Technology Saves Time, Money and Water Handling NRW in an open system would be working in a reactive, passive manner, where activities are initiated only when the loss becomes visible or is reported. Therefore, dividing the distribution network into smaller sections called district metering areas (DMA) is a more efficient technique, as it is possible to calculate the losses individually. It can be precisely determined how much water goes into the DMA (using a water meter), and too measured how much is sold. As these are small manageable areas, the reasons for the loss can easily be traced and resolved, enabling network operators to manage the total system more effectively and to better prioritize their efforts. By using DMAs, it is also possible to manage zone pressure. Here, the aim should be to reduce pressure to a min-

Why Aim for a Low, Stable Pressure? Pressure management is considered the single most beneficial, important and cost-effective leakage management activity. Most pipe bursts occur not only because of high pressure but rather due to ongoing pressure fluctuations that force the pipe to continually expand and contract, resulting in stress fractures. There is a physical relationship between leakage flow rate and pressure, and the frequency of new bursts is also a result of pressure: the higher or lower the pressure, the higher or lower the leakage. The relationship is complex, but utility managers should initially

the most common and cost-effective is by the use of pressure reducing valves. A pressure reducing valve reduces a higher inlet pressure to a lower outlet pressure regardless of changes in flow rate or inlet pressure, and should then be installed at strategic points in the network. By adding intelligence to valve, the pressure in the zone can be adjusted according to real-time data collected at the critical points, thus adjusting to the demand from the consumers. In this way the pipe network is protected from pressure fluctuation, overload, and stress, resulting in less pipe burst. By using noise loggers, integrated into ground-level surface boxes, it is possible to detect leaks more efficiently. The loggers pick up on noise created from leaks, enabling operators to set in exactly when and where needed. This, together with speedy repair, can limit the total volume of water loss to a minimum. For pipe bursts, repair clamps can be installed outside the broken pipe, securing quick repair and a minimum disturbance of the network customers. By investing in a targeted leak detection program, it is in most places possible to reduce the overall leakage in the distribution system by at least 40-50%.

Additional Benefits

assume a linear relationship; • 10 % less pressure = 10 % less leakage. Additionally, stable pressure increases the lifetime of the entire pipeline system. There are various methods of reducing and managing pressure, but

Reduced stress on the area’s water resources will allow more people to be served by the same water source, and the more stable supply will secure continuity of distribution - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, the quality of the water will be improved, as chlorine content can be better controlled, and risks of pollution due to bursts will be reduced. The AVK Group is a privately owned industrial group that comprises 90+ companies. Its core business is the production of valves, hydrants, and accessories for the water & gas distribution networks, sewage treatment, and fire protection.

May, 2018

COVER STORY

Fixing Leaks and Preventing Systemic Water Loss Should Be ACompulsoryActivity! Uri Gutermann is CFO and Head of Business Development at Gutermann AG, a leading manufacturer of acoustic leak detection technology and intelligent water loss solutions, based in Switzerland. Uri holds a Masters degree in international business from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Established in 1948, GUTERMANN is a recognized global technology leader and innovator in intelligent water loss management technologies. He talks to Mayur Sharma about the water loss scenario, network asset management, new projects of leak detection, and viability of smart cities.

Water Loss/NRW is an important issue throughout the global water sector. What are your views on it? Give us some facts and figures to support it. Mr. Gutermann: We see the water loss and NRW gaining importance for sure. Unfortunately, we can’t put this in facts and figures. In fact, existing market studies trying to assess the size and the growth rate of our small sector are usually not well researched and only based on information found in the public domain. From Gutermann’s perspective though we get clear signals from the marketplace that utilities are more and more aware of the issue and also willing to put some serious money behind

May, 2018

solving their problems with ageing infrastructure and insufficient water efficiency. In some countries, this development will be driven by the regulator (eg. France, UK, USA) and in other countries simply out of necessity or pressure by the consumers. In California and Spain, there is increasing water scarcity, Cape Town is scheduled to run out of water in the coming weeks. In the UK, water leakage is the number one issue for consumers.

Please shed some light on the product and services portfolio of your company which helps fixing the water losses. Mr. Gutermann: Gutermann is one of the only

companies worldwide left that is entirely focussed on water leak detection. Everything we do is with a view to help utilities, contractors, and even plumbers identify and pinpoint leaks in pressurized water pipes and we do so in all parts of the world. Traditionally, we started with measuring instruments that will help a utility worker find a suspected leak using acoustic microphones and sensors. In the early 2000s, the company started focusing on developing technologies for the permanent monitoring of water pipes and networks. The idea behind that was to enable utilities to get ahead of their leakage problems and alert them of new leaks as soon as they emerge. Unidentified leaks and long leak run rates of known and unknown leaks are the largest part of a network’s non-revenue water percentage. Automatic leak identification and localization also reduces human intervention and therefore costs and room for interpretation or human error. Our fixed network system ZONESCAN ALPHA has probably established itself as the leading product in this segment. More recently, we have launched products in the areas of a) permanent trunk main leak detection and pinpointing with hydrophones, b) all-in-one

leak locator with correlation and listening functions run with an Android app, and c) the joint cloud platform for various stand-alone and permanently installed leak detection products.

What were the achievements of Gutermann in 2017-18? How has the company grown? Mr. Gutermann: We have won a few more awards in the past 18 months, amongst them a commendation as “Smart Water Company of the Year” and - of particular interest for you, maybe - Water Digest India’s award as “Best Innovative Solution Provider in Leak Detection & to Reduce Water Loss”. Since the start of 2017, we have grown in doubledigit percentage points both in staff numbers and in sales turnover.

What are some of Gutermann’s major orders won in last two years? Mr. Gutermann: We usually don’t talk too openly about specific customers. Several areas are probably noteworthy: our UK team has won several larger orders for correlators and correlating loggers. We have won several very nice permanent leak monitoring system projects, many of them in France,

UK, Switzerland, and Germany. Thanks to a close relationship with Veolia in France we continue to equip sizeable towns with permanent leak detection systems. Also, North America is developing nicely. We recently won ZONESCAN ALPHA projects both in Canada (Toronto) and in the USA.

What other innovations have you introduced to improve network asset management? Mr. Gutermann: We have a team of dedicated software engineers in Stuttgart working full-time on the improvement and further development of our cloud platform GUTERMANN CLOUD where several of our products upload measurement data to. Customers are able to display and store their leakage data and view it on a Google Maps (and Street View) interface, giving them a neat tool to manage their assets and take informed leakage intervention and asset replacement decisions. Our cloud solution now offers a simple event management tool, allowing users to isolate different types of events (correlations or noisy pipe sections) and follow their own workflow steps until the events can be classified as resolved or fixed. We have also recently

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW entered an agreement with TaKaDu, an Event Management Cloud provider for water utilities. For joint customers, our leakage events can be fed into TaKaDu’s cloud platform and displayed on their event management dashboard along with other events from third-party sensors and SCADA systems.

Any suggestions to help water utilities and municipal agencies address non-revenue-water effectively and at relatively low cost? Mr. Gutermann: “Low cost” is relative. The cheapest is always to do nothing. But the real value of water which is lost through leaky pipes is not determined properly in our view. Fixing leaks and preventing systemic water loss to us should be a compulsory activity for any water company. Fresh, potable water is a limited good which people should have the right to have access to as much as they need. So, the significant physical water loss in the distribution network should not be tolerated as a matter of principle. It’s clear though that municipalities and utilities want to see a return on their investments in leakage reduction initiatives and equipment. The answer to your very valid question depends on so many factors though. The one thing I would say is that I wouldn’t go for half-baked solutions. Any approach to NRW has to take a long-term view and be sustainable. The key, in the context, is that a municipality or utility build up in-house capabilities and create specialists for the subject in order to choose and implement the right strategy that works best for any given water distribution network. Technology can assist in the process, but methodology and skill are still the foundation of a successful non-revenue water strategy. Having said this, GUTERMANN has developed and is marketing a product that would actually suit the more costaware countries and municipalities quite well, the

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EASYSCAN. It’s a compact device that consists of two acoustic sensors that can be used for correlation and therefore pinpointing leaks on specific pipe segments. Any of those two sensors can then be also used as an electronic listening stick or small ground microphone to validate the exact position of that leak using acoustic amplification. The device is controlled using an Android phone or tablet and a very easy-to-use app which guides the user through the process. Free offline mapping material assists the operator in the correlation process and the visual representation of the results. Those results can then also be uploaded to a personalized cloud account so that the operators or their managers can later review the measurements or print off reports. The device is priced at a very low price level and it appeals to individuals or teams who need one device for most of the leak detection activities.

Could you tell us about some of the most interesting water loss related projects that you participated in? What conditions and challenges did you encounter? Mr. Gutermann: There are plenty of interesting cases, but I wouldn’t want to name singular customers or cities. Generally, our monitoring technology excels in the most difficult environments which can be any combination of the following: 24/7 traffic noise, deep valve chambers, intermittent supply, low water pressure, significant electric interference and noise (such as from air conditioners) on the pipe network etc. What we have been preaching for many years already is that any permanently installed system of sensors can only overcome those issues if the collected data can be correlated automatically. Noise loggers which can either not correlate at all or which can only correlate when manually triggered will not be able to isolate the leak noise within the “sea of noises” in a city environ-

ment. The result is plenty of false positives (i.e. the noise loggers generate an alarm even though there is no leak anywhere near) and even more false negatives (i.e. leaks that won’t be identified by the loggers due to ambient noise around the logger). The automatic correlation function allows a central processing unit (such as our cloud servers) to compare time-synchronized sound recordings, thereby filtering out any noise that does not make it to both loggers on either side. The longer you can correlate and the more data you have, the better the correlation result. This is why in our cloud solution an operator can accumulate measurements from many consecutive nights in order to increase the ability of the system to detect even the quietest leaks in the network. The other benefit of correlation, of course, is the accurate pinpointing of the noise source.

In the past, leakages were discovered by direct listening to the pipes, and now there are technologies that can “discover” these leakages using the drones and the satellites. What do you think is the direction for the future? Will we be able to accurately locate leakages solely using computer software? Mr. Gutermann: I think those upcoming big-data-only and leak-detection-from-space start-ups and technologies have their merits, absolutely. We closely follow their progress and think about how we can work together (as exemplified by our collaboration with TaKaDu). Having said this, we are believers that you can never quite beat the quality of data gathered directly at the source, i.e., in close intervals directly on the pipe. We have looked at drone technologies and we think that their application for our purposes (eg. collecting sensor data) is complicated and will probably be obsolete when data transmission technologies are advanced enough. The issue with satellite imaging is that the

resolution of these images is too small (50m per pixel) and therefore not accurate enough. Also, the failure rate (false positives and negatives) is too high and the used satellite images often a few months old. Having said this, the right approach to urban leak detection could well be a combination of different methods and technologies, depending on specific situations and needs. This can include satellite images and drones, as well as acoustic leak detection methods and sensors. And it can also include combining acoustic data with non-acoustic data, such as pressure and flow data if it is available in a dense enough granularity.

Many countries (including India) are spending a lot on ‘Smart Cities’ projects. What would you like the Heads and CEOs of these smart cities projects to know about you? Mr. Gutermann: The “Smart Cities” concept is a much talked about but littleimplemented concept of the past years. What makes a city smart? I believe that the fundamental idea of a smart city is to collect as much relevant data from a variety of public departments as possible, combine it with data from other sources (eg. weather forecasts, traffic information, etc.) and create a platform on which special algorithms create new information for city managers that will increase the efficiency of public services and the public infrastructure, and improve the quality of life and the security for the population. In the context of smart water management and particularly smart water loss management Achim Hugger, our CTO, has recently published a white paper on where we see the technology going so that we meet the criteria of Smart City. GUTERMANN has long been a pioneer in developing technology that is future oriented. For us, leak detection technology has to be as automatic and realtime as possible and remove human error and ambiguity in

judging the results as much as possible. Our ZONESCAN ALPHA permanent leak monitoring system has been the first fully automatic and fully correlating leak monitoring system and today there are over 200 installations all over the world. HISCAN now emulates the same benefits for trunk main systems and transportation pipelines. We are believers of converging the data on the same cloud platform and have implemented this now for several of our fixed and mobile products. This facilitates central management of the data and of the assets and thus allows taking better decisions about infrastructure maintenance and investments.

Finally, what are your growth and expansion plans for the next 5 years? Mr. Gutermann: We are a third-generation family business. We want to continue growing, but not at all costs. We aspire to remain technological leaders and pioneers and we value our long-term staff members, some of whom have been with us for more than 20 years. We will continue to improve our fixed network monitoring offering, both for the distribution and the trunk main networks, with a focus on increasing the functionality of the cloud software and the value to the customers. We also plan to overhaul our range of correlators to increase the functionality and make them fit into our strategy of “convergence”, ie., connectivity and big data. Another big step will be the onset of “Internet of Things” platforms that will be suitable for the data acquired underground to be directly sent to cloud processing facilities. We are working on a next-generation correlating noise sensor that will be more easily and universally deployable, collect more data and be much cheaper to source than today’s generation. The result will be that a broad roll-out of the technology will appeal to a much wider group of utilities, both in terms of size and in terms of geographic location.

May, 2018

COVER STORY

Successful Water Loss Projects Using Hydraulic Modeling Technology Even though there are many benefits to reducing Non-Revenue Water (NRW), water loss reduction is not a simple task. By Bentley Systems

Network Analysis of DMAs

EVEN THOUGH THERE are many benefits to reducing non-revenue water (NRW), water loss reduction is not a simple task. This article reviews how projects have successfully used a calibrated hydraulic model in various ways, including active leakage identification, pressure management, and district metered areas (DMAs) management.

Project: Establishment of District Metered Area to Improve Water Supply System The 50-year-old Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) serves a population of 12.5 million and manages 3,000 kilometers of network services in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The region’s 80

May, 2018

percent dependency on groundwater has been depleting the water table by 2 to 3 meters per year. The objective of this USD 212 million project was to reduce NRW by establishing hydraulic models with DMAs to better monitor conditions. Solution DWASA used Bentley’s WaterGEMS to model the water distribution system, resulting in the construction of an optimized pipe network based on three future supply scenarios: surface water only, groundwater only, and conjunctive use of two sources. The two-source option would reduce operating costs while maintaining water pressure and reducing water loss to less than 15 percent.

Outcome Installation of a bulk meter and pressure gauge has enabled DWASA to remotely monitor pressure and flow within the DMAs. Field data is now transferred via SCADA and GIS, both of which are integrated with WaterGEMS to identify water loss. With a goal of reducing dependency on groundwater by 70 percent and NRW by 20 percent, the DMA implementation continues to reduce overall operational costs. Leakages and fraudulent connections are quickly identified and resolved. Software Direct import of the GIS database saved time in the creation of the digitized water network. The WaterGEMS

model was used to prepare pipe quantities and cost estimates for tender. Pre-construction, scenario modeling helped to optimize the pipe diameters and associated costs. Post-construction, model calibration helped to monitor pressure and flow in the field. Water hammer was also analyzed.

Despite two inflows with high pressure, network piping couldn’t deliver enough water or pressure to meet customer demands. Maynilad needed to identify leaks and head losses throughout the piping network. Various approaches to identify them had failed, so they needed to take a fresh approach.

Project: Remote Leak Detection through Hydraulic Modeling

Solution Maynilad deployed WaterGEMS to build a hydraulic model of the area and calibrate it according to the existing condition of the network. The model showed management where leaks would most likely be located throughout the piping network, saving the maintenance and repair team a great deal of time and effort – and

Maynilad, the Philippines’ water service company for western Manila, needed to improve service levels in a district metered area of Tinajeros in Malabon City. This area, which had long been tagged as a problem area, serves 2,183 water service connections to primarily residential customers.

The Cause of the Leak

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW Billed water exported Billed authorized consumption Authorized consumption

Billed metered consumption

Revenue water

Billed unmetered consumption Unbilled metered consumption Unbilled authorized consumption

System input volume

Unauthorized consumption Apparent losses

The WaterGEMS Model is Shown from Within ArcGIS

enabling them to focus on repairs that will significantly improve customer service levels. Outcome Using WaterGEMS, the calibration and simulation of the water model to identify hotspots or probable leak locations, took just three days - and when staff investigated, they found that the entire 6 linear meter area of the 200millimeter pipe was busted longitudinally, causing the huge pressure drop. Once repaired, pressures significantly improved, eliminating need for an immediate, costly and time-consuming total pipe replacement. The leak repair cost just USD 1,160, mitigated the costly alternatives. This success resulted in new best practice: using a calibrated hydraulic model to find hard-to-detect leaks in areas with very deep pipelines. Software The Darwin Calibrator capability of WaterGEMS played a key role in identifying potential locations of leakages in the water model. This made leak detection easier and enabled staff to prioritize locations for further, on-site investigation.

Project: Non-Revenue Water Reduction Project for Colombo Municipal Area In this USD 400 million project for the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ceywater Consultants

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teamed with Nihon Suido Consultants Co. and NJS Consultants Co. to introduce DMA sectorization into the existing water distribution network. The project team modeled and analyzed network hydraulics, and identified opportunities to reduce NRW to 18 percent from the prevailing rate of 40 to 50 percent. Solution Ceywater’s team used WaterGEMS in conjunction with the NWSDB’s GIS to model the existing network, identify optimal zones for the DMAs, and pinpoint suitable locations for new valves. GIS integration with WaterGEMS eliminated the need to feed data into the network models. It also allowed hydraulic modeling specialists and GIS professionals to work on models simultaneously, saving considerable time and reduced possible errors. Outcome Demand allocation among the DMAs was based on prevailing water consumption rates. Low-pressure zones prone to water intrusion were recommended for pipe replacement or rehabilitation. The reduction of NRW will eventually improve the NWSDB’s revenue, reduce the waste of potable water, and conserve Sri Lanka’s valued water resources. The savings realized as a result of this project will enable the NWSDB to address the demand for water among populations that have not been served previously.

Unbilled unmetered consumption

Customer meter inaccuracies

Non-revenue water

Leakage on transmission and distribution mains

Water losses Real losses

Leakage and overflows at storage tanks Leakage on service connections up to point of customer meter

Source: International Water Association (IWA) “Best Practice” Standard Water Balance

Software The interoperability capabilities of WaterGEMS enabled the integration of the hydraulic model with an ArcGIS database. This seamless information mobility and interoperability allowed modelers to extract data from AutoCAD drawings

to WaterGEMS and similarly from ArcGIS to WaterGEMS. The integration of WaterGEMS and GIS also enabled the use of existing satellite images and other GIS data for modeling purposes, by minimizing the need for the costly and time-consuming manual site surveys.

Bentley Systems is a software development company that supports the professional needs of those responsible for creating and managing the world’s infrastructure, including roadways, bridges, airports, skyscrapers, industrial and power plants as well as utility networks.

Reducing Real Water Losses

Rejuvenating Aging Infrastructure

One-off investments in fixing leaks and replacing meters are not enough; being reactive (when a leak is reported) is much less efficient than being proactive - such as continuously identifying hidden leaks, optimizing repair functions, and upgrading distribution infrastructure before its useful life ends - where all the components of a water loss program are coordinated to reduce overall losses. Once utilities have conducted a water audit by applying the IWA Best Practice Water Balance Accounting System, they can start planning for the best ways to reduce real losses (or water leakage) to an acceptable level called the “unavoidable annual real loss”. Engineers can improve customer service, reduce non-revenue water, and generate a comprehensive and proactive plan to manage water leakage strategically. Bentley’s water applications can be applied to the IWA Best Practices, which combine four strategies to address the problem and challnges of water leakage: Active Leakage Control, Pressure Management, Speed and Quality of Repairs, and Infrastructure Management.

Bentley’s water applications address many elements of a proactive water loss plan and help you accomplish the following: • Develop a District Metered Area (DMA) strategy • Locate any type of water loss (leaks, water theft, etc.), save water, and increase revenues • Design surge protection devices and reduce pipe breakages caused by highpressure transients • Reduce and stabilize pressures to decrease leakage volume • Evaluate the consequence of failure across your entire system • Select the pipe break response that will ensure minimal impact on your system • Identify areas to be shut down to repair leaks, areas that will be affected if leaks are not repaired, and areas that will be offline during repairs • Plan capital investment strategically • Make long-term plans for repair, renewal, and rehabilitation • Report on leaks for an area or the entire network • Manage assets using historical data for water leakage

May, 2018

COVER STORY

Leakage Detection Under Intermittent Water Supply Conditions There are many difficulties when conducting active leakage control in areas of intermittent supply and many parameters that ought to be considered prior to starting any leakage activities. By Stuart Hamilton

Intermittent Water Supply Intermittent Water Supply is a piped water supply service delivering water to users for less than 24 hours in one day, and is used when the available supply or the hydraulic capacities of the water supply system are not sufficient to keep the system pressurized, Intermittent drinking water supply is common in low and middleincome countries throughout the world and can cause water quality to degrade within the distribution system making it non-potable for human consumption without causing some illnesses. There are many difficulties when conducting active leakage control in areas of intermittent supply and many parameters that ought to be considered prior to starting any leakage activities. To illustrate this set out below are some simple case studies highlighting issues that could be experienced and should be

May, 2018

considered when dealing with leakage under IWS.

