Express Water (Vol.1, No.8) July, 2018 by Indian Express

CONTENTS MARKET

Vol 01 No 8 July 2018 Pages60 Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka

DESALINATION IN INDIA IS INEVITABLE!

Sr Vice President - BPD

Neil Viegas Editor

Mayur Sharma* DESIGN National Design Editor

Bivash Barua

Assistant Art Director

Pravin Temble Chief Designer

Prasad Tate Senior Designer

- INTERVIEW WITH DEVESH SHARMA, MD, AQUATECH INTERNATIONAL FOCUSSING ON INCREASED AWARENESS OF WATER STANDARDS AND BEING A VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY - INTERVIEW WITH SUNIL TRIVEDI, PRESIDENT, WATER QUALITY INDIA ASSOCIATION (WQIA)

Rekha Bisht Graphic Designer

Gauri Deorukhkar DIGITAL TEAM Head of Internet

Viraj Mehta Web Developer

Dhaval Das

STORMWATER MANAGEMENTAND FLOODS

KNOWLEDGE

Senior Executive - Online

Pushkar Worlikar Executive - Online

Salil Sule SCHEDULING & COORDINATION

Santosh Lokare

As our cities are facing increasingly frequent and severe cases of flooding, Express Water reviews the challenges in addressing urban flooding and managing the stormwater.

Sandeep Patil MARKETING

Kailash Shirodkar

OUT OF THE BOX

23-31 33 34

Photo Editor

WATER DATA

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO FUTURE PROBLEMS... - INTERVIEW WITH DR. MRITUNJAY CHAUBEY, GLOBAL VP ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY, UPL LTD

THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS OF DROUGHTS ON RURAL POPULATIONS PIONEERING FUNDING INITIATIVES IN WATER SECTOR

CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION

INSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE, AND WATER DATA: LEARNING FROM THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE

General Manager

B R Tipnis Manager

Bhadresh Valia

- INTERVIEW WITH PROF. ROB VERTESSEY, ENTERPRISE PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE AND PRINCIPAL, GLOBAL CHANGE ADVISORY

Express Water

TECH FOCUS - WATER SUPPLY

REGD. WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2017/74894. Printed by The Indian Express (P) Ltd.

SECURING RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY TO VILLAGES IN RURAL INDIA 24X7 WATER SUPPLY IN MALKAPUR, MAHARASHTRA

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

P05 : EDITOR’S NOTE

APPLICATION

P06 : IN THE NEWS P12 : PRODUCTS

Point, Mumbai – 400021)

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONCRETE WEDGE ANCHOR FOR YOUR WATER/ WASTEWATER FACILITY

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

July, 2018

EXPRESS WATER

EDITOR’S NOTE

Managing Stormwater & Floods As our cities are facing increasingly frequent and severe cases of flooding, Express Water magazine this month reviews the challenges in addressing urban flooding and managing the stormwater. Unsustainable urban growth combined with the poor management is a major causing factor. A well-planned, sustainable and green infrastructure can help a lot in the long run. By reducing stormwater runoff and protecting floodplains, green infrastructure can help manage both localized and riverine floods. As per National Geographic, in a developed country like the United States, where flood mitigation and prediction is already advanced, floods do about USD 6 billion worth of damage and kill about 140 people every year. A 2007 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that coastal flooding alone does some USD 3 trillion in damage worldwide. In China's Yellow River valley, where some of the world's worst floods have occurred, millions of people have perished in floods during the last century. We can, therefore, understand of implications of these floods in the developing and under-developed countries where the impact is severe not only on the economy but on the overall health, and the growth of a nation. We talked to Dr. Kapil Gupta, Professor at IIT Bombay about the urban flood disaster management methods. After the Mumbai megafloods of 2005, he had actively helped in setting up of Flood Early Warning System in Mumbai using 60 automatic weather stations and designing many flood mitigation works on the Mithi River in Mumbai. His advice is clear - infrasturcture-improvements must be a the top priority in coastal cities and floodprone regions. In our Tech Focus section this month, we have fo-

“When the flood submerges the whole country, no raindrop may feel responsible." -Erik Pevernagie

cused on ‘Water Supply’. There are two case studies. First is based on the ‘One Water LA 2040’ plan in Los Angeles to ensure the city’s water future through collaboration, integration of work and resources, and public involvement. The citywide efforts are expected to change the way Los Angeles residents think about and manage their water. The second case study is based in Malkapur - a small village near Karad in the State of Maharashtra, India. Here, the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), owner of the local water utility ensured a secured & reliable 24x7 water supply by reducing water loss from 35% to 5%. In every country, there are several agencies which collect water data for different reasons. This data is an invaluable asset to analyze the problems in different regions and solving the water scarcity problems accordingly. Professor Rob Vertessey, in his interview inside, talks about the process of gathering and centralizing such water information. He shares his experience of working in India, where he has helped AWP (Australian Water Partnership) in developing a Country Strategy. The focus areas ranged from WASH and water quality problems to water scarcity and flooding, etc. In our next issue (August 2018), we will focus on “Water Infrastructure” and “Water Safety & Security Threats”. 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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July, 2018

IN THE NEWS

Indian Government to Team up with India & Tajikistan Agree to Enhance Mutual Cooperation for Sustainable Water Development Google for Flood Forecasting EW Staff India India and Tajikistan have reaffirmed their commitment to promoting bilateral relations and agreed to enhance economic cooperation, particularly in sustainable water development.

Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, on an official visit to the central Asian republic, held wide-ranging talks with Sirodjidin Muhridin, Foreign Minister of Tajikistan in Dushanbe. The two leaders agreed to

enhance mutual cooperation in the area of sustainable water development. Sirodjidin Muhridin said that India was one of Tajikistan’s reliable political and strategic partners and would also like to expand its economic ties with Indian government.

Agreement Signed with IOCLfor Reuse of 2 Crore Litres of Treated Wastewater for Mathura Refinery

The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari and the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan Witnessing the Signing of Agreement with IOCL

EW Staff India UNION MINISTER NITIN Gadkari presided over the signing of an agreement between NMCG and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for the reuse of 2 crore liters per day of treated sewage water by IOCL’s refinery in Mathura, which has so far been using water from the overstressed Yamuna. The Mathura sewage project is special in three respects. This is the country’s first Integrated Sewage Infrastructure project based

July, 2018

on One City - One-Operator concept, which means that the project integrates building of new STPs and maintenance of the existing infrastructure under one operator for the whole city. Secondly, under this project, the treated sewage water is going to be reused by IOCL, and thirdly, the project is based on Hybrid Annuity Mode, the third of this kind in this sector after the HAM based STPs being developed in Haridwar and Varanasi. The components of the Mathura project include construction, operation, and maintenance of a 30 MLD STP in

Masani, the work for which has been awarded to the Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd. at an estimated cost of Rs. 437.95 crore on Hybrid Annuity Mode. A 20 MLD Tertiary Treatment Plant (TTP) will also be set up for the supply of treated wastewater to Mathura refinery of IOCL. The cost for the development and operation of the TTP for 15 years is Rs. 162.38 crore. IOCL will bear the entire operations and maintenance cost of the TTP amounting to Rs. 82.38 crore for a period of 15 years. Over and above this, IOCL will pay Rs. 8.70 per kilo liter towards the partial capital cost for the development of the TTP. This will save 2 crore liters per day in the water-stressed Yamuna river which was earlier being used by IOCL. This will also promote the market for recycle/reuse of treated wastewater in India, which will further help in sustaining the operation of the infrastructure created, a need-of-the-hour in the sewage sector.

EW Staff India UNION MINISTER FOR Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has expressed hope that collaboration with Google will help in effective flood management in India. Central Water Commission (CWC), India’s apex technical organization in the field of Water Resources, has entered into a collaboration agreement with Google. CWC would use stateof-the-art advances made by Google in the in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and geospatial mapping for effective management of water resources particularly in the field of flood forecasting and dissemination of flood-related

information to the masses widely using the dissemination platforms developed by Google. This initiative is likely to help crisis management agencies to deal with extreme hydrological events in a better manner. Under this Agreement, CWC and Google will share technical expertise in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial mapping and analysis of hydrological observation data to collaborate on (i) improving flood prediction systems, which will help provide location-targeted, actionable flood warnings, (ii) high priority research project utilizing Google Earth Engine to help visualize and improve flood management and (iii) a cultural project to build online exhibitions on the Rivers of India.

World BankApproves Rs.6,000 Crore Atal Bhujal Yojana EW Staff India THE WORLD BANK has approved Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), Rs. 6000 crore central sector scheme of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation. The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with World Bank assistance. Atal Bhujal Yojana has been formulated by the ministry to address the criticality of groundwater resources in a major part of the country. The scheme aims to improve groundwater manage-

ment in priority areas in the country through community participation. The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in the states of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These states represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of groundwater in India. They also cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India - alluvial and hard rock aquifers and have varying degrees of institutional readiness and experience in groundwater management.

EXPRESS WATER

IN THE NEWS

Gradiant Corporation Expands Presence in China China leader named to further Gradiant’s commitment to bring industrial wastewater treatment technology to market.