Case Study - I An area in this city was on intermittent supply and there was a plan to move the area to 24x7 supply and to conduct leakage detection. The area was supplied with water for 4 hrs per day every 3 days. The consumers used roof tanks to store water, as is the case in most intermittent supply situations. Since the supply was erratic the consumers had no control valves in their roof tanks in order to ensure that they had their water tanks full and had a visual indication of that by observing that the roof tank was overflowing. As part of transitioning to 24x7, it was decided that as a first step it would be appropriate to install ball valves in all customer roof tanks in order to control overflows and wastage. A team of plumbers was sent into the area to install ball valves and taps to

the roof tanks. The process of ball valve installation was in full swing, however, by the end of the day the street was littered with taps and ball valves as the customers had removed them. The customer protested that for many years they were accustomed to the tanks overflowing and that was a sound indication and they knew that the tanks were full ensuring that they had water. To install ball valves, the customers felt that they wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the usual visual indication that their tanks were full and this made them nervous, disgruntled and wanted to go back to the old ways. After this leakage detection was postponed until a consumer awareness and educational campaign program was introduced showing the benefits of controlling water losses and the type of control devices used to do this as well as the benefits of transitioning from IWS to 24x7 supply and the project continued some months later allowing a leakage detection to take place. It is strongly recommended that communication with consumers is of the utmost importance and must take place early on in the project informing the consumers of the changes that will take place in the water supply regime and the benefits that these changes will bring.

Case Study - II This case study had a very

similar water supply situation as in Case Study - I but in this instance, a different approach was adopted for moving forward with an Active Leakage Control (ALC) program. Instead of installing ball valves to customer roof tanks it was decided to manage the situation in a much different way and to temporarily isolate the supply to customers in order to deal with leakage in the mains and service connections. To do this all customer service connections were located and turned off on a day that the consumers were not to be supplied with water. The mains distribution system was pressurized allowing mains side leakage activities to take place and to locate

Conduct walk route of mains to look for any obvious leaks from fittings, connections or leaks that are now showing on the surface, Conduct an acoustic survey preferably with an electronic listening device but can be completed with a traditional listening stick and record areas of interest for follow up. Conduct a correlation survey to check areas of interest and to narrow down to smaller areas to use the listening device to pinpoint the position of leaks. If a correlator is not available then the surface above the pipe should be listened on every 1 meter listening for the sound that would be transferred to the surface from the leak.

Leak on a Service Connection Identified Through a Visual Inspection of the System

leaks adopting a traditional approach for repair by the maintenance crews. The steps followed are set out below and should be adopted when working in a system that was on IWS and moved to 24x7:

Case Study - III In this case study, the city was located in an extremely hot geographical area and water was scarce with intermittent regime being the normal supply situation. The

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW mains and service connections were in relatively good condition and customer service connection to each property was fitted with a working isolating valve. Despite the network being in a good condition conducting an acoustic leakage survey was deemed to be impossible under the intermittent supply regime so the alternative of gas injection was used into the dry (empty) water mains. The process was such that all property connections were turned off and areas of the system under test were enclosed to control the area of the network worked in. Gas with a very low level of Hydrogen (welding gas could be used) was injected along with air from a compressor and the process to find leaks using this method was conducted. The methodology used as follows: • The area to check for leaks was isolated to a length of pipe that could be managed. • The service connections were isolated. • The gas was injected into the main via an existing connection such as a fire hydrant or through a service connection. • A fitting at the end of the pipe was opened and a ‘gas sniffer’ device was held over the opened fitting to register gas presence. • The fitting was closed when gas presence was registered by the “gas sniffer” device indicating that the main was full of gas. • The ‘sniffer’ was placed on the ground every 1-meter

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•

maximum apart and wait for 10 seconds. If gas was present an alarm was activated and the only way it made its way to the surface was via a hole or crack of some sort in the water main. Gas will permeate through all materials including concrete. Gas is expensive so it needs to be controlled entering the pipe and only uses the smallest amount necessary. Gas can be injected into a wet main and use the water as the carrier of the gas to the leak or if in a dry main then a compressor can be used to mix the gas with air - using gas alone would take large quantities. There is no restriction on the size of the pipe or material when using gas. The process was successful in finding several leaks however it was not suggested that this would find every leak. This is a successful method of finding leaks in a dry system.

Case Study - IV The city was supplied by a very low-pressure system, less than 5m pressure, and it was practically impossible to locate leaks with acoustic methods. What was tried with success in these areas was to locate areas of leakage using a step test locating the street that had the problem and then isolate the street from the system. With the use of a tanker lorry pump water into the street via a fire hydrant to pressurize the street to enable

Walking the Planned Walk Route

the leak to be located via acoustic methods. This was an extreme and difficult exercise but did allow the leak to be located with success. In areas of the system that has not been moved to 24x7, this approach can be used if there is not sufficient water for ALC. The main priority is to control the area, bring it down to a street level if possible, and not to try to use this approach in an open system.

Case Study - V The pressure in this city was low and the system was relatively old with very few house connections visible. It was decided that a visual leakage survey should be conducted in the first instance. The visual survey was conducted during the time that the network was supplied with water and relatively pressurized. This simple method identified numerous leaks from mains and service connections as well as leakage from open pipe ends. On average it was calculated that a leak was located at every 100m of main pipes. It is highly recommended that this procedure, visual survey of the network, is adopted in most cases as a first step before climbing the ladder of leakage identification and location prior to the introduction of any technology. This procedure is simple, inexpensive and can be conducted with limited training and will identify many leaks. The process of work is: • Identify area that has water and is pressurized • Identify a map and plan a

walk-route • Walk the main checking for any visual leaks • Check all household connections checking for leaks up to the meter of boundary • Check the household for any internal leaks present • Record all findings on a sheet and present for repair or to be dealt with using the company procedure

so that when full there is no flow through the customer service connection. The method of gas injection is an alternative to the acoustic methods but it is more costly, requires a significant amount of gas to cover a system, is not readily available and requires experienced operators. Usually, this service is provided by specialized contractors who have the appropriate equipment, technology, and know-how. The alternative of visual leakage activity requires no experience and no technology and is probably always the first approach to be adopted and should only be carried out when the water is turned on as described in Case Study - V above.

Conclusion It should be understood that when conducting leakage activities in intermittent supplies using acoustic methods it is imperative that the system must have some pressure and the higher the better. For mains that are shallow, a lower pressure of 5 meters will be sufficient to show water on the surface in many instances but on mains that are deep and are buried at least 1 meter deep then a pressure of at leaks 10 meters is desirable. This pressure will let the energy from the leak point along the pipeline transmit to the receiving acoustic equipment. All property service connections must be turned off or stop drawing water into the property otherwise it would interfere with the acoustic process indication showing that each property has a potential leak on it and would have to be investigated hence causing ‘Active Leakage Control’ to be a long and non-productive process. The water supply has to be in the system long enough to fill all customers tanks and each tank has to be controlled via a ball valve or other mechanism

About the Author Stuart Hamilton has over 35 years of experience in water loss control and water management. Stuart is the Managing Director of Hydro Tec, a leading water management organization providing consultancy services to water utilities and private business sectors globally. He is an expert in advanced water management control approaches and specialist techniques in acoustic technology. Stuart has managed large water loss management projects and resources throughout the world in 30 different countries.

May, 2018

COVER STORY

We Are Busy Creating The Future Of Digital Water Supply Suneel Bhambere is the Director, Kamstrup - India Operations. He has over 24 years of experience heading various business functions of sales, marketing, and operations of several companies in automation and instrumentation industry. He has been the country manager of Kamstrup Indian operations for seven years. Here, he discusses the problems of non-revenue water, solutions for water loss, and their recent big-ticket projects with Mayur Sharma.

Water Loss/NRW is an important issue throughout the global water sector. What are your views on it? Mr. Bhambere: NonRevenue Water is a wellknown global problem that

results in large volumes of water being lost. It is a challenge faced by the majority of water utilities because of increased urbanization, higher demand, increased prices and ageing distribution networks. India records one of the highest percentage of nonrevenue water across the globe. The most common reasons observed for such high levels of water loss are bursts due to pressure surges, inaccurate meter readings, and leaks or burst resulting from a high pressure, ageing infrastructure, illegal connections to the network, theft, etc. This can lead to larger impact like loss of earnings and higher operational costs, leaks necessitate expensive reparations of the infrastructure as well as

a potential need for expanding the capacity. A key challenge in water delivery is the high rate of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) among utilities across the world. Approximately 28 per cent of water is lost to undetected leaks in water infrastructure, failure to accurately meter usage and in some cases theft. Hence, it is necessary to prioritize the work in preventing water loss. This can be done by categorizing the losses in the distribution mains so that municipalities can assess the methods that can be used, and determine which initiatives can be put into place to fight water loss as effectively as possible.

Please shed some light on

According to the World Bank, Globally, the Level of Non-Revenue Water is Between 30 and 35%. In Some Areas, it is As High As 50-60% (Image Source: IBNET, GWI, Frost & Sullivan)

May, 2018

the product and services portfolio of your company which help fixing the water losses. Which are the new launches that you have come up with recently? Mr. Bhambere: Kamstrup offers a full product portfolio enabling water utilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core tasks in fighting water loss while securing the highest level of control, efficiency, and flexibility on the ground. We consistently create innovative solutions encompassing of product ranges of hardware, software, and services, including; consumption meters, communication infrastructure, meter data management systems, smart grid applications, hosted solutions and tools for data analysis. Combining newest ultrasonic technology with remote reading, FlowIQÂŽ2101 our household water meter allows measurement for precise accuracy, flow monitoring and smart alarms for the leak,

burst, reverse flow detection and tamper notification. Longevity of the meter (up to 16 years battery life) along with minimum operating costs ensures the most costeffective solution as compared to any other metering solution in the market. Furthermore, our meter reading system, READy - a unique solution for utilities for reading meters remotely can easily be adjusted to meet different needs and expand with the change in need. Regardless of whether you choose a solution for reading via mobile or network, the handling of your meters and meter data takes place in the PC program, READy Manager. Kamstrup has recently launched a new analysis platform that will assist the water utility sector to better control their distribution network and effectively intervene to stop water loss and unforeseen incidents in their supply

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

processes. The first two products targeting water works are called Incidents and Water Intelligence. The municipal administration will now be able to substantially increase the value of collected meter data, as the data will now be automatically organized, visualized and analyzed with only a few clicks. Hence, giving a precise overview of water waste and leaks in the grid system. The engineers and technicians will be able to monitor developments in their pipelines zone-wise and automatically receive alarms about technical incidents or irregularities for timely troubleshooting.

Kamstrup is known around the world for its automated production processes. Tell us more about it. How does it reflect in high precision rates of meters? Mr. Bhambere: To maintain quality throughout our delivery process, we have a state-of-the-art fully automatic production unit at our Headquarter in Denmark. Robots operate the modern factory and human effort is limited to administration and management only. This helps minimize any faults and offers precision and consistency in our production. Hence, we can be sure that the Kamstrup meter anywhere in the world is of the same quality and offers utmost reliability. All Kamstrup meters come with

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MID approval. The factory has the highest certification within the environmental safety and quality like ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001, Information Security certification: ISO/IEC 27001 and Accredited calibration laboratories: ISO 17025.

What were the achievements of Kamstrup in 2017-18? How has the company grown? Mr. Bhambere: Kamstrup is the pioneer to bring static metering technology in the water sector in India for mass application. We started our journey in the market dominated by mechanical meters and least consideration for water loss at domestic level. There has been a recent development in the demand for digital solutions that can help municipalities manage the water loss to the last mile and improve their operations and maintenance. With an

installed base of over 20,000 meters in cities, metros, towns, and villages, we proudly take credit for generating awareness on the importance of smart water metering in revenue management and reducing non-revenue water. A remarkable example of Kamstrup’ s smart metering application is Kapil Gram Panchayat, near Kolhapur in Maharashtra where installation of around 450 ultrasonic AMR meters is helping the consumers of entire village experience tangible improvements in their daily life. “During bulk supply, consumers had to wait from 6 AM till night, not knowing when the water will come or how much there will be. This has been always unknown. Now consumers don’t need to store their water and don’t need to waste water,’’ says Mr. K. R. Otari, Sub Div. Engineer at Maharashtra state water supply. The water meters log daily consumption data and events such as leak, tamper and reverse flow for 460 days and monthly data for 36 months. Kapil is one of its kind 24X7 water supply scheme in India running from last 4 year and has set examples for sustainable development not only for villages but for cities too.

What are some of Kamstrup’s major orders won in last two years? Mr. Bhambere: In the past 2 years, we have seen a surge in the tenders released on Static metering and Ultrasonic water meters. Though it does not account for any wins, we definitely consider it as a success in shaping the market and its evolution for digital and smart solutions. One of the feathers in our cap has been the Shirpur Warwade municipal council in Maharashtra where 12000 flowIQ® 2101 meters are being installed in the entire city. The council opted for a drive-by meter reading system with 10 years of Operations &

Maintenance. Kamstrup’s smart meters have vastly aided the council to understand the difference in water consumption of residential and commercial consumers and highlight stark variations in consumption during peak and non-peak hours. This will help municipality bill their consumers suitably without compromising on its revenue and reduce any water loss. The benefits of minimal operations and maintenance are anticipated once their billing system is up and running in April 2018.

Tell us about some of the most interesting water loss related projects that you have participated in. What conditions and challenges did you encounter? Mr. Bhambere: This one is very interesting and close to our heart as it was one of the first projects we did for any Smart Cities. Last year, we were invited to assess NRW in Udaipur walled city where we conducted a comparison study between the performance of existing mechanical meters for commercial connections against Kamstrup’ s ultrasonic smart water meters. The study identified many of the existing meters (mechanical) that were in non-working conditions and an average NRW of 31% was observed in the connections

with working meters. Erroneous meter readings were recorded in mechanical meters due to low-pressure flow and no flow durations. On the contrary, Kamstrup meters presented pinpoint accuracy and delivered insights into untapped and inequitable consumption in

Non-Revenue Water is the difference between produced water and billed water. For utilities, finding the source of water loss can be like looking for a needle in a haystack due to the limited knowledge of what is actually going on in the distribution network. the area. The flexible mounting of our smart meters was a game changer since mechanical meters can only be installed horizontally.

May, 2018

COVER STORY Finally, what are your growth and expansion plans for the next 5 years?

Furthermore, the remote reading system with a driveby solution (AMR) provided data from inaccessible meter sites. Since manual readings were not possible to conduct, it was always marked as lost revenue earlier. As a result, Udaipur Smart City included the report in their DPR and released a tender requesting proposal for installation of ultrasonic smart water meters for the commercial connections in the walled city.

Any suggestions to help water utilities and municipal agencies address nonrevenue-water effectively and at relatively low cost? Mr. Bhambere: NonRevenue Water is the difference between produced water and billed water. For utilities, finding the source of water loss can be like looking for a needle in a haystack due to the limited knowledge of what is actually going on in the distribution network. With smart metering, it becomes so much easier and efficient for them to get access to the right knowledge at the right time. The utilities not only get information about the operational status of the mains, but it lights up the distribution network making it transparent, allowing them to localize different kinds of nonrevenue water and reduce water loss. They can optimize their leakage localization and prioritize where to take action based on knowledge instead of theoretical models and assumptions. The savings come in the form of identifying leakages inside homes, incorrect manual meter readings, theft, inaccurate mechanical meters and unmetered water use. Kamstrup smart meters accurately measure consumption along with the notifications for any unforeseen events like leak or burst, thereby enabling water supply departments to be proactive before any damage occurs and quickly identify, troubleshoot

May, 2018

and resolve field issues. Data is delivered automatically or via drive-by reading and provides the necessary overview to find unexpected sources of water loss. It is essential for water utilities and municipal agencies to perceive smart metering as the futuristic investment in helping them improve revenue management, increase operational efficiency and asset management, thereby reaping benefits in the long run in terms of cost reduction and better service quality.

How do you see the future of smart metering solutions in India? Mr. Bhambere: In a report released by Northeast Group, the global water metering market is expected to grow from $3.7 bn in 2016 to $7.5 bn by 2026. The research firm notes that through modernization efforts, including the deployment of smart water metering, communications and software can reduce the amount of water lost. In India, we have seen mechanical meters used in households for a very long time, which have many shortcomings like, inaccuracy, early wear & tear, air measurement, tampering,

maintenance issues etc. There is a need for smart solutions and intelligent water networks to manage water consumption. The adaptation of static metering is gaining momentum and we are seeing more and more utilities accepting the outcomes of using ultrasonic technology. It is expected that smart metering will become an integral part of water management system and Kamstrup will be at the forefront in delivering innovative and intelligent solutions.

Kamstrup was a part of the Danish Business Delegation last year, to support the agenda of building smart and liveable cities in India. What would you like the Heads and CEOs of Smart Cities Projects to know about Kamstrup? Mr. Bhambere: India is the biggest consumption market where energy conservation and water management are the key challenges for the government. Accounting for over 18 percent of world population, India seems to be on the verge of a serious water crisis in the coming years, as too much water is lost to leaks. Managing consumption requires effective methodolo-

gies and accuracy. Most of the Smart Cities have put the impetus on water conservation and NRW reduction. Metering itself does not resolve the NRW issue, but smart metering provides the municipalities with a realtime view of their mains, enabling them to make wellinformed decisions about the most efficient way of working. At Kamstrup, we define success by the progress we create for others. Our industry knowledge and holistic approach to working with multiple stakeholders not only brings in a larger perspective but also enables us to serve utilities with innovative and long-lasting solutions. We are seen as a trusted partner with contractors and project management consultants and are always eager to offer support and expertise in smart water management. Kamstrup continues to invest heavily in product development and innovation and we are proud of being the only smart metering company producing digital solutions exclusively for more than 25 years. Therefore, smart cities can trust our deep customer understanding across the globe, superior quality and reliability in our solutions.

Mr. Bhambere: Our vision is to be the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading supplier of intelligent metering solutions for energy and water consumption. In our endeavor of developing and delivering more intelligent, reliable and cost-effective ways to measure and manage the supply of energy and water, we will continue investing in research and development and innovation. Our approach to cultivating holistic solutions in smart water management has enabled us to launch our own analytics platform that provides water intelligence and incident management. We plan to build on this portfolio with avenues like pressure management, temperature sensors, smart valves etc. Software as a service (SaaS) is already an integral part of Kamstrupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offerings. Data hosting, server maintenance, system updates, and back-ups etc. do not necessarily need to be part of a municipalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key competencies. If necessary, data is made available in a cloud-based environment, the municipality can focus on what they do best: ensuring that their customers have access to safe and clean water and that they are fairly billed based on their consumption. We can make life easier for the water supply departments by safely hosting data in our cloud. Our customers who use this option have yearly subscriptions to software for meter data management, data analytics, and end-user (consumer) tools. In the past 2 years, we have been actively engaged with various smart cities in developing best practices and gaining insights into their water management. We continue to do so in a phased manner and aim to be their partner for intelligent water delivery solutions. At Kamstrup, we do not just talk about the future of digital water supply. We are busy creating it.

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Water Loss: Smart Water Network Case Studies By converting raw data into knowledge, TaKaDu provides visibility and actionable insights for increased operational efficiency and water loss reduction. By TaKaDu Case: Unitywater’s Journey to Become a Smart Water Network Unitywater and TaKaDu have been working together since June 2013 when Unitywater commenced a long-term engagement with TaKaDu to improve network visibility and efficiency, reducing costs and water losses, and improving customer service. Since then, Unitywater has been recognized as an industry leader in innovation and technology. This case study discusses the PPT (People, Processes, and Technology) strategy involved in the TaKaDu implementation and the resulting benefits to Unitywater’s network performance and operations.

Business Need In 2013, Unitywater was recording significant non-revenue water (NRW) loss. The manual process of identifying leaks using acoustic sounding systems was proving slow and inefficient. The compounding issues were that the areas covered were too large, there were not enough district metered areas (DMAs) and there were too few meters monitoring the system. Faulty asset repairs were also taking too long and it was hard for maintenance teams to locate hidden leaks. Unitywater identified a business need for a comprehensive technological solution and consequently evaluated TaKaDu’s Integrated Event Management system, an IoT cloud-based software solution using big data analytics. With aims to improve over-

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all network visibility and efficiency, reduce water loss and save energy costs, Unitywater established a dedicated team to manage a 12-month trial. Following this successful trial, Unitywater deployed TaKaDu throughout its network in July 2014.

People A new team was established to act as a central dispatch desk for all network events detected by the TaKaDu system. Adrian Bird was appointed by Unitywater as a System Loss Engineer to oversee the new team. This team, which would work alongside existing field crews, received training from TaKaDu and its local partner, Jacobs. Towards the end of the trial, a cross-departmental NRW Working Group was formed comprising of personnel from a diverse range of business units within the organization, from retail and asset management through to planning and maintenance crews. Working group members quickly recognized that TaKaDu’s event management offered more than simply leak detection. TaKaDu provided a focal point to collect data not only on the performance of the network but also on other areas of the business. The working group, which continues to meet monthly, began to look at proactive ways to reduce asset failure rates and identify areas with high unmetered consumption i.e. areas with fairly high NRW which hadn’t been billed. Adrian Bird explained, “TaKaDu gave the business a

high level of visibility and focus, not just looking for leaks but also for other types of asset failures (telemetry, meters, etc.). We used the macro information we were gaining to understand the types of assets which were causing the leaks, the water pressure we were providing in certain areas, and the overall impact on the operation. We could understand what is important and not just what is urgent, across all types of problems.” As part of the implementation, Unitywater also recruited additional field staff to respond faster to network events detected by TaKaDu and handled by their central team.

Processes The initial task was to establish 25 DMAs, with a target of increasing the number to 40 within a month. The System Loss team ensured that the TaKaDu event management system obtained data from the appropriate data points inside the network, such as flow meters and pressure gauges. It should

be noted that following the trial, the System Loss team created an additional 90 DMAs within 12 months. There was a clear value in measuring more areas. During the trial, weekly meetings between Unitywater and Jacobs were held to discuss project status, issues, deliverables, and reports to management. These meetings were also used to explore proactively how the information generated by TaKaDu and being processed by the central team could be used by the repair teams in a timely manner. Later in the process, the team also explored how it could improve processes and impact positively on other areas of the organization, such as asset management. With a larger team dedicated to TaKaDu, Unitywater was able to investigate and deal more quickly with network events. The team evaluated equipment, assets and future planning relating to water flows, pressure and break events. For example, appropriate water pressure levels in specific areas were

identified thereby reducing certain types of leaks and breaks. In addition, the system planners were able to better develop new areas and implement solutions in existing areas to reduce asset failure frequency. Unitywater started to monitor and analyze TaKaDu on a daily basis. The process, which continues today, included: • 5-days a week monitoring of the events detected by the software • An initial analysis undertaken of every event: - Receiving the initial event and reviewing it against work orders and known events - Monitoring the event for a short period to confirm an actual event occurred, not a short-term usage event • Categorising actionable events, providing suggested actions, and transmitting advice to management for consideration • Updating system events with actions taken • Monitoring changes in the event and providing

TaKaDu - Management Dashboard

May, 2018

COVER STORY updates, as required • Closing events that were no longer active • Providing monthly reporting to management on: - Outcomes of actioned events - Savings in non-revenue water - Asset failures • Providing detailed quarterly reporting on: - System findings: data availability, number of events and type, water balance reported by DMA and by region. These were tailored to report any other items noted by the system that were not leakage related but showed system anomalies, - Resolutions: summary paragraph, supported by charts and graphs that demonstrated actions and benefits of the implementation. Tailored for management requirements. This process remains central to the day-to-day operations and the way Unitywater handles incidents in its network, leveraging the ‘real time’ visibility provided by TaKaDu and its event management features.

Technology Data There was a need to collect raw data in real-time and in a higher resolution. Two main systems were

TaKaDu - Event Management

May, 2018

used to transfer data to TaKaDu: cloud-based data logging systems and graphical information systems (GIS) in order to map the DMAs and infrastructure locations. The data logging system recorded the average flow/pressure every minute and transferred the data to TaKaDu on an hourly basis. Other sources of raw data included water quality sensors, reservoir levels, and PRVs (pressure reducing valves). We believe that, over the next few years, the amount of raw data will dramatically increase as the price of sensors goes down as well as the communication layers. There will be more data, from more measuring points, in a higher measuring frequency. Analytics TaKaDu’s solution offered in-depth visibility and quick insights into types of events, such as pressure/flow trends, faulty assets, hidden leakage, supply interruptions, repair verification, water quality issues and early warning of anomalies. Events were automatically supplemented with the start time, type, magnitude, water loss, during, and end-time. Each event was prioritized and assigned an event owner. The Areas View allowed the team to visualize and com-

pare network performance on an area basis, so that events could be prioritized per area against specific indicators, such as nightline, technical efficiency etc. They could also be customized with specific area characteristics. Based on automated statistical algorithms, TaKaDu’s software generated flexible reports, based on event handling by status, locations, type etc., as well as anomaly and patterns detection, historic and network-based predictions, and more. The Management Dashboard enabled the team to zoom in and out of areas of interest and the managers to track and report the network’s performance easily.

Results 12-Month Trial On 1 November 2013, all 40 DMAs were operational, one week earlier than planned. As an example of TaKaDu’s immediate impact, the first alert received led to the discovery of a pipe on a property that had potentially been leaking for more than two years. The economic and the engineering benefits of the TaKaDu trial were instantly realized. As an added advantage, the longer the data was in the TaKaDu system, the more accurate the alerts. Towards the end of the trial, Unitywater’s System Loss team conducted a cost-

benefit analysis, working closely with asset management colleagues. This analysis enabled Unitywater’s asset managers to examine the relationship between asset failures and NRW loss, based on the types and age of assets. Recording and analyzing TaKaDu events also helped to build a more intelligent business system. The cost savings delivered by the TaKaDu system prompted a decision to fully implement the system across the entire network over the next two years. Full Implementation Following full TaKaDu implementation, there was an immediate, high volume, reduction in NRW loss. The more areas that were monitored, the greater the results. Unitywater was able to reduce its reactive maintenance, break and leak events, NRW loss, and asset failure while also gaining improvements in pressure management. Collaboration across departments through the NRW Working Group has impacted the whole organization in previously unexpected ways. Billing data can now be compared with NRW ensuring that properties are correctly metered and billing is accurate. Importantly, TaKaDu has helped to improve customer service. Contact center staff can respond to customer inquiries and issues about water supply and water pressure with greater ease and accuracy. TaKaDu has also helped to reduce reactive maintenance call outs and enabled a faster crew response time to issues. In addition, TaKaDu has positively affected capital expenditure programmes, allowing Unitywater to achieve a better return on investment and defer unnecessary expenditure. TaKaDu now covers around 90% of Unitywater’s network. With its multidimensional impact, TaKaDu

serves as an efficient management and information system for gathering and disseminating data, improving business processes and procedures and reducing operational costs. Adrian Bird continued, “With the knowledge generated by TaKaDu, we can better understand our network operations, planning and service levels. We’ve also worked with TaKaDu to introduce new features in the system to give us the results we required, for example, an automated water balance software. It originally took five working days to work out the amount of water going in vs the water being billed, we can now see it at a touch of a button.” “TaKaDu’s system has helped us achieve $16 million in savings from hidden (underground) leaks and prevented 6.5 billion liters of water loss based on an annualized calculation,” Adrian said. “There has also been a 60% improvement in reactive response times to leak, break and pressure faults in the water supply network. The system has learned how our network operates and has helped us avoid major water outages, identify the cause of dirty water complaints, identify pump faults that cause bursts before they happen and track the status of events from start to finish.”

Next Steps By combining the PPT People, Processes, Technology strategy, Unitywater was able to successfully optimize its network efficiency, reduce its costs and improve its customer service. Unitywater and TaKaDu are now collaborating to offer TaKaDu’s IoT cloud-based solution to other water utilities across Queensland. This offer provides network monitoring, leak detection, and network prediction services to small water utilities (those with less than 2000 km of the pipeline). These smaller utilities are able to leverage the

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW benefits of Unitywater’s size and familiarity with TaKaDu by adding their service area to Unitywater’s TaKaDu system. The offer also promotes collaboration across Queensland water utilities, a key objective of the Queensland Water Directorate.

Case Study: Leveraging Water Network Data for System Management Prioritization Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) is an independent agency of the US City of Knoxville, Tennessee, providing electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 453,000 customers in Knoxville and parts of seven surrounding counties. KUB's water system has experienced 30 percent to 35 percent non-revenue water over the past 10 years; hardto-find underground leaks are the big culprit. Reducing leaks improves customer service, increases operational efficiency, reduces expenses for chemicals and power, and has other benefits.

Background - Addressing Water Loss In a water loss reduction initiative, KUB invested in the implementation of District Metered Areas (DMAs) working with Matchpoint Water Asset Management Inc. (Matchpoint), a water system management firm. KUB engaged Matchpoint in a 3-year agreement to manage supply, implementation, and maintenance of KUB’s DMA’s assets. DMAs partitioned the water network into 44 small areas serving no more than 3,000 customers, making it easier to find the leaks. Matchpoint installed a total of 102 pressure sensors and flow meters to monitor the network within each DMA. Flow and pressure sensors record measurements every 15 minutes and transmit the data daily to a central server

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where the entire water distribution data is stored. As a result, KUB is generating a huge amount of data that provides the performance signature of the network base on individual sensor readings over hours, days, and months of continuous monitoring. Analyzing the sensor data can identify network performance anomalies, specifically levels of water loss. KUB’s basis for implementing the system was to evaluate areas of water loss through DMA level analysis and prioritize leak detection and repair. With a few DMAs and sensors, KUB could process the data using spreadsheets to evaluate the sensor data and DMA performance. As 102 sensors incrementally came online, however, evaluating the growing data became much more difficult.

The Need for Data Analytics KUB identified objectives and expectations for using data to manage water loss and overall system performance. • Highest cost water loss management approach is pipe replacement. KUB decided to use a data analytics strategy to gain greater insights into areas and alternative methods for water loss reduction. • Comparison of DMAs to find DMAs that have high water loss to best manage leakage. • Focus leak detection and reduction on a few DMAs to drive water loss down. • Prior efforts tended to stop the rising leaks, but not reduce the total level of leaks. The goal was to systematically drive the leak levels downward through detection, repair, and other management methods. • Use of complete water cost by DMA to help prioritize zones including the basic water production, energy, communication, engineering, operations costs. Complete water costs could help with priority setting to

achieve goals broader than total water loss. • Share network performance data between co-workers and other work groups.

The TaKaDu Event Management Solution KUB tapped TaKaDu through Matchpoint to meet its system management objectives and harness the vast data volumes to present KUB’s system performance characteristics in meaningful ways. TaKaDu uses IoT cloudbased technology that provides an event management solution, and Matchpoint is one of TaKaDu’s distributors in the North American region. As a big data solution, TaKaDu’s event management capabilities consume and analyze the sensor and meter data with advanced analytics to automatically detect, analyze and manage various types of water network events. Events include leaks, bursts, pressure transients, faulty assets, and telemetry network integrity. TaKaDu evaluates all sensor data over months of readings to identify events by correlating data from multiple sensors and DMAs along with SCADA production data. Event detection is an automatic process. An event is characterized by its type, its size, and trends; TaKaDu’s data solution automatically identifies correlations with other events, such as main break or pressure drop. Event notification is automatically sent to KUB personnel based on their roles and responsibilities. Events are relevant and actionable for KUB because of their discrete classification and characteristics. Using TaKaDu’s solution, KUB reviews the event locations, magnitude and trends to prioritize, monitor and resolve the events. “TaKaDu’s event management paradigm has transformed the flood of incomprehensible data into meaningful information that the KUB organization can effectively

use,” said Ted Tyree, Engineer, Water Systems Engineering at KUB. “Almost immediately, our engineers could ‘see’ the water distribution network and understand where potential problems exist, the type, and the magnitude. With that snapshot, we could easily determine whether to monitor or act on each one.” Managing the water network operations, fixing leaks, and engineering network changes had historically been accomplished with basic network information and a set of assumptions. A welcome revelation was the significant insights provided by TaKaDu, which helped quickly to clarify issues and characteristics of specific areas of the system. Tyree continued, “It became evident that water engineering required a data management and analysis solution. TaKaDu’s solution is based on data science; its engineers and system deployment specialists are data experts bringing skills to KUB that enable our engineers to have much greater insight into the water system.”

Benefits & Results “They committed to deployment within eight weeks, providing configuration, training, and ongoing support for KUB to ensure the full range of the TaKaDu solution is understood and applied. With the system deployed in eight weeks, immediately we could see how our 102 sensors, meters, and SCADA devices were performing. This simple view of our data stream allowed our team to identify a variety of telemetry and sensor installation issues that then became a primary focus for completing our DMA buildout,” said Tyree. Furthermore, TaKaDu determined where DMAs, meters, and sensors were not associated properly or where DMAs were not, in fact, closed areas. Addressing these TaKaDu findings, along with

the hardware configurations, solidified KUB’s implementation of the DMAs. Before TaKaDu, KUB engineers had to talk to data experts to access SCADA data. TaKaDu has made the data accessible to staff throughout KUB directly to see events, view comments from others, and share information across work shifts. Users can access the system directly and not have to physically talk to people to understand the current event and system performance characteristics (although the direct discussions will continue and remain valuable). TaKaDu events enable KUB engineers to drill down and associate network performance data and to identify the root causes of issues and how to act on them. The event management tools allow KUB to define an action, priorities and assign them to teams so that we are working on the top priority items without losing track of less important events. KUB also has a better understanding of event lifecycles where pipe leaks may progress to busts through progressive leaking or pressure increases. “This data-driven insight will help us proactively reduce emergency events that we previously had no forewarning of, added Tyree. “It’s surprising how quickly KUB has begun to rely on data for its system management. Our motivation for using TaKaDu is for overall optimization of the water network and our staff resources. It is far beyond water loss management.” TaKaDu is a global software provider of Integrated Event Management solutions for the water industry. Its automated cloud-based service enables utilities to detect, analyze and manage network events and incidents such as leaks, bursts, faulty assets, telemetry and data issues, operational failures, etc.

May, 2018

COVER STORY

Non-Revenue Water Needs to be Understood to be Recognized as a Serious Global Issue Gary Wyeth is the SE Asia Regional Manager for Singer, a Mueller brand. Gary has 26 years of experience in the water industry, primarily in South-East Asia. He is a member of the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management and the IWA Water Loss Specialist Group. Here, he discusses the significance of water loss and NRW as a global issue with Mayur Sharma. What is NRW? Please define it for our readers. Mr. Wyeth: Non-Revenue Water (NRW) in its simplest form can be defined by the following formula: NRW = Total Volume of Treated Water - Total Volume of Sold Water Essentially it is the volume of water that the water utility spends money on treating and distributing that is not paid for by billed customers. The NRW level of a water utility is therefore often used as an indicator of efficiency-performance of the utility as a whole. In 2006, the World Bank reported that more than 32 Billion m3 of treated water was lost globally through distribution system leakage and a further 16 Billion m3 was delivered to customers but not billed. Based on these numbers a conservative estimate of the annual cost of water lost is US$ 14 Billion. This problem of excessive water loss has continued to grow, as water utilities continue to allow aging infrastructures to age further, often due to a lack of funding in infrastructure rehabilitation, and as greater customer demands increase the stress on the already overloaded pipe networks.

Why is controlling NRW an important aspect of any water utility? Mr. Wyeth: The obvious

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answer to why controlling NRW levels is important, is that it will improve the financial status of the water utility by increasing revenues from improved billing and reducing expenditure from lower treatment volumes and less leak & pipe burst repairs. However, there are many other benefits including: • Reduction in illegal connections or faulty meters creating greater fairness between customers. • More efficient operation, fewer disruptions, means improved customer service; improved cash flow can lead to further investments in improving operational systems and assets. • Water is a precious resource necessary for the survival of all living things and with less than 1% of water on earth being fresh and usable, we cannot be wasteful. In addition, many water utilities are public listed companies and improvements in NRW can mean an increase in stock prices and thus increased company value.

What are the different components of NRW? Mr. Wyeth: NRW is divided into many different components, but these can be grouped into two main components. Physical Losses: Where water is physically lost and fixing these issues would

result in a reduction of water being treated. • Distribution leakage • Reservoir overflows • Trunk main leakage • Leakage on customer connections (Up to the meter)

important to control?

Commercial Losses: Where the loss is due to a measurement error. • Production meter errors • Customer meter errors • Illegal or unmeasured use • Billing errors

tant to ascertain the level of each component by undertaking an NRW audit. This NRW audit will result in a simple table that will identify the level of NRW within each component of NRW. An example is the one shown below developed by the

Which component is more

Mr. Wyeth: All components have an effect on the level of NRW and the magnitude of each component can be different for each water utility. It is therefore impor-

International Water Association (IWA). Whoever undertakes the NRW audit needs to have a complete understanding of the different components of NRW so that they can visit all the required departments within the water utility and ask the correct questions. They also need to be impartial and willing to ask tough questions and report their findings truthfully, often directly to the senior management in the utility. For this reason, water utilities usually hire an independent consultant to come in and review their existing NRW management activities and to produce a detailed report, which will be more honest and open on what is currently being undertaken and accomplished. Although the magnitude of each component of NRW will vary from water utility to water utility, it is important to look at all components when developing a company-wide NRW management program. These holistic NRW management programs will help to reduce the physical losses, whilst at the same time identify commercial loss issues. Often the commercial loss component is significantly less than the physical loss component, due to aging pipes and assets, which are left in place well past their lifespan. Having said this, it is important to tackle the commercial loss components, no matter

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

how small the component, as resolving these will have a direct impact on the income of the water utility and thus increase its financial capability to tackle the physical loss components.

How can control valves assist in the management of NRW? Mr. Wyeth: Control valves have been used for many years to help control NRW levels and are still an essential part of any NRW management program. Altitude and float valves are automatic mechanical control valves, used to control the level in reservoirs or tanks. These control valves are used to ensure the reservoirs or tanks do not overflow and lose water down the drain. Pressure is proven to have an increased effect on leakage volumes and pipe burst frequency. The relationship between pressure increase and leakage volume is quite complicated and depends on pipe material, soil conditions, and age of pipe. But the ratio can be anywhere from 1:1 to 1:3 meaning, in the latter case, a 10% increase in pressure would see a 30% increase in leakage volumes. Pressure reducing valves (PRVs) are often used to control system pressures, allowing acceptable pressures to meet customer demands while maintaining a maximum pressure limit ensuring leakage levels are con-

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trolled. Some utilities are even using timer systems with multiple pilots to set multiple pressure settings throughout a 24-hour period. Singer Valve has developed a new mechanical version of this valve, which gives high pressure during high demand and low pressure during low demand. Another bonus in installing PRVs is the effect of reducing burst frequency in old pipelines. Often the main reason for a water utility experiencing high leak and burst frequencies is the aging pipe network that has been asked to work beyond its expected lifespan. This means that these pipes are weaker than what they were designed for and thus any high spikes in pressure can cause bursts to occur on a regular basis. This table shows tests undertaken on actual distribution systems around the world show a decrease in burst frequency ranging from 20 to 80% and these results have shown to be true even 5 to 10 years after the PRVs were installed.

ponent. This will enable the water utility to determine which components to tackle first and which would give the best results financially and on the NRW level itself. It is also important to develop an understanding of the economic level of NRW within the water utility itself. This, in a simplistic way, is balancing the cost of managing NRW to the cost of the NRW losses. You don’t want to be spending more than you will save and you don’t want to lose more than you are spending. So, it is a case of looking at both costs and figuring out where each water utility’s NRW economic balance point is. This economic level will depend on water tariffs, chemical costs, staff costs, equipment and vehicle costs, etc. It is quite a complex process to determine what a water utility’s economic NRW level is, but a necessary one as a wrongly set target can cause many problems later. Once the utility understands the starting level of NRW, the magnitude of the various NRW components and the achievable economic NRW level, they can then start to develop an NRW management plan. This NRW management plan should try to be as holistic as possible and cover many NRW components.

It is also important to develop an understanding of the economic level of NRW within the water utility itself.This, in a simplistic way, is balancing the cost of managing NRW to the cost of the NRW losses.You don’t want to be spending more than you will save and you don’t want to lose more than you are spending. The plan should identify all tasks to be undertaken and try to include a realistic target, within a realistic timeframe at an acceptable cost. Images courtesy of Mueller & IWA Waterloss Specialist Group.

What are the first steps that a Water Utility should undertake to start understanding and managing their NRW levels? Mr. Wyeth: The first step as mentioned above is to undertake an NRW audit to ascertain the correct level of NRW and the magnitude of each com-

May, 2018

COVER STORY

Addressing Non-Revenue Water and Wastewater Challenges in American Samoa Insights from ASPA Will Spitzenberg has been working as the Chief Water Engineer at the American Samoa Power Authority Water Division for four years. In this Interview, he unpacks the challenges of responding to non-revenue water losses that affect the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA). Jason Jaskowiak is the Wastewater Chief at the American Samoa Power Authority. He has Associates, Bachelors and Masters degree in Science, Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering, respectively. By Karen Delfau, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Water loss/ non-revenue water is an important issue throughout the Asia-Pacific. How does ASPA detect and deal with this matter? Will: ‘Non-revenue water’ is water in the piping system which for some reason is not being paid for by customers - either because of losses through leakage or because of meter errors or theft. We estimate approximately 60% of water in ASPA’s pipes is being lost, largely because of leaks from the old piping system. ASPA has about 150 miles of water mains and about 150 miles of service laterals, and most were put in over 60 years ago. Our asbestos-cement pipes in particular (they were put in around 1960) are losing large volumes of water through leaks at the pipe-joints (every 12-13ft).We shut the valves and empty a length of pipe to repair a leak, but then re-pressurizing the system introduces water hammer in these old pipes and creates more leaks along the line. It's an ongoing problem.