EW Staff China ON THE HEELS of commissioning its latest zero liquid discharge (ZLD) plant in China, Gradiant Corporation, a leader in innovative solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and desalination, unveiled its plans to further strengthen its presence in the country. Gradiant China will provide industrial water solutions and ZLD technology to treat waste streams from coal-fired power plants, textile

processors, chemical production, oil and gas operations and other industrial facilities. Given the growing emphasis on water reuse and recy-

cling, Gradiant foresees significant opportunity to offer customers the benefit of its innovative products. The Gradiant China team will provide local leadership, sales and service personnel, while product and technology development will remain within the parent, Gradiant Corporation. This approach ensures focus on incountry customer needs while centralizing innovation and intellectual property development. With proven experience in establishing a new business

division in China, Jason Tao Yu has been appointed Managing Director of Gradiant China and will be charged with leading the team. “Reliable, cost-effective wastewater treatment technology is in demand across China as the country’s strict environmental regulations for industrial wastewater discharge have impacted a wide variety of industries,” said Yu. “The future is bright in China where there is ample opportunity for Gradiant’s innovative wastewater treatment tech-

nology to help Chinese industrial facilities meet ZLD requirements.” “Bringing ZLD to life in Jiangsu at a coal-fired power plant marks a major step forward to support China’s industrial sector,” stated Anurag Bajpayee, CEO of Gradiant Corporation. “We look forward to further commercializing Gradiant’s cutting-edge technology for wastewater treatment under Jason’s leadership, to help China’s industrial sector achieve critical ZLD requirements.”

IRCTC Chooses Swajal for its CSR Water ATM Deployments

Endress+Hauser Launches eCommerce Platform

The IoT-driven platform to spearhead operations and maintenance for two RO water vending machines over the next 1 year at the National Rail Museum in Delhi.

The platform is now available on company’s website, provides customers ability to purchase online and access order history.

Mayur Sharma India IRCTC - THE INDIAN Railways-subsidiary has sourced two IoT-enabled water ATMs for the rail museum through the UNDP(United Nations Development Programme) and Viennabased REEEP (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership)-recognized IoTdriven water purification organization ‘Swajal’. Swajal will spearhead the maintenance of the water ATMs at least for 1 year. In line with the initiative, Ministry of Railways and The National Rail Museum has provided the land for the

July, 2018

water ATMs and Swajal has deployed its state-of-the-art machines enabled with IoT technology. The two indigenous water purification systems have also been equipped with display units that simultaneously provide accurate data on water quality and the health of individual machines. Both water ATMs, despite delivering RO water, have minimal water rejection owing to its innovative 10-stage UV

filtration and can dispense up to 200 liters of water per hour. The water dispensed will be free of cost for The National Rail Museum tourists and staff. At the development, Mr. Mahendra Pratap Mall, Chairman & Managing Director at Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) said, “Clean drinking water is a basic day-to-day need and should always be easy on the pocket. Our major objective through this initiative was to cater to this fundamental need for everyone at The National Rail Museum, while also fulfilling our ecological duties.”

EW Staff USA ENDRESS+HAUSER HAS announced its e-Commerce platform. The platform offers customers a personalized shopping experience with a wealth of new features. The platform allows customers to purchase online and provides 24/7 access to detailed information directly on the website, for both online and offline orders. Its features include the ability to access RFQs, quotes, and orders all in one place. Customers now can easily add products to a shopping cart and see their own pricing

details. The new experience streamlines customer procurement processes both online and offline. All transactions are available online, including all purchase documents. It's easy to check the status of current orders and to see order history. Products can be saved in favorite lists for easy reordering and users can assign their own references to products as well. When users would prefer to request a quote first or to ask for technical support in configuration Endress+Hauser's broad network of sales representatives can easily be contacted to finalize selection for the user.

EXPRESS WATER

IN THE NEWS

Innovation Prize Winners Announced at BlueTech Forum 2018 The wastewater treatment and operational intelligence technologies take awards. EW Staff Ireland TECHNOLOGIES FOR WASTEWATER treatment and plant optimization were the winners of the Innovation Showcase at BlueTech Forum. The event attracted 200 delegates and took place in Vancouver, Canada. Aquacycl, which is based in California, won Best Technology Innovation for its bioelectrical treatment technology - BETT - which can directly convert sewage to electrical energy without methane generation. Two pilot projects

Orianna Bretschger, Chief Executive of Aquacycl Receives the BlueTech Forum Innovation Award from BlueTech Chief Executive Paul O’Callaghan

processing municipal and swine wastewater have demonstrated much faster treatment times than standard aerobic

and anaerobic processes and a massive reduction in operating expenditure. Canadian start-up Emagin won the Best Market Strategy award for its operational intelligence platform that enables utility operators to manage infrastructure in real-time. In a recent demonstration project with United Utilities in the UK, the platform leveraged machine learning to generate real-time pump schedules, minimizing the cost of operations while guaranteeing compliance and maintenance requirements. Paul O’Callaghan said,