May, 2018

The crazy thing is that the leaks may be as much as 200 gallons a minute but they don't show on the ground surface. The water is pouring down into the lava rock, and the pipes are buried about four to five feet deep, so our leak-detection team has to use an acoustic device to listen for the leaks. When the crew finds a leak they report it and then the construction crew comes, a day or two later, and repairs it. Most of our mains pipes are under the road, so they often do the leak detection at night to avoid the traffic in the morning. Sometimes customers call to report a leak, and we have two plumbing contractors that ASPA has hired to fix those leaks - one for the east of the island and one for the west. Non-revenue water is also lost when household meters are inoperative for any reason. We have another team that checks the water meters in the villages - they may be buried or may not be working properly - and replaces those meters. This team reports illegal connections they find, where families are tapping into the water without a meter. ASPA identifies the household through its electricity account and imposes a fine (minimum of US$ 1000). If the household asks for a reconnection, our team puts in a back-flow preventer before installing the new meter.

We are seeing improvement in the volumes of non-revenue water in the areas we focusing on. For example, in one case we have reduced the water loss from over 150 gallons a minute to 50 gallons a minute. The leak detection crew found a leak on the main line that they estimated was losing about 80 gallons a minute. After repair, our analysis of the in-line water metering data showed a tremendous cut in that flow. There is a small ‘silver lining’ to this situation in that 99% of American Samoa’s water resources come from groundwater, so you could say these water leaks into the lava rock are acting as recharge - very expensive recharge water! Non-revenue water is going to be a problem for a long time and we have to keep on top of it continuously. You can't just hire someone to do a one-off fix and go away again because leaks will recur. Instead, ASPA aims to minimize the losses and the inconvenience to the residents by (i) having its own detection teams - one going around the households and one out listening; and (ii) repairing the leak within 24 hours of discovery if possible, and with the water shut off for no more than 4 hours during the work.

What types and brands of equipment and materials do you use for

fixing these losses and what are some of the costs? Will: ASPA has been replacing the old water metering system so as to improve the way we manage the production and pressures. The EPA has been funding that project. There are 52 production wells in American Samoa and we are progressively replacing all their meters: the highest producing wells were done first. Our new Mag Meters and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are working well. (VFDs are sometimes called VSDs -possibly short for varying speed drive). With these devices, we can control the flow from the production wells as well as the pressure in the system, and that helps alleviate the water hammer that happens when the pressure fluctuates too much and causes new leaks. The VFDs actually save us money on the electric side as well as saving water. We set the VFDs so they speed up (or ‘wake up’) the pumping rate if the water pressure drops to a certain point, let's say 30psi. Then once the pressure reaches, say, 50psi, the motor is set to turn off again (‘go to sleep’). For certain areas we can isolate the section of pipe that we're working on, so we just shut a valve and not the entire system. The VFD will sense that the pressure has increased because the valve is closed, so it will slow down

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW the motor. We are using a smart meter called an iPerl, which reads water-use and has the advantage that it collects data every hour and we can download that to check on the hourly usage. The iPerl is a little bit more expensive than the old pipe meters, but we think the investment will pay off itself in a few years. We are also hoping to start using AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure). That will mean we can network our meters and see all the data in real time. That's more expensive again, and it’s the next step. A company called SENSUS makes the iPerl and they also supply and help install an AMI system. Once we have the AMI operating we will be able to use a SENSUS system called SCADA1or a similar online program for integrating control and data acquisition. We will be able to see how much water is AWP going to any given area, and how much the consumers are using. The difference will be the leaks, and we will be able to send out the leak-detection crew to find it. It helps when the areas are smaller because we can find leaks faster in a small length of pipe than a long one, and it also should mean less of the pipe system needs to be shut off for the repair. For leak detection, the field crews use small devices that look like metal detectors. You can buy them from a number of different companies throughout the world: for example, in the US, New Zealand, Australia, Germany. There is plenty of information online about them. They are relatively expensive, costing up to US$ 20,000 or US$ 30,000 per unit, depending on the model you get, but not expensive compared to hiring an off-island crew. The investment is well worth it. They are easy for a trained team to use. We are also replacing the old asbestos-cement pipes, at a cost of US$ 100 million. The old HTPE pipe also needs replacing, and that will cost another US$ 100million. There is about 50-miles of pipe to be replaced, and we are using PVC at the moment for that, on the basis that they should last at least 50 years. There is a new piping material being used in New Zealand and other areas, called PVCO. It's better than PVC and we shall be using that in the future. For all the new pipes, of course, we also have to make sure they are bedded in properly for good support.

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How is sewage managed on American Samoa? Jason: American Samoa is one of the few places in the United States that still has a waiver for secondary treatment. So, we actually only need to have primary wastewater treatment. However, ASPA recently installed two UV reactors, one in each of our wastewater treatment plants. These are now providing disinfection, whereas a year ago there was no disinfection of our wastewater. About 40% of people are serviced by the sewerage system, and we are continually working to expand that system. Of the remainder of the population (though we don’t have accurate data), possibly 30% have proper septic tanks and the rest have a traditional cesspool, which is a hole in the ground that the toilets run into. A cesspool doesn't provide containment or treatment for the raw sewage. In the last three years, we have been modifying households’ onsite treatment. If a household is not on the sewer systems, we would like them to have a septic tank, and we are encouraging the family owners to build one. While they’re building it we come out to the site three to four times and inspect it and lend assistance to make sure the system is constructed properly. Unlike on the US mainland, water drains out of many onsite systems very, very fast and can negatively impact our unconfined aquifers unless it is constructed appropriately. Systems which drain too fast do not allow time for proper microbial treatment, which means nitrogen and potentially E.coli could be contaminating the groundwater aquifers. Our solution is to change the way the septic systems are installed. Here we deliberately create a barrier underneath the leach-field, by digging deeper and creating a barrier using special material which is then compacted. This layer slows down the percolation to a suitable rate that is slow enough to facilitate the growth of a biofilm and provide treatment in those onsite systems.

How is ASPA achieving compliant wastewater treatment? Jason: As noted earlier (Q4), American Samoa has one of the few remaining waivers on secondary treatment. The UV reactors have enabled us to meet all of our permit requirements

for bacteriological concentrations in our discharged wastewater. In the past, there had been issues with the levels of Enterococci, the bacteria that survive better in salt water. ASPA expects we, along with other places, will lose the waiver of secondary treatment in the foreseeable future. Five years ago, ASPA contracted an assessment of secondary treatment possibilities, but the product offered them then (fine bubbles diffusion at a cost of US$ 80 million) was unsuitable. It wasn’t innovative and it was unsuited to the limitations and the cost of electricity here. Instead, I have designed a much more easily operated and cheaper method of achieving secondary treatment, using our existing infrastructure and just modifying it with the addition of some screening up front. The key is to use two stages of screening to replace primary clarification, and then use those existing primary clarifiers for biological treatment and secondary clarification. The first stage is called the step screen: it has about a half-inch opening, and all the wastewater goes through that screen. This type of screen cleans itself: the screen looks like a small escalator and it’s constantly moving and it cleans itself as it rolls around. The second stage screen which will be funded only when we think the waiver is about to be removed - will be even finer. It will be like a drum screen and provide an even better output. Screened effluent will go into a trickling filter for biological treatment; then our existing clarifiers will clarify that secondary effluent; and finally that output will go into the UV reactors and out. The trickling filter could be an MVVR, which is sort of a trickling filter that’s filled full of water, but that type requires more energy than others, and a little more maintenance, and blowers and things like that, so the decision is not yet made. We hope the better quality wastewater passing out of this secondary system will reduce the amount of labor needed to maintain the UV reactors.

Any suggestions to help other Pacific agencies address non-revenue water effectively and at relatively low cost? Will: Having data is very important. They could sub-divide their water system into smaller and smaller areas, so they can see more easily

where the water is coming from and the areas it’s going to, and then do a water balance. The American Water Works Association has a water balance spreadsheet, for example; the Pacific Water and Wastes Association may have something similar. First, they need to do the sub-dividing on their map, based on the information they already have. Then they can go out and test it by closing valves, and seeing what happens to the pressure along the line as a result, and then opening the valves and making sure that the water serves certain areas. That way they can home in on the areas where the water seems to be going. Then when money is available they can start installing in-line meters, like we're doing, to get more information. The in-line meters record a flow every hour, and that helps us see if the flow going to a given area is increasing or decreasing, and how much water is going to this area. Since we already know the number of customers in that area and their water use per month or per day, we can then see how much water we're losing in that area and send in our leak detection crew to try to find the leak. But first you must have some good information, a good collection of data, to help you sub-divide the system down to smaller enough units. Of course, to do this, each customer in the target areas must have a meter or else this method will not work so well. • Sub-divide the system into subsections in order to have really good data to be able to focus and target your efforts. • Do the water balance: the AWWA or PWWA water balance spreadsheet can help you grasp the way the water is flowing. • Put in as many meters as you can, suitable for each of the parts of the system: not only the in-line meters collecting flow every hour but also meters at the household level. • And have a dedicated team making ongoing effort to continually address non-revenue water. Don’t give up on non-revenue water even though it is frustrating to work on a section and then on your return there to find that the losses have gone up again. It’s an ongoing thing. The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) is an Australian Government development initiative enhancing the sustainable management of water across the Indo-Pacific.

May, 2018

COVER STORY

The Path to Mastery in Water Loss Management Your personal success is most important, and out of it only the benefits for your company and for society (especially considering poor state of water infrastructure in India) will rise. By Jurica Kovac

Introduction Water Loss Management is part of my life and my occupation for the last 20 years (and my age now is 44), with another 5 years (my first job) being an employee in one public water utility (working as technician in operation and maintenance department), what was a valuable experience, crucial for later phase in my professional life. Today, my occupation is most of the time related with education of employees in public water utilities, since I had the privilege and opportunity to study and practice practically all aspects of water loss management (from basic leak detection, through measurements, pressure control, repair, GIS, remote monitoring, up to the analyses, investments planning, projects implementation and national legislation change), and with active presence in various countries in my region

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(Western Balkan, Southeast Europe - former Yugoslavia, for older readers who still remember this state). You, dear readers, I believe, are more or less familiar with the water loss topic (methodologies and technologies), especially if you are already interested in this aspect of water networks operations and maintenance, so, the purpose of this article is more philosophical in nature, in order to present you what attitude leads to success. (for sure you who will decide to dive deeper into my article). My intention is following; to present you with my perspective (proven in practice, recently discovered with clear explanations in one great book) what should be the foundation pillars in the path toward success in your life as an expert, or better to say, master in water loss management. In fact, your personal success is most important, and out of it only the benefits for your company and for society (especially considering poor state of water infrastructure in India) will rise. While describing these pillars, I will use (borrow) some lines from few books and documents I have found particularly interesting and most importantly, inspiring, at least in my life.

Pillar 1: Know Yourself You possess an inner force that seeks to guide you toward your lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s task - what you are

meant to accomplish in the time that you have to live. The first move toward mastery is always inward - learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force. Knowing it with clarity, you will find your way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place. It is never too late to start this process. You must understand the following: In order to master a field, you must love the subject and feel a profound connection to it. When you are faced with deficiencies instead of strengths and inclinations, this is the strategy you must assume: ignore your weaknesses and resist the temptation to be more like others. Instead, direct yourself toward the small things you are good at. Do not dream or make grand plans for the future, but instead concentrate on becoming proficient at these simple and immediate skills. This will bring you confidence and become a base from which you can expand to other pursuits. Proceeding in this way, step by step, you will get what you want. Have in mind following advice: goals are for losers, systems are for winners.

Pillar 2: The Apprenticeship After your formal education (or in case of water loss management, in addition by studying available literature, attending seminars or train-

ings), you must enter the most critical phase - a second, practical education known as - The Apprenticeship. You must learn the lessons and follow the path established by the greatest masters - past and present. In the process (systems!, remember) you will master the necessary skills, discipline your mind, and transform yourself into an independent thinker, prepared for the creative challenges on the way to mastery in water loss management (maybe even life as a whole, why not!). To follow precisely the lead of others or advice from a book is self-defeating. To avoid too many mistakes and disappointments you must understand human psychology and how the brain itself functions. There is one overarching principle in this phase: The goal of an apprenticeship is not money, a good position, a title, or a diploma, but rather the transformation of your mind and character. This has a simple consequence: you must choose greatest possibilities for learning (and for sure actively working in, for example, water utility, gives you a great environment for learning and practical experimentation). Practical knowledge is the ultimate commodity and is what will pay you dividends for decades to come. The Apprenticeships Phase - The Three Steps Have in mind three essential steps: Deep Observation (The Passive Mode) - observe

the world around you, everything is important to you; people, company organization, culture, habits, communication, of course, water system itself (technology, practice, knowledge, methodologies), how it works, mistakes, etc. Most importantly, analyze working environment - in other words, â&#x20AC;&#x153;this is how we do things hereâ&#x20AC;? and furthermore the power relationships that exist within groups: who has real control, who is on the rise and who is on the decline. You are not there to change that culture, and if oppressing, you can only get fired. Later, when you attain power and mastery, you will be the one to rewrite or change the rules. Remember this: in most cases, water losses are high just because water utility companies are managed inefficiently, with insufficient competencies or/and demotivated staff. Next step is Skills Acquisition (The Practice Mode): At some point, as you progress through observation, you will enter the most critical part of the apprenticeship: practice toward the acquisition of skills. Every human activity involves the mastering of skills, like operating a tool or machinery, creating something physical or mental exercise like creative thinking and problem-solving. In acquiring any kind of skill, there exists a natural process that coincides with the functioning of our brains. First, it is essential that you begin

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CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW with one skill that you can master and that serves as the foundation for acquiring others. You must avoid at all costs the idea that you can manage learning several skills at the same time. Second, boredom we experience in the initial stage of learning toughens our minds, much like physical exercise (what you must overcome). The process of acquiring new skill (especially practical part) has a profound influence on our brain, what is today called neuroplasticity (in short, creation and strengthening new neural pathways - brain rewiring). Although it might seem that the time necessary to master the requisite skills and attain a level of expertise would depend on the field and your own talent level, those who have researched the subject repeatedly come up with the number of 10,000 hours (7-10 years of sustained, solid practice). In other words, concentrated practice over time cannot fail but produce results. The Third step is Experimentation (The Active Mode): This is the shortest part of the process, but a critical component nonetheless. As you gain in skill and confidence, you must make a move to a more active mode of experimentation. This could mean taking more responsibility, doing work that exposes you to the criticism of peers or even the public. You are observing yourself in action and seeing how you respond to the judgments of others (can you take criticism and use it constructively?). Most people wait too long to take this step (if ever), generally out of fear. Many people might find the notion of an apprenticeship and skill acquisition as quaint relics of bygone eras when work meant making things (but considering my brief experience from visiting India in 2016, during IWA Water Loss conference in Bangalore, and witnessing countless little shops and craftsmen, I think this spirit still lives with you).

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We have entered the information and technology age, but this will not make our lives simpler, but just the opposite, we are entering times of increased complexity. In all areas, the human brain is asked to do and handle more than ever before. What this means is that all of us must possess different forms of knowledge and an array of skills in different fields, and have minds that are capable of organizing large amounts of information. Take, just for example, the particular topic of water loss management everything in water distribution systems management has some relevance and influence on water losses, from design, construction up to daily maintenance, materials, measuring, control, know-how, company organization, employees motivation, competences, communication, etc. The future belongs to those who learn more skills, no matter how virtual, remains the same. In the future, the great division will be between those who have trained themselves to handle these complexities and those who are overwhelmed by them. The Apprenticeship Phase is more relevant and important than ever, and those who discount this notion will almost certainly be left behind. In general, no matter your field, you must think of yourself as a builder, using actual materials and ideas. You are producing something tangible in your work, something that affects people in some direct, concrete way. You are craftsman learning to adhere to the highest standards. For all of this, you must go through a careful apprenticeship. You cannot make anything worthwhile in this world unless you have first developed and transformed yourself.

Pillar 3: Absorb the Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Power Life is short, and your time for learning and creativity is limited. Without any guid-

ance, you can waste valuable years trying to gain knowledge and practice from various sources. Instead, you must follow the example set by Masters throughout the ages and find a proper mentor. The mentor-protege relationship is the most efficient and productive form of learning. The right mentors know where to focus your attention and how to challenge you. Their knowledge and experience become yours. They provide immediate and realistic feedback on your work, so you can improve more rapidly. Choose the mentor who best fits your needs and who connects you to your task. Your goal is always to surpass your mentors in mastery and brilliance. Here I can advise you in India (and elsewhere) the following, regarding water loss management: identify those who have reached high-level of expertise and experience and attract them to become mentors to others. In the market for water supply, we already have an environment of non-competition (since each utility has a natural monopoly in own area of influence - population or territory). The good way forward is to establish regular yearly gatherings of people interested in similar activities (for example water loss, but this can be also in other fields of expertise) of neighboring utilities. It can be only one-day meeting, in a relaxed atmosphere, and where people can talk, exchange experiences and learn from those who are the best.

Pillar 4: Social Intelligence - See People As They Are Often the greatest obstacle to our pursuit of mastery comes from the emotional drain we experience in dealing with people around us. If we are not careful, our mind gets absorbed in endless intrigues and battles. The principal problem we face in social arena is our own naive tendency to project onto people

our own emotional needs and desires of the moment. We misread their intentions and react in ways that cause confusion or conflict. Social intelligence is the ability to see people in the most realistic light possible. By moving past our usual self-absorption, we can learn to focus deeply on others, reading their behavior at the moment, seeing what motivates them, and discerning any possible manipulative tendencies. Navigating smoothly the social environment, we have more time and energy to focus on learning and acquiring skills. The success attained without this intelligence is not true mastery, and will not last. The knowledge, that is often neglected and undervalued, is the understanding of human behavior. This should be one of your constant areas of interest not only in professional but also private life. This way you have the opportunity to learn fundaments about yourself and about all others. Remember one fact: it is not conscious mind that drives peoples lives, but an unconscious one.

Pillar 5: The Creative - Active As you accumulate more skills and internalize the rules that govern your filed, your mind will want to become more active, seeking to use this knowledge in ways that are more suited to your inclinations. What will impede this natural creative dynamic from flourishing is not a lack of talent, but your attitude. Feeling anxious and insecure, you will tend to turn conservative with your knowledge, preferring to fit into the group and sticking to the procedures you have learned. Instead, you must force yourself into the opposite direction. As you emerge from your apprenticeship, you must become increasingly bold. Instead of feeling complacent about what you know, you must expand your knowledge to related fields, giving your mind fuel to make new

associations between different ideas. You must experiment and look at problems from all possible angles. As your thinking grows more fluid, your mind will become increasingly dimensional, seeing more and more aspects of reality (or to say, all different aspects of complexity in dealing with water loss control). I would advise you to learn how creative thinking works and in this field it is particularly interesting to explore the technique of mind mapping (for problem-solving, making notes, planning, etc.).

Pillar 6: Fuse the Intuitive with the Rational - Mastery All of us have access to a higher form of intelligence, one that can allow us to see more of the world, to anticipate trends, to respond with speed and accuracy to any circumstance. This intelligence is cultivated by deeply immersing ourselves in a field of study and staying true to our inclinations, no matter how unconventional our approach seems to others. When we fuse this intuitive feel with rational processes, we expand our minds to the outer limits of our potential and are able to see into the secret core of life itself. We then come to have powers that approximate the instinctive force and speed of animals, but with the added reach that our human consciousness brings us. This power is what our brains were designed to attain, and we will be naturally led to this type of intelligence if we follow our inclinations to their ultimate ends.

Conclusion I hope this article will gain your interest to proceed further in reading and learning about mastery. I had my own path in attaining skills related to water loss management. About the Author Jurica Kovac is a consultant in water loss management. He is current Secretary of the IWA Water Loss Specialist Group and lives in Croatia.

May, 2018

URBAN WATER

100 RESILIENT CITIES

100RC and NIUAAnnounce National Level Effort for Urban Resilience in India

(Left to Right) Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities; Dr. M. Ravi Kanth (IAS) Chairman & MD, HUDCO; Michael Berkowitz, President, 100 Resilient Cities; Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State with Independent Charge in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs; and Prof. Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA

THE 100 RESILIENT Cities (100RC) - pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation - and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) have announced a formal partnership to expand collaborative resilience-building efforts in India. Earlier this year at the World Urban Forum, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri oversaw the signing of a letter of intent for the two organisations to collaborate to develop evidence and policy frameworks that can be used by the

May, 2018

MoHUA and the Government of India to promote and support the development of resilient cities across the country. To lead this work, NIUA and 100RC are looking for candidates to fill the newly created position of Resilience Chair. The partnership brings together theoretical frameworks and practical cityassessments to build local capacity and embed resilience into the heart of urban discourse. This will include convening urban planning institutes,

MoHUA, philanthropies, private sector, multilateral financial institutes, and other urban experts to build strong partnerships for advocating resilience in Indian cities and incorporating urban resilience into the India@75 agenda. Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities, said “This partnership will build on the work 100RC has been doing in partnership with Chief Resilience Officers and municipal government in Surat, Pune, Chennai, and Jaipur and

will seek to help us better define what urban resilience means in an Indian context and how it can support the development of India’s fastgrowing cities. This partnership will deepen our impact in the four cities we’re already operating in and will help us spread the practice of resilience to other cities and states supported by robust data and critical stakeholder engagement.” “With this partnership and new Resilience Chair Unit, NIUA seeks to bring focus and

tenacity to the resilience agenda at the national and state levels,” said Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA. “Bringing a holistic perspective and a deeper understanding to bear on the subject of resilience, the Resilience Chair will serve as our leading expert, providing direction on our work in the larger urban sector in India and maximizing the impact of our collaboration with 100 Resilient Cities. This partnership represents a remarkable milestone for NIUA on its journey towards building resilience in India.”