“BlueTech Forum has a strong track record of selecting technologies for the Innovation Showcase that go on to succeed in the global market. These two winning companies came from a very strong field and stood out for the exceptional efficiencies they can deliver in terms of both cost and energy, along with their scalability.” Hans-Ulrich Buchholz, environmental compliance manager at cosmetics company L’Oreal, said the company is rolling out a ‘dry factory’ approach to reduce municipal water consumption across its production facilities and was

now looking for “disrupting technologies that are more ecoefficient” to improve treatment processes and reduce energy consumption and waste. Eddie Corwin, sustainability programme manager at Google said the tech giant was looking for ways to optimize water use within existing municipal structures for water supply and wastewater collection across its real estate portfolio. “Figuring out opportunities to go beyond efficiency within our operations and further reduce our potable water use is one of our biggest challenges,” he said.

AquaVenture Holdings Extends Long-Stop Date on Ghanaian Acquisition EW Staff USA AQUAVENTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, a leader in Water-as-a-Service™ (WAAS™) solutions, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Abengoa Water Nungua, S.L.U. to extend the

long-stop date to September 30, 2018 on its pending acquisition of a majority interest in a desalination plant in Accra, Ghana. The long-stop date was previously June 30, 2018. Doug Brown, Chairman and CEO of AquaVenture, commented: "We are pleased with the significant progress made with this transaction, particularly in

light of the number of stakeholders involved, as well as the significant conditions precedent. This extension signifies the continued commitment of all participants to push this deal across the finish line. We look forward to becoming a long-term partner to the Government of Ghana for water treatment and services."

IAPMO Group Acquires Aquadiagnostics Laboratoryin India Mayur Sharma India THE IAPMO GROUP has announced the acquisition of the Aquadiagnostics Water Research and Technology Center Ltd, an independently accredited testing laboratory in Bengaluru, previously owned and operated by Eureka Forbes Limited. Aquadiagnostics will become part of The IAPMO Group, specifically with IAPMO India.

EXPRESS WATER

The addition of Aquadiagnostics gives IAPMO India the ability to immediately provide services to key clients that manufacture water filtration products and produce packaged drinking water, while also verifying potable water supply within India. The new laboratory joins The IAPMO Group’s other internationally accredited labs - Ontario, California; Guangzhou, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Melbourne,

Australia. “The acquisition includes 12-15 staff members, who will now become IAPMO employees, including the lab’s director, Dr. S. Muralidhara Rao, Ph.D.,” said GP Russ Chaney, CEO of The IAPMO Group. “Dr. Rao will join numerous other qualified staff enhancing IAPMO India’s services to the plumbing, water treatment, and water supply sectors in India.” As a result, IAPMO India also plans to immediately

expand Aquadiagnostics’ testing capabilities to include plumbing products testing, not unlike that which the IAPMO Group performs at its other laboratories in key markets worldwide. Further, the acquisition enables The IAPMO Group and IAPMO India to now offer such one-stop-shop services as model code and standard development, personnel credentialing, education, water filtration, and plumbing product testing, and product certi-

fication all integrated in a manner maximizing product compliance, acceptance, and public confidence with a premier independent third-party provider. “With the continued global growth of IAPMO R&T’s product certification program, customers located in India are excited to have a new option to have their products tested locally,” said Tom Palkon, Executive Vice President IAPMO R&T Water Systems.

July, 2018

IN THE NEWS

British Water Celebrates Best Year Ever Membership at record levels and the most profitable year in recent history. EW Staff UK BRITISH WATER HAD its “best performance ever” in 2017-18, Chief Executive Lloyd Martin told members attending British Water’s annual general meeting. “We saw a record number of new members join in the year and those new members brought in a record level of new-member income, exceeding the internal target

British Water’s Chief Executive Lloyd Martin Said that the Association had its ‘Best Performance Ever’ in 2017-18

we had set ourselves by over 50%,” he said. The organization now boasts nearly 200 member companies and organizations and reported its most profitable year in recent history. Martin said he was delighted that water utilities are now coming into membership, describing the benefits as a “win-win relationship” at the meeting, which was held at Stamford Bridge stadium.

The trade association’s UK Forum has worked closely with the economic regulator Ofwat on key issues for the supply chain this year - examining the proposed methodology for PR19 (the 2019 periodic review of investment) and reviewing the issues of cyclicality and direct procurement for customers, Martin told attendees. He also praised British Water’s international team, which has also strengthened benefits to

members and secured grants enabling 34 companies to attend events in the Gulf, Brazil, Vietnam, and France over the last year. “We continue to be the go-to organization for international water delegations wishing to visit the UK,” he said. Some 230 members joined the British Water Annual Lunch, held after the AGM, which also raised over £1,400 for WaterAid through a raffle.