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URBAN WATER

100 RESILIENT CITIES

Express Water Exclusive

Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities

Mayur Sharma interacted with Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities about the status of 100RC project in India, and the partnership announced between 100RC and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).

Please update us on the overall progress of 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) project so far in India. Mr. Prothi: 100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social, and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. The Asian Cities for Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) and the Urban Climate Change Resilience (UCCR) project supported by the Rockefeller Foundation in various South and SouthEast Asian countries has resulted in a vast body of knowledge about resilience in the Asian context. The 100RC

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network, formed in 2013, was an attempt to ground learnings from ACCCRN and to build local capacity to develop resilience toward the acute and chronic shocks faced by these cities. Four cities in India - Pune (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Surat (Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) - competed to receive support in the form of a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) who acts as a nodal person for the city’s efforts and a strategy partner (consulting firm) that supports the city to prepare a Resilience Strategy. The CROs are working with the municipal corporations to create city resilience strategies (CRS) for the necessary adaptations and other solutions that the city must undergo to become resilient towards natural and manmade challenges. The city of Chennai was selected to join the 100RC network in 2014. In 2016, the city hosted the urban flooding summit, which was followed by the announcement of R Krishna Mohan as its Chief

Resilience Officer in June 2017. In February 2018, the city announced the completion of its Preliminary Resilience Assessment to pinpoint the areas of focus for Chennai and outline city priorities moving forward. The PRA revealed six ‘Discovery areas’ for the next phase of the resilience-building efforts – Water Systems, Metro Governance, Civic Engagement, Service delivery to Vulnerable and Lowincome Groups, Healthy and Planned Urbanization, and Financing Urban Resilience. Pune was selected to be a part of the 100RC network in 2016. The city is working on finalizing its Preliminary Resilience Assessment under the leadership of CRO Mahesh Harhare. Following initial community and government engagement and a thorough perceptions audit, the city will focus future work on exploring how to overcome challenges related to mobility, the natural environment, planning for urban growth, and job creation and youth empowerment. Former Commissioner Kunal Kumar has been a vocal advocate for resilience building efforts in the city and a key leader on the steering committee. With his move to Delhi as the new Director of the Smart Cities Mission, we hope to be able to drive opportunities for collaboration and learning between the two programs to help India’s cities become smart and resilient. The city of Surat released its Resilience Strategy in April 2017 and is now focusing on delivering a major initiative to clean up the River Tapi. This project will transform Surtis’ relationship with their primary body of water. Resulting benefits will include the long-term provision of clean drinking water for millions of citizens, enhanced potential for recre-

ational areas along the river, the restoration of ecosystems in the river’s buffer areas, and improvements to the river’s accessibility. Through the CRO teams in both cities, Surat has built a successful partnership with Rotterdam and have signed a series of MOUs for cooperation. Rotterdam will be sharing its water expertise and experience with Surat to review its upcoming water-related projects (canal redevelopment, water supply, wastewater treatment, etc) and particularly advancing the Surat Tapi River Clean-up and River Masterplan project. Jaipur was selected to the 100RC network in 2016. The city held its Agenda-Setting Workshop in October 2017 to highlight its main challenges as one of the oldest planned cities in India. These include infrastructural challenges in transportation and sanitation and a high risk of infectious disease. The city will appoint its first Chief Resilience Officer later this month, and from there, will work to balance the challenges of creating a modern and liveable city while preserving and protecting Jaipur’s historic landmarks and cultural heritage.

What is the scope of water & wastewater treatment technologies and solutions in the 100RC project? Mr. Prothi: Surat’s River Tapi Clean-up project is an excellent example of a project focusing on water treatment and management, which is one of 100RC’s two key strategy-pillars. Following the release of the city’s Resilience Strategy, Surat held its Surat Resilience Academy, to discuss implementation strategies for projects in the priority areas identified by both 100RC and city representatives. Among others, these include cleaning the Tapi

river, and Tapi River Vision 2030. Surat’s Tapi River has deteriorated over the years due to the presence of pollution and untreated sewage, which have affected the river itself as well as the Mindhola river nearby. A project to clean up the river will restore the population’s source of fresh drinking water and ecosystems in the nearby areas. The project aims to target the sewage at its source by enhancing sewage treatment facilities and incorporating cogeneration plants into the city’s river cleaning strategies. These measures will increase the efficacy of current clean-up efforts with place-based interventions throughout the course of the Tapi river. Building on the momentum from the clean-up project, the next step for Surat will be the Tapi River Vision 2030, restoring the river’s potential as a key source of water and the lifeblood of trade, while being a source of public enjoyment and ensuring the health of the river continues to improve over time. With the addition of features such as sewer drain filters and recreational and landscape elements, the revitalization of the River through an inclusive, innovative, and integrated strategy has the potential to transform the lives of millions of Surtis.

What are the economic challenges for resilient cities, in your opinion? Mr. Prothi: Cities can no longer have the resources or the time to be able to solve one problem at a time. Cities need to be comfortable planning for uncertainty - preparing for what they can predict and strengthening for what they can’t. This work requires political will and a new level of collaboration that cities aren’t used to. Building

May, 2018

URBAN WATER

Prof. Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA and Michael Berkowitz, President, 100 Resilient Cities

resilience demands a new kind of thinking and planning with foresight that goes beyond election cycles. Sometimes this can also mean investing more time and more resources now to ensure better outcomes in the future. Getting decisionmakers and funders to understand this is a key challenge. The Asian Development Bank estimates that this region will need to invest US$1.7 trillion per year through 2030 to meet infrastructure needs. We’re facing a huge infrastructure gap, a huge need for investment and a rapidly growing urban population. It’s going to be enormously difficult to makeup deficits and plan for and meet emerging needs at the same time. This is why smart investment into thoughtful solutions that are designed for future needs and deliver

May, 2018

multiple benefits is critical.

How can more Indian cities get involved in the 100RC project? Mr. Prothi: The four cities selected to the 100RC network represent anchor cities where resilience-building programs have been taken up by the communities to tackle the particular challenges that face each city. In each of these cities, these efforts have been led by a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), a position established with the financial and logistical guidance of 100RC. The CRO leads the city’s resilience efforts and convenes stakeholders in the development of a city Resilience Strategy, which serves as the city’s roadmap to resilience. The work that has started in these cities is only the

WATER REUSE beginning - 100RC’s partnership with NIUA represents 100RC’s commitment to support resilience efforts on the national level, across the country. India is urbanizing rapidly, with over 8000 cities located in different geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions. Resource intensive, unplanned and unregulated growth characterizes the country’s urban trajectory, creating risk for urban inhabitants and making them prone to shocks and strains caused by climate change and related phenomena. The efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affair (MoHUA), earlier the Ministry of Urban Development, have been focused on developing the governance and management frameworks for resilience, but cities are still missing the practical evidence necessary for city administrations to take action. As part of our commitment to our network, 100RC provides cities with access to tools, service providers, and partners from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors who can help cities develop and implement their resilience strategies. 100RC also facilitates workshops, learning exchanges and knowledge sharing opportunities for CROs to share best practices, solve problems collectively, and learn from each other and from other resilience experts.

Tell us about your recent partnership with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). How will it help in the resiliencebuilding efforts in India? Mr. Prothi: To build resilience in Indian cities, there is a need for localization of know-how and skills in the diverse urban conditions across the Indian subcontinent, which poses the chal-

lenges of scope, scale, and depth. While the Government of India has been dedicated to the development of resilient and sustainable cities, the urban sector still requires well-documented evidence, practical knowledge and good practices that can be built on in order to embed resilience into the urban discourse. The number of cities and the many complexities in urban planning and governance only add scale to the challenge. Indian cities need to develop in-depth assessments of their physical, social, economic and environmental risks and vulnerability, such that they can prepare adaptation strategies and develop resilient infrastructure. The CROs in the four cities in the 100RC network and the broader network of ACCCRN partners across the country are significant assets for research and advocacy. However, there is a need for concerted efforts to build the coalition and create momentum that can embed resilience discourse into national and state level policies and programmatic initiatives. This partnership between 100RC and NIUA is a suitably-positioned national level initiative that would be able to address this need. The priorities for this partnership include various measures to develop tangible means and practical evidence that are meaningful for city administrations. These include: • Methods, tools and measurement systems to embed resilience in each city’s development agenda • Evidence for the ‘cost of resilience’ required across the urban sector • Analytical frameworks and data protocols for GISbased systems for urban resilience • ‘Data observatories’ to capture relevant data and perform necessary analytics and visualization for

modelling resilience scenarios in the city and the immediate region. • Building the capacity of the Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) in existing 100RC cities in India • Training material for the training of city government and agency staff across all sectors: planning, engineering, finance, administration

As NIUA and 100RC are looking for candidates for the newly created position of Resilience Chair, what are the job requirements and scope of work? Mr. Prothi: The Resilience Chair will be an international/national expert who heads the Resilience Chair Unit at NIUA and will provide the overall direction to its work, and represent the work in the larger urban sector in India. The Resilience Chair will convene urban planning institutes, MoHUA, philanthropies, private sector, multilateral financial institutes, and other urban experts to build strong partnerships for advocating resilience in Indian cities and embedding resilience into their urban agendas. The Chair will ground efforts to build resilience through the development of evidence and policy frameworks that the MoHUA and the Government of India can use to promote and support the development of resilient cities across the country. Throughout the process, they will document knowledge to bring greater focus on the theme of resilience in India’s approach to urban and regional planning, and assist in creating suitable curricular improvements that explore the theme of urban resilience from different perspectives. The Resilience Chair will be supported by a highly qualified team, the Resilience Chair Unit, to bring focus and tenacity to the resilience agenda at the national & state levels.

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OUT OF THE BOX

Addressing India’s Water Problems In most areas of the world, and especially in India, there are growing efforts to reduce water consumption in public restrooms. And we should note that reducing water consumption also helps reduce energy consumption and protects the environment. By Klaus Reichardt

THE WORLD OF water is changing and with it, the public restroom. This is true in India as well as many other areas of the world. And one of the ways it is changing is in how public restrooms are designed and operated. We are starting to get a glimpse of what the future holds for public restrooms based on new public restrooms recently installed in an Atlanta, GA, subway station. Atlanta is a city located in the southeastern section of the U.S. One of the first things to note is that these new “loos” are not large restrooms with lots of fixtures and designed for many people to use at one time. Instead, these subway station restrooms have been designed to accommodate one person at a time, more if family members. This way, they can address some very specific issues associated with public restrooms, especially those located in large public areas such as subway stations, railway stations, etc., and used by scores of people throughout the day. Frequently, these restrooms must contend with vandalism, loitering, or unlawful activity.

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The one-restroom/one-person concept is designed to prevent this from happening. And to do this, the Atlanta public restrooms use virtual assistants (VAs). In some cases, these VAs are human - a remotely-based attendant or administrator that is always on duty - but often they are electronic devices that use sensors and cameras to monitor restroom activities. Among the tasks carried out by these VAs include the following: Entry Control To help ensure only one person uses the restroom at a time (except parents with children), users need to hit a call button. A virtual assistant, human or electronic, sees them, because there is an overhead camera, and buzzes them in. Timed Use As soon as someone is admitted to a restroom, a timer begins. Usually, users are given 10 minutes to use the restroom. After that, they are notified in one way or another that time is up. However, if necessary, the user can request a few more minutes.

No Response Ever heard of the vagus nerve? The vagus nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body. When someone sits on a toilet for a prolonged period, the vagus nerve can respond by slowing down the heart. This can trigger cardiac arrest. Heart attacks and other health problems are relatively common in public restrooms. If the VA detects a problem, an attendant will be called in to check the restroom to see if someone needs help.

the amount of energy necessary, helping to protect natural resources and release fewer greenhouse gases. So, what steps are being taken today and in the future to reduce water consumption in public restrooms? Many are happening right now in India. In fact, in some respects, India is now playing a leadership role in reducing the amount of water used in public restrooms, especially when it comes to urinals and toilets. For instance:

Lost and Found Restroom users frequently leave things behind in public restrooms. This Atlanta restroom has scanners that notify administrators if they see something has been left behind.

No-Water Urinals Waterless urinals are at the top of the list and are expected to play a significant role in helping India reduce water consumption in public restrooms. However, we should point out that some of the earliest installations of waterless urinals were not as successful as the industry had hoped. A closer examination of what has occurred reveals that many cleaning workers and others were not adequately trained on how to clean and maintain the no-water urinals. Studies have shown that when properly cleaned and maintained, not only can each of these urinals save as much as 113,563 liters of water annually, they are often more odor-free and hygienic than traditional water-using urinals.

The Focus is on Water We are not sure whether the loo of the future will look like this or not. However, some of these systems are already showing up in restrooms around the world. But, one thing we can be sure of is that restrooms of the future will be very focused on water, or more specifically, on ways to reduce water consumption. In most areas of the world, and especially in India, there are growing efforts to reduce water consumption in public restrooms. And we should note that reducing water consumption also helps reduce energy consumption and protects the environment. The delivery and removal of water for public restrooms take energy. Usually, this energy is produced by oil, gas, or coal. Less water needed reduces

Toilets By now, most of us know today’s toilets use far less water per flush than those made a decade or more ago. And dual-flush toilets, common in Indian restrooms, use even less. But the Indian Railway system is now testing

a new type of toilet that uses far less water than traditional or dual-flush toilets. Referred to as “bio-toilets,” these toilets use specific types of bacteria which consume waste material and convert it into water that is clean, but not for human or animal consumption, and gas. This is why these toilets are often referred to as “bio-digesters.” Water Security India is playing a leadership role when it comes to reducing water consumption and finding ways to use water more efficiently and there is a very good reason for this. Water security is a growing concern throughout India. Climate change is making large parts of India more vulnerable to water-related problems than many other countries of the world. According to some studies, what is happening is that some areas of the country are receiving far less water than in the past and other areas are getting much more. This situation is not only impacting large urban areas where millions of people live, but it is also playing havoc in the agriculture sector. Finding ways to adjust to these changes, in the form of building new water infrastructure and developing new ways to better manage water consumption and use water more efficiently, as discussed here, are critical to India’s future. About the Author Klaus Reichardt is a frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues, Klaus Reichardt is Founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc., based in Vista, California, USA.

May, 2018

KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of Nutrients Pollution Amongst Environmental Agencies and Municipal Institutions is Crucial Nutrients pollution in waterways is the buzz word of water industry these days. Indeed, the problem is complex, global and carries greater significance towards the community’s wellbeing. As professionals, it is important for us to understand the extent and gravity of such environmental issue. Mayur Sharma had an opportunity to talk with Archis Ambulkar, an international water expert, to gain more insights into this nutrients pollution topic. With significant contributions in this area, he agreed to discuss with us about this pollution problem in details. Interview contemplates on many aspects of nutrients contamination in the waterways including social impacts, ecological and economic setbacks, potential pollution sources, mitigation measures and future directions.

Nutrient pollution of waterways is the “single greatest challenge to our nation’s water quality,” according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What are your views? Mr. Ambulkar: Without a doubt, nutrients pollution in waterways is one of the key challenges water industry has faced in recent times. It carries great significance towards the sustainable use of available water resources around the world. Apart from the water quality issues, nutrients pollution can adversely impact aquatic life, surrounding environment, recreational businesses, tourism industry, property values, fisheries and

May, 2018

many other sectors that are directly or indirectly dependent upon the affected waterbodies. Such contamination has a far-reaching influence on community’s social, economic, ecological, health and hygienic aspects. Above statement speaks of the extent and intensity of this issue. Compared to advanced countries, nutrients pollution problems are more severe and aggravated in the developing worlds. Hence, it is important to understand the true nature of this environmental problem and implement mitigation strategies before it is too late.

Can you describe nutrients pollution and its major contributors to waterbodies? Mr. Ambulkar: Both mineral and non-mineral nutrients are essential for the existence and growth of aquatic plants. However, the presence of excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) may lead to an aggressive growth of biomass that can spread widely across the

waterways. Such phenomenon, typically known as eutrophication, results in depleted oxygen levels, reduced sunlight, foul smells, aquatic mortalities and deterioration of the water quality. Damaging ecological consequences as a result of high nutrients concentration in water are typically referred to as nutrients pollution in waterways. Major nutrients contributors are typically classified as point and nonpoint sources. Point sources refer to specific dischargers such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial effluents whereas non-point sources are discrete dischargers like agricultural lands and stormwater runoffs. Nutrients are typically carried to waterways from such originators via surface or groundwater.

resources for their day-to-day activities. Domestic, agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors are the major water consumers. Growing population and urbanization are further increasing demands and pressures for adequate water supplies. On the other hand, climate change and varying weather patterns are affecting nature’s water cycle in many regions and complicating water availability. While humanity is experiencing these grave challenges, nutrients pollution in waterways can worsen situations and greatly limit its usability. Hence, as responsible citizens, it is important that we are concerned and well-aware of nutrients problems. People shall support and actively participate in the pollution control measures.

What are the main reasons people should be concerned about nutrients pollution?

Why has the nutrients contamination become a global issue now?

Mr. Ambulkar: Water is an integral part of life. Human beings rely on water

Mr. Ambulkar: To achieve improved quality of life and comfort levels, societies are promoting the development of

sophisticated techniques, infrastructures, and systems across the globe. Industrialization and urbanization are a result of these rising demands. Such social and technological changes are causing exploitation of natural resources as well as the generation of pollutants that are affecting the environment. One such pollutant originating from anthropogenic activities is the nutrients contamination. Excessive nutrients discharges are experienced in several lakes, rivers, and streams leading to eutrophication process thus becoming a global problem. The gravity of such pollution problem varies widely across different parts of the world.

What inspired you to undertake waterways nutrients pollution as an area of expertise? Mr. Ambulkar: I am working in the environmental sector for many years and water pollution prevention has been the main forte of my profession. However, as the experi-

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KNOWLEDGE ence and knowledge grew I was drawn towards the nutrients pollution area remarkably. While several kinds of pollutants exist in the environment, I realized the unique nature and significance of nutrients contamination towards communities. Evolving environmental regulations and government priorities towards this problem emboldened my thoughts that this issue will have a major impact on water industry’s future and hence requires proper attention. As a result, I was inspired to focus my efforts towards the nutrients pollution topic.

Can you tell us about the work that you do on the reduction of nutrients pollution from wastewater? Mr. Ambulkar: Till now, I have made several valuable contributions towards nutrients pollution related topics including a recent prominent publication “Nutrient Pollution and Wastewater Treatment Systems” for Oxford University’s Research Encyclopedia. Consulting work has involved working on several municipal wastewater treatment projects for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. It included a wide range of technologies starting from simpler eco-friendly systems like floating islands, constructed wetlands all the way to more complex biological systems. As part of various technical task-force committees, I have assisted with developing industry reference manuals on nutrients topic as well as authored case studies and expert columns in environmental periodicals and trade magazines focused on related subjects.

What are the methods that can be used to tackle and mitigate the issue of nutrients pollution? Mr. Ambulkar: Nutrients pollution is a global phenomenon and a complex problem to manage. However, researchers, academic institutions, and governmental

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organizations are spending a significant amount of time, funds and efforts towards developing sustainable solutions to tackle and mitigate this problem. The advent of wastewater biological nutrients removal technologies, resource recovery processes, pre-treatment programs will help to reduce nutrient pollution from point sources. Whereas, implementation of best management practices, education & training, optimization of fertilizers use, development of riparian zones and other innovative approaches can serve as effective tools for reducing nonpoint nutrients discharges to waterbodies. Also, projects undertaken to improve the water quality of already polluted waterbodies via biomanipulation, sediments dredging, application of chemicals, oxygenation and other evolving technologies, will assist to restore water quality and aquatic environment in affected countries. Several success stories for water quality restoration are documented across the globe, while others are in the process of alleviating nutrients pollution problems.