International Desalination Association Establishes HonoraryCouncil Leveraging knowledge, experience, and volunteerism to strengthen advocacy for desalination and advanced water treatment solutions. EW Staff USA THE BOARD OF Directors of the International Desalination Association has named seven prominent members of the global desalination and water reuse community as its Honorary Council. “Through the support of the Honorary Council members, who will act as ambassa-

dors for the Association, IDA will intensify the engagement with the world’s policymakers to help ensure sustainable solutions to growing water scarcity challenges,” said Shannon McCarthy, IDA Secretary-General. The IDA Board of Directors welcomed the distinguished members for the 2017-2019 term: Dr. Jim Birkett: He is a

Past President and Director of IDA, recipient of IDA Lifetime Achievement Award. Eng. Ghassan Ejjeh: Past President and Director of the IDA, and a great advocate of its activities, especially in water reuse. Dr. David Furukawa: Past President and Director of IDA, Dr. Furukawa is a highly respected member of the global desalination communi-

ty for more than 50 years. Dr. Emilio Gabbrielli: Past IDA President and the current Comptroller of IDA. Eng. Mutaz Ghandour: A past Director of IDA, Chairman, and CEO of Metito Holdings Ltd. Dr. Masura Kurihara: A former IDA Director, he is the recipient of the IDA Lifetime Achievement Award and has also been honored with two

Presidential Awards from IDA. H.E. Fouad Makhzoumi: Past President and Director of IDA, H.E. Makhzoumi founded Future Pipe Industries in 1984 and has served as its Executive Chairman since 2003. Eng. José Antonio Medina: Engineer Medina served the IDA as President and was a Director of Association.

NewTop Award for Modern Water’s Continuous ToxicityMonitor EW Staff USA MODERN WATER HAS won a coveted 2018 New Product Innovation Award from Frost & Sullivan, an internationally recognized market research firm. Based on its strong overall

July, 2018

Modern Water’s Microtox CTM, which Reduces the Risk of Missed Toxicity Events

performance, Modern Water’s Microtox® Continuous Toxicity Monitor (CTM) Series was recognized for how it reduces risk of missed toxicity events by taking two measurements per second - compared to conventional on-line toxicity monitors that only take intermittent samples and

provide only one test result typically in 15-30 minutes. Doug Workman, President of Modern Water’s Monitoring Division, commented: “This Innovation Award from Frost & Sullivan is recognition of the technological developments we’ve made in our advanced bioluminescence

technology Platform. Our Microtox® CTM offers a fully autonomous operating cycle for monitoring water quality, yet only requires a low level of skill for operation & maintenance. Its capabilities are bringing us continued success in Europe, North America, the EU, and Asia.”

EXPRESS WATER

IN THE NEWS

Jyvaskylä EnergyFinland Signs 3-Year Contract with TaKaDu to Enhance Efficiencyof its Water Network TaKaDu will be deployed in the Finnish utility to improve network efficiency and customer service while reducing costs.

EW Staff Finland FINLAND’S JYVÄSKYLÄ ENERGY Group, Central Finland’s largest city’s water utility, has turned to TaKaDu to increase the visibility of its water network, making it TaKaDu’s first customer in Finland. As part of a three-year contract, TaKaDu’s central

event management solution will be deployed in the Finnish utility to improve network efficiency and customer service. The project is being overseen and implemented by Pisara,

Jyväskylä Energy’s smart water solutions unit. With Finland’s extreme weather conditions and high service standards, TaKaDu’s data-driven solution is set to improve the utility’s operational efficiency, save energy and water, and reduce repair costs by detecting, analyzing and managing potential events and incidents, such as leaks,

bursts, faulty assets and other anomalies. This will give field teams early notice of developing events and a far greater knowledge of the type and urgency of the problems they need to fix before venturing out. Ziv Zaretsky, EVP Sales and Business Development, TaKaDu, said, “We are delighted that Jyväskylä Energy in

Finland has chosen TaKaDu, bringing our worldwide presence to 13 countries. Finland is clearly not a territory with water scarcity, but the need for water and energy efficiency is universal. That’s why TaKaDu has an important role to play everywhere - in such diverse climates as Australia and Finland and other countries as a single knowledge layer.”