What are the other most challenging issues from your point of view - to reduce the nutrient load which will need to be addressed in the near future? Mr. Ambulkar: Apart from technological advancements, public awareness is an important factor that cannot be ignored. It can significantly help to curb nutrients pollution via source reduction. Wastewater is generated as a result of used water by communities as well as detergents, cosmetics, food and other chemicals dumped from industries into the sewer systems. By educating people, quantities of nutrient-rich substances disposed of in wastewater can be minimized. This will reduce the burden on treatment systems and associated purification costs. Also, training agricultural and ani-

mal farming staff can help to cut down on non-point nutrients discharges via fertilizer and manure management. Prioritization of government and private funding towards promoting nutrients-pollution mitigation projects via loans, grants and other means at federal, state and local levels can provide the necessary impetus towards these initiatives. Overall, public, governments, industries and environmental professionals would need to work hand-inhand and make a collaborative effort towards reducing waterways nutrients pollution via comprehensive programs.

Water and pollution agencies are challenged by a lack of information needed to better understand the nutrients problem. Very few municipal facilities have enforceable limits on nitrogen and phosphorus discharges, and even less are required to monitor the Nitrogen and Phosphorus pollution. How can we solve this issue? Mr. Ambulkar: Knowledge of nutrients pollution amongst environmental agencies and municipal institutions is crucial for handling this problem on a broader scale. This understanding varies greatly for different areas, regions, and countries. Available technical know-how, staff proficiencies, government capabilities, environmental programs and financial incentives can greatly impact how municipal facilities and administrations approach these problems. Appropriate education, training, and orientation are necessary to bring staff upto the speed on nutrients issues. Governments and regulatory staff shall develop new rules and regulations to meet local and regional needs. This will help to limit, monitor as well as treat nutrient pollutants prior to being discharged to waterways. Apart from developing stringent regulations, effective implementation strategies are necessary to ensure success.

What changes will this lead to in wastewater treatment in the near future? Mr. Ambulkar: Changing paradigms towards handling nutrients at wastewater treatment facilities are already evident. New biological nutrient removal (BNR) and enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) technologies are emerging rapidly. In addition, sewage treatment facilities are exploring the possibilities of recovering nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphorous) from wastewater. Such efforts are a part of resource recovery initiatives taken up by many wastewater entities worldwide. Concepts like economic nutrients recovery from sewage and selling of resulting products in sustainable markets are making rounds within the wastewater industry. Finally, either as a pollutant or resource, nutrients are bound to play a major role in shaping up wastewater industry’s future.

Can you elaborate more on the wastewater resource recovery concept? Mr. Ambulkar: To minimize exploitation of natural resources and at the same time meet growing community needs, many sectors have started looking into the reuse and recycling of available resources. Such steps help to curb down on further environmental degradation and promote optimum utilization of already extracted natural sources that are in-use or rejected forms. Environmental field is catching up fast with these concepts and wastewater sector is no exception. Raw sewage is rich in many constituents such as metals, organics, specialty chemicals, nutrients, and so on. Rather than merely treating, water experts have started realizing the significant potential for recovering such valuables. Recovery can be in the form of re-usable water, energy or quality chemicals. Nitrogen and phosphorus are two key wastewater con-

stituents that are gaining major attention worldwide for their recovery and reuse in the farming and agricultural fields as substitutes for commercial fertilizers. Successful recovery processes will not only help to minimize nutrients pollution in the waterways but also potentially generate income for wastewater facilities by selling recovered nutrient-rich products, thus becoming financially more self-reliant. Growing ambitions, cut-throat research and development (R&D) work followed by the emergence of new technologies can make this nutrients recovery process economically viable.

Your final thoughts for the global water professional community? Mr. Ambulkar: Amongst many challenges, our progeny are surely expected to face the nutrients pollution problems. Within the given social, political, technological and financial constraints, environmental experts can provide right directions to public, regulators, and governments towards alleviating nutrients issues. As a global professional community, let’s take positive steps necessary to make pollution mitigation process a ground reality. Archis Ambulkar is an International Water Expert based in Ohio, USA. He is a renowned environmental professional with significant contributions towards water and wastewater fields. He is the author of Oxford University’s Research Encyclopedia for the topic “Nutrient Pollution and Wastewater Treatment Systems” and a well-received book “Guidance for Professional Development in Drinking Water and Wastewater Industry”, published by International Water Association. He has served as an expert on prestigious global platforms including United Nations (UN) World Ocean Assessment Program and UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Soil Partnership.

May, 2018

GROUND REALITY

Groundwater Depletion in Fatehgarh Sahib,Punjab: ACase Study The groundwater resources can be exhausted if no proper governance is done to safeguard their future. By Dr. Prashant Kumar

GROUNDWATER IS A critical resource and people generally take it for granted and consume it without having any consideration to its replenishment and consequences in the future. However, groundwater resources can be exhausted if no proper governance is done to safeguard their future. Population bursting and industrialization have caused immense damage to the aquifer systems and as a result, groundwater resources are facing severe danger from the perspectives of both quality and quantity. The rural areas are also not in good state and facing severe groundwater decline because aquifer systems are connected systems across the whole earth. Though, there have been several studies related to the groundwater flow dynamics

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and various aspects pertaining to the research based on the groundwater. However, governance of the groundwater has largely been ignored in last several decades. As a result, it has become quite crucial to bring out certain initiatives for better governance of natural resource like groundwater. Worldwide, various strategies corresponding to water conservation technologies are being adopted and in 2011, UNESCOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Hydrological Programme has come out with certain initiatives to be implemented across the world for better groundwater governance. The pilot study area for our analysis is Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, India which is facing a severe groundwater decline. It is an over-exploited district with the depth of water table rang-

ing from 29-30 meters below ground level in the last decade. The reasons for groundwater decline are increased installation of submersible pumps by every landowner due to small land holding, excessive pumping of groundwater by several submersible pumps at a time due to limited Power Supply, submersible pumps vs hand pumps, routine cultivation, and geopolitical reasons such as Sutlez-Yamuna Link.

Recommendations to Augment the Depleting Water Table Though agencies responsible for systematic efforts for pushing the better governance of groundwater canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be underestimated, it would still be required to have a strong groundwater governance framework for management,

conservation of shortages, scarcity, and depletion of groundwater level. Artificial Recharge Natural replenishment of groundwater is a slow work and often, it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t match up the rate of consumption and exploitation of groundwater. Artificial recharge refers to the transfer of surface water to subsurface aquifers by human interference via civil engineering techniques. This integrates the source water to groundwater reservoir and is purely dependent on the hydro-geological settings of the concerned area. It is useful for saving the surface runoff and increasing the buffer of groundwater below the earth surface. Surface gradient plays a very significant role in artificial recharge because a higher gradient

might lead to a higher rate of surface run-off resulting into lesser recharge. Artificial recharge is good for flatter regions. There are several advantages of artificial recharge such as the increase in subsurface storage of groundwater, negligible evaporation, water quality improvement by infiltration through permeable vadose zone elements, and maintaining the land, thereby, countering the land-subsidence. Scientific Disposal of Waste Unscientific disposal of industrial effluents causes significant surface runoff of rainfall thereby limiting the scope of elevation of groundwater level below the earth surface. Season-Based Cultivation for Reduced Evapotranspiration Optimal crop pattern can

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GROUND REALITY have a significant impact on irrigation of the crops in various seasons. In order to sustain the groundwater, waterintensive crops such as paddy, sugarcane, and onions should be grown with less water requiring crops depending upon the season. This is done to reduce the use of scarce underground water resources during the critical period when recharge would be less or nil, as compared to the actual use or requirement. Water demand should match with water availability, and must be decided on the basis of relative returns from crops using water, especially during the critical period of underground water availability. Scientific Usage of Fertilizers and Pests Fertilizers and pesticides have an indirect role in groundwater decline. The excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides is required to supply the food to our bursting population. In order to produce a larger amount of food on the limited farmland, people use fertilizers/pesticide. Well-fertilized crops have more vigorous and extensive roots systems that go deeper into the soil to access more stored water. The extra water allows transpiration to continue longer so more photosynthesis can occur. Adequate plant nutrition also enables crops to establish roots more quickly to access water before it percolates from the soil profile. Sprinkler Systems Sprinkler irrigation sprays water into the air through perforated pipes or nozzles. For row crops, this system poses the least risk to groundwater because water can be applied more precisely than with flood or furrow irrigation. Throughout the world, sprinkler irrigation is probably the most important use of water. Drip sprinkler system has been introduced to reduce water consumption in the agriculture sector, leading to the sustainability of this sec-

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tor. It facilitates farmers to cultivate with any water stress even under water scarce situations, subsequently enhancing the productivity.

The Solution for Fatehgarh Sahib District All the methods listed above have their own advantages and shortcomings. Every method is unique in the sense that there are environmental conditions which favor the application of a particular method at a particular region/site. The very basic prerequisite for the application of artificial recharge is the availability of surplus source water resources. It is assessed in terms of surplus monsoon rainfall pattern, its frequency, number of rainy days and its variation in space and time. In order to build the recharge structure, a detailed analysis of hydro-geological features such as hydraulic boundaries, storage capacity, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, natural recharge etc. of the site is needed. The site selection is one of the most crucial task and often those aquifers are selected which absorb large quantities of water and hold it for a longer duration. Artificial recharge might not be a very good way to augment the depleting level of groundwater because of unavailability of any major river water sources. Though there is a Sutlez-Yamuna link, it is not operational due to geopolitical reasons and the matter being subjudice. Various water-scarce regions have implemented optimal crop rotation and have shown that irrigation water use during vital periods could be cut down to half of the normal usage. The agriculture of Fatehgarh Sahib district is mainly based on the cultivation of paddy and sugarcane which are water-intensive crops. Farmers in this village are not motivated to change their cultivation pattern due to lack of financial support (MSP) provided by the government agencies.

Crop rotation can be a very useful method for countering the declining levels of groundwater in Fatehgarh Sahib district because it would involve rotation among several crops from high water-intensive to low water-intensive (vegetables, groundnut etc.) and vice versa. This method, if employed in a disciplined manner, could augment the groundwater level in 3-5 years to a reasonably low depth where farmers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to use very high power motors to extract water from the ground. Another aspect of crop rotation is the scientific usage of fertilizers and pests which will indirectly conserve the groundwater by not letting the roots of the crops access more subsurface water than what is required for a satisfactory yield as a result of photosynthesis. Further, the application of compost or organic fertilizers improves the soil structure by enhancing its water holding capacity. Organic materials such as wood chips, dung, and straw all break down into compost and increase the soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to hold water. Since Fatehgarh Sahib district is facing a severe waterscarce situation, it would be very much prudent to accept the usefulness of one of the most efficient water conservation technique i.e. drip irrigation system also known as micro-irrigation system. It delivers water directly to a plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots and reduces the unnecessary evaporation. It could further be complemented with smart irrigation scheduling which is a part of smart water management system. In order to prevent wastage of water through overwatering the crops, irrigation schedulers could be installed to monitor the water requirement of the crops. Several of Maharashtra regions have been facing similar situations of water scarcity and water level decline and they have adopted drip irrigation system for efficient use of water and conserve the groundwater. Internationally

also, many of the African countries similar water situations have started using drip irrigation system for better groundwater utilization. According to the report of hydro-climatic situations for the hunger goal by UN Millennium Development Project, most of the developing countries are facing hunger alleviation challenges and drip irrigation will continue to play an important role in feeding the world population. The Cost-Benefit Analysis Fatehgarh Sahib district is a fertile land and the socioeconomic aspects of Fatehgarh Sahib district are reasonably good. The implementation of Drip irrigation system can be encouraged by the government agencies by giving subsidies in the purchase of equipment required for the drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation will definitely increase the profitability and productivity of the farmers in the longer term. Studies conducted in similar regions in Maharashtra shows that drip irrigation reduces the cost of cultivation, particularly in the labor-intensive farming works such as weeding, irrigation, and ploughing. As per the available scientific results, cost of cultivation for drip irrigated crops per acre is 29% lower than what is for nondrip irrigated cultivation in the same area for crops like Chillies and so on. This also leads to saving of operation costs such as irrigation, weeding, and fertilizers. Water conservation due to the implementation of drip irrigation is almost 63 percent over flood irrigation. Also, the electricity consumption in drip irrigation system is significantly lowered over the conventional irrigation system. All these cost benefits of drip irrigation system supersede the use of flood irrigation system.

Conclusion The feasibility assessment of aforementioned techniques for groundwater level augmentation and their cost-ben-

efit analysis conclude that crop rotation and drip irrigation system are the most suitable techniques for increasing the groundwater reserve. The major reasons for the adoption of drip irrigation system are obviating the moisture stress to crops, precise water supply to the root zones of the crops preventing the water to flow other parts of the land, leading to a reduction in weed growth. Further, regulated water supply lets the crops absorb the fertilizers without any loss through evaporation leading to a better yield in crop production. The government agencies should help in purchase and installation of irrigation equipment by granting loans to the farmers at a subsidized rate. Farmers should also be given training on efficient irrigation technologies for the adoption of more scientific agricultural practices.

About the Author Dr. Prashant Kumar is a Scientist in Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh which is a national laboratory under CSIR. He also holds a concurrent position of Honorary Assistant Professor at Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research - an institute of national importance and a meta-university under CSIR. He has done B.Tech from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, Karnataka followed by M.Tech and Ph.D from AcSIR. He is a recipient of the PGRPE Fellowship of CSIR from 2010-2012. His research interests include soft computing, water resource management, remote sensing, decision analysis, and environmental modelling.

May, 2018

MUNICIPAL WATER

WATER REUSE

Water Reuse Reclaim Water For Public Water Supplies When properly treated to appropriate standards, high-quality reclaimed wastewater can be a sustainable supplement to any water utility’s supply portfolio. Reclaiming water from wastewater systems for irrigation, industrial, ecological, and municipal uses has been successful in many places and may hold promise for many others. By Alex Gerling

A Good Example of Indirect Potable Reuse is the Nine-Acre South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, an Innovative Project that Collects Urban Runoff from a Storm Drain, Removes Trash and Pollutants, and Sends the Water Through Constructed Wetlands for Treatment.

WATER AND WASTEWATER utilities worldwide are finding the quality and quantity of their conventional water supplies increasingly affected by population growth, urbanization, prolonged and severe droughts, and climate change. In addition, opportunities to develop new groundwater or surface water sources have become more challenging to discover and act upon. Such increased pressure on a water system may make a diversified water sources portfolio a requirement to

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meet future water demands, ensure public health, and provide economic and environmental sustainability. Besides working to increase water conservation, many communities are seeking new strategies to develop sustainable water supplies for the future. Accordingly, there’s a clear need to use existing local water resources effectively to produce and provide reliable high-quality water. One viable approach to address existing and anticipated water shortages is to implement water reuse, in which used water

from homes and businesses is highly treated and used to augment public water supplies.

What is Water Reuse? Water reuse involves using water more than once to expand a community’s available water supply. The practice of water reuse occurs in various forms throughout the world. The latest advances in water technology allow communities to reuse water for a variety of purposes, including drinking, irrigation, and industrial processes. The fol-

lowing terms are commonly used to describe the types and purposes of water reuse: • Recycled or reclaimed water is water that has been used more than once. • De facto reuse occurs when downstream communities use a drinking water source surface water that has been subjected to upstream wastewater discharges (Figure 1). • Non-potable reuse refers to recycled or reclaimed water that isn’t used for drinking but is safe to use for irrigation or industrial processes. • Potable reuse refers to recycled or reclaimed water that’s safe for drinking. Advanced purification processes are proven technologies that transform treated wastewater into the highquality water - or purified water - for potable reuse. Purified water surpasses state and federal drinking water standards as well as additional water quality objectives. In general, non-potable reuse involves treatment that doesn’t meet drinking water standards, and water quality objectives may vary depending on the end use and risk for human exposure. Potable and non-potable reuse are practiced in the United States, and de facto reuse is relatively common.

Indirect vs. Direct Reuse In general, there are two

forms of potable reuse: • Indirect potable reuse (IPR) introduces purified water into an environmental buffer (e.g., a groundwater aquifer or a surface water reservoir, lake, or river) before the blended water is introduced into a water supply system (Figure 2). • Direct potable reuse (DPR) introduces purified water directly into an existing water supply system (Figure 3). Many IPR projects have been established in the United States. Generally, they involve using reclaimed water to recharge groundwater aquifers and augment surface water reservoirs used as drinking water supplies. Two different approaches to implementing DPR can be taken. Both apply additional advanced treatment to the used water but differ in the location of blending. In one approach, the purified water is blended with the raw water supplies (e.g., surface water or groundwater) before undergoing additional process treatment in a drinking water plant. The other approach involves blending the purified water directly into the potable water distribution system downstream of the drinking water plant (i.e., pipe-to-pipe or direct-to-distribution DPR). Although DPR and IPR provide significant additions to local water supplies, nei-

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MUNICIPAL WATER

WATER REUSE

Drinking water treatment facility Community 1

Community 2

Drinking water treatment facility

Community

Wastewater treatment facility

Figure 1: De Facto Reuse - This Refers to Unplanned Potable Reuse. For Example, a Wastewater Treatment Plant from One City Discharges Effluents to a River that Another City Downstream Uses for its Drinking Water Supply.

ther can meet all potable water demands.

Water Resources Planning To maximize resources, many water managers are attempting to achieve a diverse portfolio of water sources as part of a long-term strategy. Public water supplies in North America come from various sources, including surface water, groundwater, desalinated seawater and brackish groundwater, and reused water. Planning and managing water resources become increasingly complex as surface water and groundwater supplies in many regions are stressed. Additionally, desalinating seawater or brackish groundwater isn’t always economically feasible. Importing water from other communities also has a high price tag. As a result, many communities are incorporating potable reuse into their integrated water resources plan as a practical solution to ensure future reliable water sources. Potable reuse offers many benefits in addition to playing an integral role in a water portfolio.

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Potable Reuse Benefits Because potable reuse provides especially high-quality water, the end-uses are more diverse than for other types of reclaimed water. Environmentally, potable reuse provides a more sustainable water supply, using existing water supplies more efficiently by recycling a resource that would otherwise be discharged. Potable reuse may also decrease the amount of water imported to urban areas (some from long distances), reduce groundwater extraction, and minimize wastewater discharges to the environment. In turn, energy costs may be lowered, groundwater overdrafts limited, and the health of aquatic ecosystems that receive wastewater effluent improved. Finally, potable reuse uses a local resource that’s accessible for many water systems, unlike sources such as seawater and brackish groundwater, which may not be available depending on geography and geology. Potable Reuse Regulations Federal potable reuse regulations haven’t been developed in the United States.

Thus, state and local agencies are responsible for setting potable reuse standards. Most states have established regulations or guidelines for water reuse, and state regulations are expected to be regularly updated and developed as states gain experience and confidence in water reuse. Although few states have established regulations or

guidelines specifically for potable reuse, most will still consider potable reuse projects on a case-by-case basis. A summary of each state’s water reuse requirements (not specific to potable reuse) is provided in the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 2012 document Guidelines for Water R e u s e (https://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/ PDF/P100FS7K.pdf), along with recommendations for water reuse opportunities, technical guidance, and key considerations for implementing reuse projects. Additionally, in a collaborative effort, AWWA, the WateReuse Research Foundation, Water Environment Federation, and National Water Research Institute developed a DPR framework document that provides information about the value of DPR as a water supply option and the fundamental components to implementing a DPR program. Regardless of the source, all water distributed to US communities as potable water must meet drinking water quality standards derived from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Established in 1974, SDWA provides the framework for USEPA to set

the minimum quality standards for drinking water and requires all public water suppliers to comply with those standards. Further, source water for potable reuse is also regulated further upstream. The Clean Water Act (CWA), established in 1972, regulates pollutant discharges and allows USEPA to set quality standards for US surface waters. The CWA was integral for protecting and improving the quality of source waters throughout the nation, thereby making potable water reuse attainable. Building on these two critical pieces of legislation, the water industry can use potable reuse to augment public water supplies in a manner that protects public health. Potable reuse is also growing in popularity in Canada and Mexico. However, specific potable reuse regulations haven’t been developed in either country, and potable reuse projects are considered on a case-by-case basis where appropriate.

Potable Reuse Treatment Public health protection is at the forefront of potable reuse. A wide range of established treatment options and process combinations is available to ensure potable reuse

Advanced water treatment facility

Community

Wastewater treatment facility

Drinking water treatment facility

Surface water or groundwater supply

Figure 2: Indirect Potable Reuse: It Means That, After Extensive Treatment, Water Spends Time in an Environmental Buffer Before Undergoing Additional Treatment and Entering the Potable Distribution System.

May, 2018

MUNICIPAL WATER

WATER REUSE

Engineered storage buffer Advanced water treatment facility *

Wastewater treatment facility Community

Drinking water treatment facility Surface water or groundwater supply

Figure 3: Direct Potable Reuse: It Eliminates the Environmental Buffer Associated with Indirect Potable Reuse, Relying on More Robust and Redundant Treatment.

produces the best water quality that protects against adverse health effects from contaminant exposure. Public health concerns are a driving force to advance research efforts, develop new regulations, enhance treatment technologies, and train skilled water operators. First Treatment Points As many as four different treatment points are associated with potable reuse. First, all wastewater is treated before discharge using one or more of the following steps: • Preliminary Treatment: Removal of suspended and floating particles that may cause operational or maintenance problems with subsequent treatment processes. • Primary Treatment: Removal of a portion of the suspended solids and organic matter. • Secondary Treatment: Removal of most of the suspended solids and organic matter. • Tertiary Treatment: Removal of targeted dissolved solids and finer suspended materials. Second Treatment Points This treated wastewater becomes the source of supply for potable reuse, which uses a

May, 2018

combination of advanced processes in the second point of treatment. A comprehensive summary of advanced treatment options is provided in the aforementioned DPR framework document, including the following: • Biological Treatment: The use of bacteria and other microorganisms to consume and remove organic materials and nutrients in the water; examples include biologically active media filters and anaerobic denitrifying filters (specifically for removing nitrate and nitrite). • Membrane Filtration: Processes that use a membrane barrier with microscopic pores to remove suspended particles and pathogenic microorganisms; examples include microfiltration and ultrafiltration. • Membrane Desalination: Processes that use a nonporous, semi-permeable membrane barrier to remove salts, pharmaceuticals, and other dissolved contaminants; examples include reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. • Ozone: A powerful oxidant used for disinfection and breaking down organic contaminants, including pharmaceuticals. • Advanced Oxidation:

Processes used to achieve significant pathogen disinfection and break down organic contaminants, including pharmaceuticals; examples include ozone or ultraviolet light in combination with hydrogen peroxide. An advanced treatment plant for potable reuse will include many of these processes in combination to achieve water quality goals as well as provide resilient, redundant, and robust treatment in a multiple-barrier approach to contaminant removal. Third Treatment Point In addition to the wastewater and advanced potable reuse treatment described here, IPR also uses an environmental buffer either before or after advanced treatment as the third point of treatment. The environmental buffer may be a groundwater aquifer, surface water reservoir, or even natural or constructed wetlands, providing storage, hydraulic transport, and an additional barrier for protecting public health. Although DPR doesn’t include an environmental barrier, it does use an engineered storage buffer. If the DPR approach involves blending the purified water with raw

water supplies prior to a subsequent drinking water plant, the engineered storage buffer occurs between the advanced and drinking water treatment plants. For pipe-to-pipe DPR, the engineered storage buffer occurs between the advanced treatment plant and potable water distribution system.

Public Education and Outreach Public engagement is critical to the success of potable reuse projects. As water stressors continue to grow and potable reuse expands, it’s necessary to provide transparent communication, build consumer confidence, and address public concerns, all of which require a comprehensive program of public and political involvement and education. First, it’s essential to inform communities in a proactive manner, addressing key questions: Where does your water come from? Why do we need alternative water sources? Answering these questions for consumers will improve public understanding of water supply and treatment, which is crucial to informed decision making. It’s also important to make the natural water cycle a part of the conversation. All water on Earth is used and reused, over and over. Water reuse happens daily all over the world. When a community’s treated used water is discharged into rivers and streams, downstream users clean and reuse that water. Collaborative and cooperative outreach with a uniform message and consistent terminology are needed for public acceptance of potable reuse projects. Accordingly, it’s beneficial to initiate community and media outreach several years before construction of potable reuse treatment facilities is scheduled to begin. Project success requires sufficient time to create rapport, build trust, and establish effective communication strategies with the public and

media. The successful implementation and ongoing success of potable reuse projects rely on educating and encouraging local communities to gain support.

The Future of Potable Reuse Water is a precious, yet limited, resource that must be used more efficiently. It’s imperative that supplies remain available and preserved for future generations. Potable reuse is a viable and environmentally friendly strategy for achieving improved efficiency, and it will undoubtedly play a significant role in water supply portfolios in the future. To implement and expand potable reuse projects, guidance and standards must be continually enhanced, process control must be refined as treatment technologies and strategies evolve, and customized operator training and certification must be developed. Additionally, as more municipalities and water agencies embrace the benefits of potable reuse, it’s increasingly critical to mitigate concerns and promote public confidence about potable reuse. About the Author Alex Gerling is a water reuse engineer with AWWA, Denver. Source: This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Opflow, the water industry’s most popular resource on operations issues published by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The award-winning monthly magazine presents new and established technologies and ideas that readers can apply to water treatment and distribution as well as wastewater operations. Opflow is a benefit for members of AWWAIndia and a valued resource for water professionals around the world. To join AWWAIndia, visit awwaindia.org. To view the original article, see https://doi.org/10.5991/OPF.201 8.44.0001.

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MARKET

POSTEVENT

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WATER SECURITY IN TAMIL NADU

THE 1-DAY “NATIONAL Conference on Water Security in Tamil Nadu” was recently organized jointly by the State Government of Tamil Nadu (India), IIT Madras, Madras School of Economics and Tamil Nadu Water Investment Initiative, to mark the importance of the World Water Day (22nd March 2018) and to flag the joint initiative of various institutions and stakeholders to discuss and suggest technological and policy options to achieving water security in Tamil Nadu. The conference was inaugurated by Thiru D. Jayakumar, Hon’ble Minister for Fisheries & Personnel, Administrative Reforms, and Thiru S.P.

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Velumani, Hon’ble Minister for Municipal Administration & Rural Development, Implementation of Special Programmes. The State Government of Tamil Nadu’s Vision TN 2023 lays a credible infrastructure agenda and recognizes the need to achieve universal and affordable water access for all sections of society as a key goal. It is one of the few states to initiate large-scale projects including sea-water desalination while also addressing grass-root initiatives which includes successful awareness creation and implementation efforts with rainwater harvesting. Despite these initiatives, Tamil Nadu continues to face serious con-

straints in meeting its demand for water. Therefore, continued focus on progressive policies, a creation of strong capable institutions and innovative project interventions are critical to attaining water security and universally accessible and affordable water across all user groups and sections of society. This conference was restricted to the challenges and opportunities in achieving “Water Security for Agriculture in TN, and for domestic sector in Chennai City”, as envisioned in Vision TN 2023 document. With regard to agriculture, the conference deliberated on several challenges such as: • Ways to augment water

resources availability, • Ways to mitigate vulnerability arising from monsoon failures, • Scaling up Systems of Rice Intensification, • Treatment and re-use of wastewater for agriculture, • Involvement of local communities in water conservation, and • Enhance industry-government-academia interactions to improve water use efficiency in agriculture. Likewise, the conference also deliberated on several challenges in meeting the requirement of domestic water with specific reference to Chennai City: • How do we reduce non-rev-

enue water and progressively shift to 24x7 supply, • What technological options are available for greater use of wastewater in the domestic sector, • Introducing user charges for enhancing the sustainable provision of water, • Adoption of a mission mode to eliminate “Open Defecation” and to achieve “Total Sanitation” in Chennai City. The conference had several eminent speakers, from Govt., academia, and agricultural communities, specialists in water technologies, social scientists, urban planners, and NGOs from Tamil Nadu and other states of India.

May, 2018

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POSTEVENT

1-DAYNATIONALWORKSHOP - AROADMAP FOR SMALL-SCALE STPS IN INDIA: FULFILLING THEIR POTENTIALFOR HEALTHYAND WATER-SECURE CITIES The aim of this event was to present the results of a two year research project and to discuss with participants how to take small-scale sanitation forward in India. By Lukas Ulrich Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations for More Sustainable Small-Scale Sanitation

ON 5 APRIL, a national workshop on small-scale sewage treatment plants was organized in New Delhi by Eawag, BORDA, IIT Madras, and CDD Society, etc. Ever-growing Indian cities are facing enormous water and sanitation challenges, ranging from supply of sufficient quantities and qualities of water, treatment of used water and sludge, and protection of aquatic environments. For wastewater management alone, huge financial resources are needed to build and operate the required infrastructure. Besides underground drainage and large-scale sewage treatment plants (STPs), small-scale sanitation (SSS) systems are becoming increasingly important. Such systems consist of small-scale sewerage networks and STPs, allowing for treatment and recycling of used water near its point of generation. In order

May, 2018

to protect the environment, improve public health and relieve water stress in urban India, SSS systems have a key role to play. The benefits of such systems, typically serving 10 to 1000 households, have long been recognised. These systems allow for stage-wise, modular and flexible implementation and thus, cost-effective local wastewater treatment and reuse. Small-scale STPs are therefore gaining interest and the number of units installed in India is growing fast. However, a majority of these systems are underperforming owing to poor planning and weak monitoring systems, poorly trained personnel and other reasons. In some Indian cities this has recently made the headlines as new STP and water reuse policies faced the wrath of building owners and apartment associations, highlighting the need for pragmatic solutions.

In view of these challenges, a research project called “Small-Scale Sanitation Scaling Up” (4S) was launched in 2016. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded study is supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and aims to evaluate the current experience with small-scale STPs. Over the last two years, the research consortium consisting of Eawag (Switzerland), IIT Madras, BORDA (Germany), and CDD Society studied more than 300 existing SSS systems and their enabling environment. The final project goal is to provide policy recommendations to increase the success rate of these systems so they can fulfil their potential.

A National Workshop on Small-Scale STPs At the workshop held in New Delhi the research consortium presented the results of their field study to a national audience. 120 participants attended the event, including stakeholders from government, utilities, industry, academia, donors and NGOs. The workshop provided a platform

to discuss the prerequisites for a successful scale-up of SSS systems that ensures public health, environmental protection, and safe water reuse.

The Way Forward The scale-up of SSS is already a reality in India. An estimated 20,000 systems have been built to date, providing an alternative to conventional large-scale STPs. The 4S results show that the necessary treatment performance for water reuse can be achieved by a wide range of suitable technologies available on the market. However, an array of practical challenges currently hinders systems from fulfilling important sustainability requirements. This leads to a large number of underperforming systems that are unable to fulfil their purpose. What is currently missing is a strategic management and regulation of the scale-up process. In other words, suitable policy and institutional frameworks have to be established to facilitate and support the planning, implementation, handover and long-term operation of well-designed systems. Several key recommendations emerged from the workshop presentations and discussions: • A management system with

clear responsibilities and adequate human resources is needed, starting with a centralised, geo-referenced database for planning and monitoring of SSS systems. • An online database could boost the market for treated water by matching producers with potential users. • Technology choice should follow a more systematic process, ensuring the consideration of lifecycle costs of systems. • Design guidelines and minimum standards for small STPs are required to ensure units are able to reach performance expectations. • Adequate training, certification and accreditation mechanisms are needed to capacitate and support operators. • Technology providers and designers should provide operational support and take responsibility for good performance during the first years of operation. • There is a need for pragmatic water quality standards for small STPs, taking into account different reuse options. • The right financial incentives should be provided to stakeholders, such as property tax rebates for apartment owners who correctly operate STPs.

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RAAHATSANITATION CONFERENCE 2018 The event aimed at bringing together the experience and expertise of sanitation entrepreneurs who are working towards tackling obstacles that are confronting the industry. By EW News Bureau

TO CELEBRATE THE achievements and the efforts made in the sanitation sphere, Project Raahat hosted the Raahat Sanitation Conference, in partnership with Garv Toilets on the occasion of the World Water Day, March 22, 2018. The event was organized to acknowledge the spirit of innovation, ideation and collaboration. It aimed at bringing together the experience and expertise of sanitation entrepreneurs who are working towards tackling obstacles that are confronting the industry and providing sustainable solutions for the same. It also brought to light new technologies that can be adequately adopted to increase impact and efficiency in the sector. In order to provide an onground insight on the practicalities regarding urban slum sanitation, Project Raahat invited their slum sanitation entrepreneurs to narrate their experiences by way of an extremely heartfelt account. Their life experiences not only moved but also inspired all the attendees. They went on to

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highlight the exemplary change that Project Raahat has brought about in all the communities in which it has intervened and the consistency with which they remain the sector leaders. The first panel discussion was based on the freshwater crisis in the country.The discussion was held by esteemed panelists in the form of Mr. Parag Aggarwal (Founder and CMD,Janajal), Ms. Jyoti Sharma (President, FORCE) and Mr. Ranjan K Panda (WaterMan of Odisha). It addressed the solutions for the same and talked about harnessing natural resources for proper sanitation. The panelists ardently believed that the solution for water treatment was available in the nature and that we must attempt to solve the issues that confront this sector using its great potential. The second panel discussion touched upon ‘Menstrual Hygiene’, an integral part of personal health and sanitation. It was a discussion on methods of tackling the taboo plaguing menstrual hygiene and ensur-

ing affordability of instruments conducted conducively by Smita Kulkarni (Founder, Stonesoup.in), Anju Bisht (CoDirector, Amrita SeRVe), Anju Arora (Founder, NARI) and Kavya Menon (Co-Founder, Sustainable Menstrual Collectives, Kerala). It provided useful insights into various substitutes for the contemporary sanitary napkins. The third panel emphasised on ‘Build-Maintain-Treat’. It was a discussion on infrastructure of toilets, its maintenance and faecal sludge management between Mayank Midha (Founder, Garv Toilets), Venugopal Gupta (Director, Toilet Board Coalition) and Bhawna Prakash (Director, Ernst and Young LLP). It posed the essential question of whether free usage of public and community toilets would be beneficial for the government in the long run or not. The panelists firmly refuted the belief that free usage results in over-utilisation and vandalism. These were followed by a workshop on behavioral change, as the key element of

inducing social change is introducing a behavioral shift in the community. This workshop witnessed an engrossing discussion on the same, which was followed by a discussion on the various measures of impact assessment. The panel, head by Dr. Roshan Lal, Department of Psychology and Sidharth Das, Programme Leader, India Sanitation Coalition, believed in community engagement and reinforcement activities for successful sensitisation. An interactive activity was carried out with the audience which pro-

vided them with a hands-on experience on designing sensitisation strategies. In appreciation of this initiative, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Suresh Prabhu sent their choicest wishes to the team. The word of wisdom and appreciation by Smt. Shubha Bhambhani, ITS Officer, Ministry of Communication anf Information Telecommunication, served to motivate all present at the conference. The eventful conference was brought to a remarkable end, creating a resonating impact on the minds of all present there. Enactus is an international not-for-profit organization which aims to take entrepreneurial action for social empowerment with its chapters across 36 countries. One such chapter of Enactus works in Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, which is the parent body of Project Raahat, and works towards providing digital literacy and eradicating open defecation across the country.

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INNOVATION SUMMIT Schneider Electric India organized sessions on future of energy, disruptive technology, product innovation captivate participants with a commitment to make the new India energy positive at the global tour of its Innovation Summit. By EW News Bureau

Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, THE global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, hosted its first Innovation Summit in India on March 19 and 20 in New Delhi. The summit brought together more than 2,000 customers, policy makers and industry leaders. Leaders shared critical insights on how automation and digitisation are helping to manage energy with disruptive

The Innovation Hub

May, 2018

technology tools leading to efficiency in business. The summit also reiterated Schneider Electric’s commitment to a sustainability agenda and complete alignment with the Indian government’s long-term goal of bringing down carbon footprint. Addressing the plenary, Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, said the country is poised for paradigm shifts with huge disruptions in physical infrastructure. “We are creating 100 smart cities with another 50 cities which will be connected by metro and a few connected with bullet trains. The government is converging physical infrastructure with biometric-based digital infrastructure to improve human lives with uninterrupted water and electricity supplies, efficient public transportation, quality education and healthcare services.” Opening the plenary session of the summit, Anil Chaudhry, Zone President and Managing Director of Schneider Electric India said,

“Schneider Electric’s technologies are powering businesses and key government programmes including Make in India, Smart Cities Mission and Electric Mobility. Nearly 15% per cent of India’s solar capacity is based on Schneider technology. Digitisation and IoT are going to transform India’s energy ecosystem so that all citizens have access to uninterrupted electricity at affordable rates.” The event featured strategic discussions and interactive deep-dive sessions among over 50 expert speakers from Schneider Electric besides a diverse group of customers and partners from India and across the Asia Pacific region. It was designed to further accelerate digital solutions to make New India Energy Positive. The expert sessions included those on intuitive industries, living spaces of the future, leveraging IoT in manufacturing facilities, enabling digital hospitals, re-imagining data centres for a connected tomorrow, empowering industrial OEMs for the digital era, inclusive growth of India through skill development and rural electrification. The summit also showcased Schneider Electric’s Innovation Hub, an exhibition of the company's rich portfolio of software, solutions and services. The integrated zone displayed its next-generation EcoStruxure™ architecture and platform that delivers IoTenabled open and interoperable solutions across user segments. The company also dis-

Anil Chaudhry, Zone President & MD, Schneider Electric India

played its new range of IoT enabled smart home solutions called ‘Connected Homes’. It ran digital demos bringing the innovative platforms closer to its customers as well as to a broader audience. Given the huge potential in the electric vehicle charging space, Schneider Electric also displayed its EV charging infrastructure named EVLinks. EVLinks is already available in different markets across the world and the company is keen to tap into the nascent Indian market for the same. The EV charging platform can be installed both at homes as well as public places.

The event showcased the integrated command centre of the Naya Raipur smart city. Schneider Electric is developing the country’s first green field smart city at Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The integrated project for Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) will cover the entire gamut of public services like transportation, surveillance, citizen applications, end-toend smart grid solutions, endto-end water management system and integrated building management system. It will have a centralised command and control centre to manage emergency responses as well.

The Panel Discussion

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Global Decentralized Packaged/Containerized Water Treatment Systems Market - Frost & Sullivan WATER STRESS, SCARCITY across the globe coupled with stringent regulations has spurred the demand for fast, sustainable and economical solutions. Decentralization of water and wastewater treatment systems has emerged as an economical alternative to conventional centralized treatment systems. Most urban regions have preferred conventional centralized treatment systems in the past, as it has a long project cycle and requires a large footprint. It is often characterized by challenges like lack of efficiency, high operation, and maintenance cost. Additionally, a centralized treatment system requires an extensive piping network with expensive pumping station infrastructure and related energy cost. D e c e n t r a l i z e d packaged/containerized treatment system has a compact, modular construction (with plug & play characteristics) which allows for easy transportation and installation in a short period of time. It is also easily scalable, has a smaller footprint, and is highly efficient with lower energy consumption. The predominantly used technologies for water treatment are a combination of Reverse Osmosis (RO), Ultra Filtration (UF) or Microfiltration (MF), Media based filtration systems, Ion exchange treatment systems and Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF). Disinfection units are add-ons to the treatment systems. The treatment technologies commonly used for wastewater treatment are Membrane Bio Reactor

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(MBR), Membrane Aerated Bioreactor (MABR), Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR), Submerged Aerated Filter (SAF), Sequential Bioreactor (SBR), Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC), and other technologies such as sludge dewatering equipment and anaerobic treatment systems. The key drivers for decentralized packaged/containerized treatment systems are rapid urbanization and industrialization coupled with enforcement of regulations. New or revised water policies across the globe are aiming at a circular economy approach to mitigate water stress or scarcity and achieve high levels of sustainability through decentralization. Smart city policies especially in Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe exclusively calls for implementation of decentralized treatment systems in both urban & rural centers with an aim to reduce extensive piping network and provide onsite recycling & reuse benefits. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the global market for decentralized packaged /containerized water and wastewater treatment systems market is 3.09 Billion USD in 2016. And it is expected to reach 6.08 Billion USD by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%. Industries are the major end users of the decentralized packaged/containerized water and wastewater treatment systems constituting almost 48% of the market followed by the municipal and commercial end users who constitute 27.2% and 24.7% respectively. The fastest growing market for decentralized packaged/containerized water

treatment systems is APAC region which is set to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% on the back of strong demand from India and China. Water stress or scarcity is the key growth factor. India has made a significant investment in river clean-up projects and urban development projects such as Namami Gange and Atal Mission for Rural and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Both these projects envision the need for 100% water and sanitation coverage in targeted towns and cities. These projects are exploring decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions. Industries in China have come under pressure to comply with the stringent regulation or face closure and are thus adopting decentralized packaged/containerized treatment system as a stop-gap solution. Europe is currently the largest market for decentralized packaged/containerized treatment systems. The EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban wastewater treatment directive implies the need for discharge standards to be met even by small communities or settlements. More than 200 European cities are currently being developed as smart cities, new semi-urban and suburban communities are being connected with decentralized treatment systems. This has helped reduce cost and keep pace with urbanization without stress on the existing infrastructure. Horizon 2020, an EU funded program for research and innovation emphases the need for innovation in water management and efficiency in water infrastructure to mitigate water stress. This has

brought decentralized solutions to a spotlight in Europe. The Middle East and Africa are emerging markets for decentralized treatment systems. Gulf countries are increasingly diversifying their industrial base to reduce their reliance on oil & gas. This will lead to increased adoption of decentralized treatment solutions to serve industrial needs. African governments are looking towards desalination, recycling, and reuse of water to mitigate water scarcity. The resurgence of manufacturing industries and the growth of shale gas exploration and production have provided significant opportunities in North America, whereas increasing pressure from the international organizations to safeguard the environment is gradually pushing Latin American countries to adopt decentralized solutions. Countries such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina are exploring decentralized solutions for municipal and industrial requirements. The decentralized treatment systems market is highly fragmented and end-users are relatively price-sensitive. Veolia and Suez are the global market leaders with a large municipal and industrial customer base. Fluence, EEC Global, MENA Water, WesTech, and WPL are some of the leading Tier-II companies that have a strong regional presence with a significant installed base in America, Europe, and the Middle East. Other companies like Delphin, Devise Engineering S.A, Aqwise and Ion Exchange

have presence in multiple regions and mostly cater to industrial and commercial end users. Compact, modular, easily transportable and scalable features of decentralized packaged/containerized treatment systems has given rise to the adoption of new business models such as Water as a Service (WaaS) and pay for performance. Companies like Clearford Inc. have successfully implemented the pay for performance model for a suburban community in Canada. These innovative business models prove highly beneficial for both end user and the manufacturer especially when the end user does not have the requisite funding. Additionally, it incentivizes treatment efficiency and promotes the development of sustainable technologies. Smart-IoT enabled process control and management is the future of the decentralized packaged/containerized treatment systems. AI and cloud computing are set to play a significant role in the efficient and fully automated operation of the treatment system.