Tamworth Environmental Labs Receives NATA LANXESS Raises its Guidance for Fiscal Year 2018 After Accreditation for TECTA-B16 Automated Strong First Quarter Microbial Detection System EW Staff Canada A U S T R A L I A N T A M W O R T H ENVIRONMENTAL Laboratories has received NATA accreditation effective from May 2018 to use Canadian technology from Tecta-PDS in order to automate their water testing for eColi and total Coliforms. The Tecta-PDS automated microbial detection system, Tecta-B16, is the only US EPA approved the automated method for drinking water compliance testing and provides the fastest time to detect while also being the easiest test to conduct. The portability and complete testing capabilities, including interpretation of results and full reports sent immediately via email, will provide lab grade quality results instantly for Tamworth Laboratories who,

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being in a regional area, were previously outsourcing their micro samples to an external lab and having to wait several days to receive the results, which caused operational delays for both them and their customers. With the TectaB16 instrument, supplied through Tecta-PDS’ regional distributor Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tamworth has been able to shave off a minimum of 1-day time-to-result as well as lowering shipping costs for

samples. From an operational perspective, Tamworth has embraced the ease of use and limited training required for a lab technician to run aseptic microbial samples. Tim Adams, EVP TectaPDS says “This is a fantastic step forward in the Australian market. We are very proud to be adopted in over 35 countries and look forward to continuing to work closely together with Tamworth Laboratories and in Australia.” James Anderson, Senior Laboratory Technician at Tamworth Environmental Laboratory says “The requirement for timely microbiological analysis for drinking water was identified as a public health issue in our region and TECTA-B16 provided the solution with the added benefits over other methodologies of rapid detection and notification.”

Sales up by almost 7 percent to around EUR 2.6 billion in Q1 2018 EW Staff Germany SPECIALTY CHEMICALS COMPANY LANXESS has followed up its successful fiscal year 2017 by posting the best quarterly result in its history and has raised its earnings guidance for 2018. In the opening quarter, global sales rose by almost 7 percent to EUR 2.565 billion, compared with EUR 2.401 billion in the previous year. EBITDA pre exceptionals improved significantly by 14 percent to EUR 375 million, compared with EUR 328 million in the prioryear quarter. Negative currency effects curbed the positive EBITDA performance. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals was up by almost one percentage

Matthias Zachert

point on the previous year at 14.6 percent. Net income improved significantly by 23 percent to EUR 96 million, compared with EUR 78 million the year before. “LANXESS remains firmly on the track. We have made a dynamic start to the new fiscal year and improved our profitability again. This shows that our efforts to move the company forwards are increasingly paying off,” said Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the LANXESS Board of Management.

July, 2018

PRODUCTS Evoqua

Bentley Systems

Design and control of C o n t i n u o u s Electrodeionization (CEDI) water systems have become more efficient and economical, with the use of fewer power controllers, using an efficiencystrategy proposed by Evoqua Water Technologies. Following recent design innovations, many Ionpure® CEDI modules, require half the input voltage, or less, of the previous generation CEDI modules and some can now be controlled in pairs by a single 3-phase DC power controller (DC3). This gives OEMs a greater flexibility to work with a reduced plant footprint or cost limitations when designing a CEDI purification train. Space savings can, therefore, be made by reducing the size of the power cabinet for a given CEDI flow specification. Simultaneously, the cost of controllers, ancillary electrical components, and panel assembly work can also be saved, while cutting overall build time. Advantages are not limited to single stack modules. Two-stack VNX modules (VNX55, and CDIT variants), with two sets of electrodes, still require an individual power supply but benefit from lower power consumption and greater efficiency under DC3 control. In addition, with DC3, Evoqua’s NEXED® Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR) modules can also be paired under parallel control to achieve footprint and cost savings in the same way as a CEDI system. The new DC3 power controllers, LX, VNX and NEXED modules are designed and manufactured in the USA.

Bentley Systems has announced the availability of OpenPlant CONNECT Edition, the latest of Bentley’s plant design offerings that allow users in the process and manufacturing industries to improve design and operations with a collaborative, intelligent, 2D and 3D plant design environment based on open data standards. OpenPlant CONNECT Edition now provides owner-operators and engineering, procurement, and construction companies the ability to design and manage their plant data through cloud-based services, while sup-

less steel fasteners. Typical applications include mechanical rooms of high-rise buildings, pump stations, reservoirs, and water processing facilities that operate at higher pressures. Class 250/300 RWGVs are available in the non-rising stem (NRS), post indicating (PI), and outside screw & yoke (OS&Y) configurations, in both Mueller® and U.S. Pipe Valve & Hydrant® brands.

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predictive analytics with Seeq; and an improved query model for customers bringing in contextual data from SQL-based data sources to provide faster connections to big data sources. These leading features are in addition to addressing requests from users in the Tools Panel, scripting, and administration capabilities. Finally, Seeq R20 includes new integration support for Inductive Automations’ Ignition SCADA system including integrated display window capabilities.

Seeq Corporation Val-Matic

Mueller Mueller Water Products, Inc. is expanding its 250/300 Resilient Wedge Gate Valve product line with a new end design. The expansion of Mueller’s 350psi, AWWA/UL/FM rated Resilient Wedge Gate Valves (RWGV) product line with new end design conforms to the ASME/ANSI dimensional requirements for Class 250/300 valves. Specifically, the flange and lay length (end-to-end) of the new Class 250/300 RWGV complies with ASME/ANSI B16.1, B16.42, B16.10, and PN25 drilling standards. This ductile iron valve is available in standard sizes from 3 to 12 inches, complies with the requirements of AWWA C509/C515 and NSF 61/372, and retains all competitive features of other 350psi rated RWGVs including integrated lift lugs, a self-activating wedge seal and grade 316 stain-

porting reliable and asynchronous project visibility, anytime, anywhere. OpenPlant CONNECT Edition is the first application in Bentley’s multi-discipline plant design to utilize iModelHub, Bentley’s cloud service, which tracks all changes made to project designs and notifies users of changes. Participants can choose to synchronize to and from particular timeline milestones and can visualize, summarize, analyze, and interpret the impact of ongoing changes. Utilizing the integration between OpenPlant and iModelHub, users can synchronize 3D models from OpenPlant with iModelHub, to view and query the model data in a web-based interface. Users can also perform 2D and 3D consistency checking through integration with OpenPlant PID. A full history of all the changes made to the 3D model and 2D designs are synchronized to iModelHub, including who made changes, what was changed, when changes were made, and the date the changes were completed.

Seeq Corporation has announced the release of its second update to their Seeq Software Application in 2018, staying on plan to provide four new releases each year. Seeq is an advanced analytics solution for engineers and scientists in process manufacturing organizations to rapidly wrangle, investigate, and share insights on manufacturing data. Target markets include oil & gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining, food and beverage, and other process industries. Recent releases of Seeq have focused on enabling larger deployments through scalability features in the software by making the Seeq application easier to use. New R20 features include the ability to have live updates to Seeq Topics, which are a way to publish insights from Seeq to other users; expanded machine learning functionality for customers doing

Va l - M at i c ’s C a m Centric® Plug Valve is an excellent choice when you have more than just water f l o w i n g through your system. The C a m Centric® Plug Valve is the solution for systems when slurries, grit or solids are present. Its eccentric action allows the plug to rotate and lift out of it seated position minimizing rubbing or scraping. Features such as a heavy-duty fully rubber encapsulated plug, welded nickel seat, grit-seals and V-Type packing provide reliable operation. Cam-Centric® Plug Valves are built using advanced manufacturing technologies and are certified to rigorous industry standards to assure reliable performance. Fusion Bonded Epoxy, Rubber Lining or Glass Lining coatings are available when necessary.

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WATER DATA

Institutional Governance,and Water Data: Learning from the Australian Experience Professor Rob Vertessey, Enterprise Professor at the University of Melbourne and Principal, Global Change Advisory, speaks about his perspective on the leadership, water data, and the model that Australia has experienced can possibly be transferred to other countries apart from supporting the data initiatives in India with the Australian Water Partnership. By Karen Delfau, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Prof. Rob Vertessey

Tell us a bit about your background and your previous work leading up to what you do today. Prof. Vertessy: For my first degree I trained as a geomorphologist, at Monash University in Victoria, and for

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my Ph.D. studies I was based at the Australian National University in Canberra. My Ph.D. was all about large tidal river systems in Northern Australia, understanding how they function, how they change over time, how they

transport sediment and the like. There was a huge knowledge gap about how those northern rivers function. It was an exciting experience, with very intensive fieldwork for quite a few years, in spectacular and dangerous places full of crocodiles. After that I spent 20 years working in CSIRO, Australia’s national science organization, first chiefly as a Research Hydrologist exploring water balances. I specialized in forest hydrology but also worked across different types of systems, and I really focused on experimentation in catchments, making water balance measurements and then modelling how those catchments were functioning. About halfway through my career at CSIRO, I started getting into leadership and executive leadership positions. I became the Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, and later the Chief of CSIRO’s Land and Water Division. Then, during Australia’s major drought, there was a great sense of panic around the country about how we were going to get through this ‘Millennium Drought’. I was seconded to the federal government Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to contribute to the development of some national water reform policies. I spent four months there, working on the National

Plan for Water Security, specifically to do with reforms around water information. That ultimately resulted in a new function for the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to undertake a National Water Information Service. When that policy was enacted, I joined the Bureau to implement it in a ten-year implementation program, and after the first five years, I became the CEO of the Bureau. I stayed in that role for almost five years, until semi-retirement. Nowadays I do two things: research on water security and climate change through a Research Professorship at the University of Melbourne, part-time; and consulting work, most of which have been framed around Australian Water Partnership (AWP) activity overseas, which has enabled me to come full circle, in a way.