About the Author Paul Hudson is a Senior Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan @FrostSullivanEE

May, 2018

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The Case for Valuing Water in the Philippines Discussing the importance of valuing water, as well as the development of economic and policy frameworks developed by Aither for the Australian Water Partnership designed to improve resource governance. By Yang Villa, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Huw (Foreground, Back Turned) Presenting to Government Officials During Our Meeting with NWRB in 2017

WHILE LISTENING TO this interview, I was reminded of a feeling I get at any major water conference that there are not enough economists present. Economics, after all, is the study of maximizing and allocating welfare given scarce resources – the problem of optimization. There needs to be more discussion about optimized allocation given all the talk about water scarcity at these events. When public policy on water resources is developed, it is also often the case that the economic viewpoint is either not represented or fully understood. In the Philippines, where I work, regulatory bodies are dominated by technical experts whose contributions are no doubt essential to the function of public agencies. However, without the work of economists to weigh values, manage trade-offs, and design incentive structures, the policies and programs arising from the good work of technical professionals may be blind to a myriad of socio-economic factors affecting resource governance.

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May, 2018

The example of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), the agency responsible for allocating water extraction and use in the Philippines, reflects the importance of economic valuation when allocating water. Guided by the Water Code of the Philippines, the NWRB implements a rigid allocation protocol governed by type of water use. In decreasing order, the hierarchy of water use prioritizes domestic potable use before irrigation, power generation, industrial use, and then recreation and other non-essential uses. This hierarchy is strictly observed regardless of seasonal conditions, physical constraints, or user demand. On several occasions, this rigidity has given rise to conflict among competing water users. For example, farmers in the Province of Bulacan have claimed damages against the decision of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to increase domestic bulk water allocations for Metropolitan Manila from the Angat Dam at the expense of irrigators. In cases such as this, economists can contribute to policymaking by evaluating and weighing water-use values,

which consider the contextual nature of water use and not merely its type of use. When resource allocation decisions consider these values, water is able to (quite literally) flow to users who place higher importance on available water resources at any given time. For example, during cropping seasons farmers place a higher value on water relative to the use-value for domestic potable water. Thus, this approach enables flexibility and compromise in order to optimize water allocation.

Why Economic Valuation is Important Economic valuation is the process of identifying, quantifying, and comparing values of one good to another, or the multiple uses of a single product. It is used as a tool for making decisions about resource allocation. Flexible water allocation regimes, as described above, require economic valuation in order to optimize resources at any given time. In his Kini interview, Huw Pohlner suggested that there is a need to inform resource governance with economic valuation. According to Huw, economic valuation provides governments with a “riskbased approach to identify...the core problems of their water management policy, so that they can identify opportunities to maximize the resources that are available to them.” Valuation is also useful on the project level. One method employed to make decisions on the project level is economic cost-benefit analysis (CBA),

which accounts and compares all economic costs and benefits to society. This whole-ofsociety approach lends greater weight to overall social impact than typical investment methods such as capital budgeting which uses metrics such as payback period and return on investment to measure a project’s impact only to the investor. Economic CBA can help decision-makers - whether they are project proponents, approving bodies, regulators, or special interest groups make informed decisions by presenting a broad and balanced view that considers project impact to a greater number of stakeholders. It also "gives voice" to nonhuman stakeholders such as animals, natural ecosystems, and biodiversity. Techniques such as shadow pricing, natural capital valuation, and willingness-to-pay can enhance the value of maintaining ecosystem services, thereby promoting protection and conservation rather than extraction or degradation. In the case of NWRB's allocation decisions, economic CBA might actually reflect the need to allocate more volume for environmental flow relative to currently allowed extraction volumes.

Applying Economic Valuation in the Philippines Through a partnership between Metro Pacific Water and Aither, foreshadowed in Huw’s Kini interview, I have been working with Huw to evaluate a water supply project in the Philippines where we employ economic valua-

tion and CBA to aid investment decisions. We compare baseline (business-as-usual) case with the proposed project case to determine under which scenario the beneficiary community is better or worse off. Economic CBA is useful in this case because it identifies multiple ways that the project can benefit the community. When the project’s benefits exceed costs, the resulting “net benefits” helps justify the need for the project. Even a CBA that initially results in “net costs” is helpful because it guides the project proponent to re-calibrate the project in such a way that it results in a net benefit. On the policy front, I am also working with Huw to introduce economic valuation to Philippine regulatory bodies, including the NWRB, using Aither's WaterGuide. This is timely because the NWRB has recently conducted a series of national consultations which will lead to the development of a National Water Security Roadmap. We hope this will be shaped and guided by the concepts and tools of economic valuation. Yang Villa is Senior Manager for Public-Private Partnerships & Lead for Industry Innovation, Metro Pacific Water and Co-Founder, Philippines Young Water Professionals. The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) is an Australian Government development initiative enhancing the sustainable management of water across the Indo-Pacific. @WaterPartnersAU

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WATER WISE

HowDo We Ensure Social AccountabilityIn Water Sector: Lessons From AThinkShop By Avinash Kumar

IN MY LAST COLUMN, I talked about the centuries-old vision of community-based water management practices, which can still enrich us provided we take lessons from it. However, today the world has been evolving into far more complex structures. The state is now playing a far more central role in our lives, where societies have formalized a comprehensive contract with the same. As a result, the state has become the ultimate duty bearer to the people in terms of providing basic services including water. What does it mean in terms of real translation of this social contract? Does it simply mean an organized delivery of services overseen by the state or does it also mean that people do have a role to play in it? If the latter is true, then how do we ensure that? What kind of institutional structures, tools, and practices could make that happen, so that this does not remain a pipe dream, literally! With these questions in mind, more than 80 practitioners and researchers from 20 countries attended a three-

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day event ‘Think Shop’ in Dares-Salaam (Tanzania) in March 2018. The event was co-hosted by Water Witness International, Shahidi Wa Maji, University of Glasgow, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Oxfam, WaterAid and Water Integrity Network. The overall event framework was to organize these thoughts under ‘social accountability’, a term that has increasingly gained coin in development practitioner’s world. According to a World Bank e-guide, ‘Social Accountability (SA) is an approach to governance that involves citizens and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in public decision making. SA interventions can enable citizens and civil society actors to articulate their needs to governments and service providers on policy-making, the management of public finances and resources, service delivery and also participate in monitoring the public sector and giving feedback on government performance.’ If we have to look at the relevance of SA, then how do we ensure that it does not merely happen at the top, through a political process, but ensures everyday institutionalization of such practices on the ground. It would also mean a critical shift in the role of nonprofit organizations and civil society practitioners, who in many circumstances have been comfortable delivering services rather than helping people to ask questions. The implicit belief in this framework is that it will lead to increased citizen empowerment by enabling the disad-

vantaged and marginalized to express voice, claim rights and balance power relationships, lead to better governance, development, and democracy through greater transparency and integrity within public institutions and efficient last mile delivery of quality services. While numerous thoughtprovoking examples of social accountability measures were shared at the workshop, in my opinion, three of them stood out, especially for the Indian context. The first pertains to budget advocacy. A standout story was from Kenya where consistent advocacy for people’s participation in the budgeting process has led to the government issuing formal guidelines for public participation in the budgeting process and also public sharing of quarterly budget spends. What came out very clearly is that budget advocacy needs to cover all levels, from national to local and all relevant institutions. Hence, while the Finance Ministry may be in charge of allocations, it will be important to engage relevant committees or technical working groups of which would need to be advised towards budget asks. A critical group, which is often missed out from the oversight of CSOs is that of audit agencies who are mandated to conduct periodic audits of all the public services. The institutionalization of this process has already shown positive results in terms of greater transparency and prioritization of people’s needs. A recent entry point that has emerged in India in

this regard is thanks to the financial devolution implemented in the wake of 14th Finance Commission recommendations. The very process of Gram Panchayat development plans which are merging as key documents for village level annual budgeting will need to be engaged with proactively by CSOs. It will also need a huge amount of investment in developing Panchayats’ capacities to identify issues, prioritize them and ensure a robust planning and tracking of their budgets. The second interesting case was also from Kenya, which highlights how new technology is not only there to command and control but also to monitor and hold agencies accountable. An app-based real-time feedback mechanism on water services, its availability and quality directly fed by people in Nairobi on a pilot basis is leading to positive responses from the public services authorities in real time too. All of this goes to a server, which in turn is monitored by the government agencies while the local CSO provides them the data, ensuring a transparent third-party monitoring mechanism. A larger scale-up of the pilot is already being planned. In India, it could be a game changer for the larger swathes of rural India if technology could be simplified further to include basic and not just smartphones. After all, data already says that there are many more phones in India than toilets. The third presentation worth mentioning here is from India itself presented by Public Affairs Centre, which

with technical support from WaterAid used the tool of Citizen Report Cards (CRCs) in two states of Tamil Nadu and Odisha on water and sanitation services. Two CRCs were conducted within a gap of two years’ time in the same locations to (a) compare the performance of the districts currently under Swachh Bharat Mission Rural or SBM-G, (b) assess whether any of the issues and bottlenecks flagged in the first phase showed any improvement, and (c) measure citizen engagement and satisfaction of the beneficiaries with the process of building individual household latrines under SBM-G. While the findings brought forth critical gaps in the framework and implementation of the government scheme, its applicability at a larger scale on a regular basis needs to be explored further. Citizen Report Cards, Social Audits are among tools which various social sector organizations have been experimenting with across sectors for a while. It is here that the mandated Panchayati Raj Committees like Village Water and Sanitation Committee’s role becomes critical to ensure innovative community-based planning, management and monitoring of services. A good amount of such work has happened in the health sector and in education. Perhaps, now is the time to ensure the same for water. Avinash Kumar is Director Programme, and Policy at WaterAid India. @Avinashkoomar

May, 2018

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PolicyTools to Achieve Urban Water Security By Robert C Brears

TRADITIONALLY, URBAN WATER managers, faced with increasing demand for water alongside varying levels of supplies, have relied on largescale, supply-side infrastructural projects, such as dams and reservoirs, to meet increased demands for water. This supply-side approach, however, is under increasing pressure from climate change, rapid population and economic growth and even land-use changes impacting the availability of good quality water of sufficient quantities. To enhance urban water security, water managers are turning towards demand-side management which aims to improve the provisions of existing water supplies before new supplies are developed. There are two types of policy tools available to achieve urban water security: fiscal tools and non-fiscal tools.

Fiscal Tools to Achieve Urban Water Security Fiscal tools include water pricing and the use of subsidies and rebates to modify water users’ behavior in a predictable, cost-effective way. Urban water managers typically price water using increasing block tariff rates, which contain different prices for two or more pre-specified quantities (blocks) of water

May, 2018

with the price increasing with each successive block, or twopart tariff systems which contain a fixed charge and variable charge. Subsidies and rebates meanwhile are used to encourage water users to make sustainable consumption choices, for instance, subsidies are commonly used to encourage the uptake of water-saving devices and water-efficient appliances or technologies while rebates are commonly used to accelerate the replacement of old waterusing fixtures and appliances. Overall, positive incentives are found to be more effective than disincentives in promoting water conservation. Cape Town Hiking Its Water Tariffs The City of Cape Town has a block rate tariff structure for water consumption. Due to the drought, the city has announced it is increasing its water prices in a bid to reduce water consumption. The price for water will increase by 27% from July 1, 2018, and increase by another 30.45% in 2019 followed by a 22% rise in 2020/2021. This will result in the price of water more than doubling between July 1, 2018, and July 1, 2020. In the first round of tariff increases, the new tariffs on a monthly bill for non-indigent persons will range from R179.58 for the first 6 kilolitres of water consumed (with indigent people receiving the first 6 kilolitres free per month) to R20,365.56 for consumption over 50 kilolitres. New York City’s On-Site Water Reuse Grant Pilot Program New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection has launched its On-Site Water Reuse Grant

Pilot Program to provide commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily residential property owners with incentives to install water reuse systems. Grants are available for water reuse systems at the individual building and district level, with district-scale projects involving two or more parcels of land such as a housing development, where the project reduces demand in the shared distribution system. Individual building-scale projects can receive up to $250,000 in reimbursement for a system designed to save at least 32,000 gallons per day (GPD), and district-scale projects are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in reimbursement for a system designed to save at least 94,000 GPD. The NYC Construction Code regulates two types of on-site water reuse systems that can be installed: wastewater reuse systems (black water, grey water, rainwater) for nonpotable uses including flushing of toilets and urinals, laundry, and subsurface drip irrigation systems and rainwater reuse systems for non-potable uses including subsurface drip irrigation.

Non-Fiscal Tools to Achieve Urban Water Security Urban water managers often rely on a range of nonfiscal tools to achieve urban water security including regulations as well as education and public awareness. Regulations often used include permanent and temporary ordinances that restrict certain types of water use during specified times and/or restrict the level of water use to a specific amount. Temporary and permanent ordinances are often used for a variety of purposes

including restricting water levels during droughts as well as for ensuring new developments and renovations implement water-efficient fixtures and appliances. Meanwhile, education and public awareness are important to generate an understanding of water scarcity and create the acceptance of the need to implement water conservation programmes. City of Lancaster’s Ordinances to Combat Water Wastage The City of Lancaster in Canada has adopted two ordinances to conserve local water resources and protect the city from future shortages. The first ordinance is the ‘Prohibition of Wasting Water’ which cautions residents against misusing water that is supplied by a public water system. The code identifies a range of acts that wastewater including allowing a faucet to leak after having been told to fix the problem by a public official and allowing water to leak for an unreasonable length of time. The second ordinance, called ‘Water Efficient Landscape’ restricts the planting of trees and other plants that use large amounts of water and requires the use of ‘smart’ irrigation controllers on new development contracts. This ensures landscape designs are appropriate to the city’s climate and resources. Scottish Water’s Water and Wastewater-Related Games Scottish Water has developed three fun water and wastewater-related games as part of its “Making It Clear” programme. The “Pipeline Challenge” lets the players lay water supply and sewer pipes to complete a water and

wastewater network as fast as they can. This fun and educational game takes users on a journey building the water supply and wastewater networks from the source to tap and then the wastewater back to the natural environment. The “Clean It Up” game lets users discover the treatment stages at a wastewater treatment plant with players taken through two key stages in a plant: the screening stage and the activated sludge stage. Finally, the “Pumping Station” game involves users controlling the water supply to all the people living in a block of flats with users experiencing the effort and energy required to supply clean tap water. As more people use the water, the more water needs supplying, but users will have to make sure they are not using too much energy in the process. To achieve water security, urban water utilities can use a variety of fiscal and non-fiscal demand management tools to balance rising demand with limited and at times variable supplies. Cities, for instance, can develop water pricing structures to encourage water conservation and offer financial incentives to install water-saving technologies such as water reuse systems. They can also use a variety of non-fiscal tools to encourage water conservation and efficiency such as ordinances to ensure water is not wasted as well as educational programmes to encourage young people to understand the water cycle and use water wisely. Robert Brears is the author of Urban Water Security, Founder of Mitidaption, and Our Future Water." @Mitidaption

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PRODUCTS Endress+Hauser Endress+Hauser has introduced the Proline Prosonic Flow E 100 ultrasonic flowmeters for measurement of flow, temperature, and volume of process water regardless of conductivity, pressure, density or temperature. The Prosonic Flow E 100 is ideal for use in industrial, process, power utility, fresh water, steam circuits and boiler feedwater systems. It can measure flow in both directions as well as water temperature, making it ideal for measuring demineralized water in boiler condensate return lines, or monitoring and controlling feedwater temperature. It can also measure flow in water containing magnetite, often found in closed hot water systems for nuclear reactors, wet central heating systems, and boilers. Heartbeat Technology is integrated into the flowmeter, providing self-diagnostics, extensive monitoring of the values measured, and a certified and metrologically traceable verification during operation. The operator does not need to be present in the field for most commissioning and operations activities, improving safety. The Prosonic Flow E 100 also has the HistoROM function, which ensures maximum data safety before, during and after a service call. All calibration data and transmitter parameters are stored securely on the HistoROM data memory and are automatically reloaded after a maintenance event.

Mueller Water Products The Mueller® Encoder Eight (ME-8) Register combines proven reliable mechanical components with an innovative new automated data acquisition system that improves meter accuracy and functionality for utilities. Utilizing a heat-treated tempered glass lens and corrosion resistant copper can house the register light tubes, electronics, self-lubricating gearing and drive magnet, the ME-8 register is designed to provide 20 years of dependable service with no maintenance required. It is available for use on all current Mueller Systems positive displacement meters from 5/8” through 2” sizes. The ME-8 register delivers extraordinary functionality and value when paired with the latest Mueller Systems metrology and AMR/AMI solutions.

SUEZ SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions has unveiled

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KSB SE & Co. KGaA

In response to the worldwide increase in extra large waste-

water projects, KSB SE & Co. KGaA, Frankenthal, Germany, has significantly extended its range of large dry-installed wastewater pumps. The pump manufacturer has developed an extra 15 sizes to add to its Sewatec Pumps series. The maximum flow rate of the largest version will be up to 33, 000 m³/h with a drive rating exceeding one megawatt. The Sewatec type series comprises horizontally or vertically installed, single-stage volute cas-

a new mobile app, ModuleTrac, for water treatment

plant operators to track, monitor and analyze their ZeeWeed ultrafiltration membranes. The app is the latest offering in SUEZ’s set of digital solutions, which aim to improve customer operations and outcomes using data and analytics. ModuleTrac drives efficiency and productivity for drinking water and wastewater treatment plant operators by simplifying data collection and record-keeping activities related to ZeeWeed membranes. It also provides enhanced visibility into data at the module, cassette and train levels through InSight, a secure Asset Performance Management (APM) solution for monitoring and optimizing water treatment systems. The ModuleTrac app uses an operator’s mobile device to scan and track the location and maintenance history of ZeeWeed membranes using a unique barcode placed on each module. This information is then fed into InSight, which analyzes, archives and reports on the data at a train, cassette or module level. From there, users can view data, run reports and create graphics and charts to monitor and optimize their water treatment systems. Available for iOS and Android devices, the app also utilizes an “offline” mode to capture data without an Internet connection, offering users the additional flexibility to work anytime, anywhere.

WILO Wilo is bringing a new generation of Wilo-Yonos PICO series pumps to the market. A range of new

ing pumps in back pull-out design. Depending on the fluid handled they can be fitted with a variety of impeller types, such as multi-channel impellers and free-flow impellers or singlevane impellers. A worldwide trend towards larger and larger wastewater projects, for example in Mexico City or London, sees gigantic tunnels of unprecedented dimensions being built. This has given rise to a demand for larger and larger wastewater pumps.

features has been added to this renowned circulator for residential buildings. In addition to energy performance, ease of use also plays a major role: Its new features reinforce the traditional qualities. Thanks to the Green Button Technology and to the use of symbols, it is simple for the customer to set the pump. A push button has been added to separate the setting operation and the functions activation. Together with the new functions, the compactness of Wilo-Yonos PICO has been dramatically improved to make it easy to install and use in any application. Front access to motor screws and the Wilo connector position, contribute to the adaptability of the pump in any installation. The new ease of use functions makes its maintenance far easier.

Xylem Xylem Inc. has launched a compact submersible wastewater mixer featuring easily adaptable output capabilities and delivering energy savings of approximately 50 percent. Xylem’s new Flygt 4220 Mixers enhance the resilience and sustainability of wastewater treatment plants, enabling operators to easily manage the mixing conditions by simply adjusting the mixer output. As the Flygt 4220 can be controlled to deliver only the output required, a plant’s energy consumption can be significantly reduced. The Flygt 4220 mixer is based on Xylem’s Flygt Dirigo platform of integrated power electronics, including an IE4 super premium efficiency motor that delivers market-leading efficiency, and is available in 1.5, two, three and four horsepower versions. Flygt 4220 also offers lower investment for rebuild or replacement as it can be redeployed across different tanks and applications.

May, 2018

REGD.NO.MCS/219/2018-20, PUBLISHED ON 5TH OF EVERY MONTH & POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL SORTING OFFICE, DUE DATE 07, 08 & 09 OF EVERY MONTH, REGD. WITH RNI UNDER NO. MAHENG/2017/74894