What led to the idea of gathering and centralizing water information? What were the main factors in achieving success? Prof. Vertessy: Through much of my research career I was utterly frustrated by the lack of good reliable data on our water situation in Australia. If you are a modeller and you’re trying to model water balances, you are constantly chasing down different shreds of data that are

held by different agencies. In Australia, it’s literally over 100 agencies, probably closer to 170 in fact. Often, they wouldn’t give us the information, which was a problem. We are seeing this also in many other parts of the world. One can ask: “Why bothering to pull this data together?”. The answer is that, quite apart from its value to scientists, water information that people have gathered has very great utility value when you can ‘repurpose’ it, into services to help people make decisions. In the Bureau of Meteorology, we spent a lot of time thinking through how to do that because we understood that that was the way to garner support from the end user community. And if you have the end user community support then you, by definition, have got the Government’s support as well. A surprising number of countries that are thinking about getting their data in order are not thinking enough about that end use. They are not giving attention to how they are going to use the information to make a difference. Rather, they are thinking about the technical issues, such as: Where’s the data? How do we get it? What kind of technology do we use to pull it all together? An important first step in achieving our national water information service was the

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WATER DATA legislative reform, the regulatory framework that Australia put in place. In fact, many collaborative, negotiating-type of approaches had been tried in the years prior to these reforms, to try and get the states pulling in the same direction, but they’d not succeeded. For the people that own the data, who really only want it for their own business interests, there was very little incentive to provide it to someone else for the ‘national good’. There were a few enlightened souls of course, but most people were reluctant to participate in anything which added to the burden of their day jobs. Some jurisdictions and some organizations did not want to be involved at all. They just wanted to hold onto their data - maybe they were embarrassed about their quality of it. There could have been all kinds of reasons. To achieve a radical breakthrough, I proposed that there should be firm legislation, but it couldn’t be just a ‘stick’ - a heavy-handed approach with an Act. We needed it to be balanced with a ‘carrot’, and the carrot was a major funding program, which the Bureau administered on behalf of the Government. It was $80 million, a lot of money, and that was passed out to all the data owners, to help them do their jobs better, to make better primary measurements and also to help them build technologies to send the data to the Bureau in a way that was not burdensome for them. In other words, it was to automate the process. This program has been a tremendous success. From all of this, I realized that fundamentally everyone’s chief concern is that they lack the resource capability to actually help. Most of these organizations have had their funding and staffing levels reduced over the years. They find it difficult to keep adding new tasks and responsibilities on top of their day to day jobs. So, by finding a way to help them do their jobs better and more efficiently, we were able

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to free people up to want to help.

Tell us about the international work you’ve been doing with the Australian Water Partnership (AWP). Prof. Vertessy: Through the opportunity to work with AWP, I’ve had five missions abroad in 2017. I’ve been to Iran and Jordan, and to India, Pakistan and most recently Lao. They all, of course, are different, with different challenges. I have gone there generally to talk about my specialty area: how water information can be used by governments to help them navigate the often-diabolical imbalances between water supply and water demand. The first four of those countries are undergoing acute water scarcity at the moment, partly because they are in difficult hydro-climates, and also partly because they don’t have the appropriate policy and governance structures to limit water extractions. So water information has turned out to be an absolutely fundamental requirement. If you are going to balance your water supplies and demand, you need good data and answers to questions such as: Where’s the water coming from? Where is it? What’s its supply trajectory in the future going to look like? Where are the demands? How’s it being utilized? And so on. Yet most of these countries that have these problems have rather poor water information arrangements. Even though Australia was in a similar situation a few years ago, we were never quite as badly off as these countries. Some of them lack even fundamental monitoring networks. Australia may still not be doing everything right, and still making lots of mistakes, but we have some wisdom that we can share. I’m finding that there’s a great appetite for that abroad, in the countries I’ve visited. The people are really motivated to improve their arrangements.

I’m also finding it fascinating to work through the different ‘boundary conditions’ in these countries, to work out how progress can be made. You can’t just bring in the Australian model, because we’ve got completely different boundary conditions – that is, the (for example) political, or cultural or geographical conditions that limit what can be done. So understanding those boundary conditions in-country, and working with them and their particular constraints is something that I find really interesting. As an example, the Water Guide which AWP published in 2017 focuses on water scarcity, but when we started talking about it in Laos, while they liked the ideas at first, it turned out to be framed in a way that was not really relevant to their situation. There is tremendous opportunity to broaden and deepen the value of Water Guide by considering other types of use cases, not just water scarcity.

Can you give an example of any situations you’ve seen overseas? Prof. Vertessy: Well each country is different and has different situations that it has to deal with. India offers some interesting illustrations. For example, in India, there is a strong built-in reluctance to share information between the Indian States and the State and the Federal Governments. It is an important cultural problem that needs to be surmounted in the context of water information, Yet, many people there are trying to address water information problems by thinking about them only as related to information systems. It seems to me that to make substantial long-term progress in India, to make real inroads there, it will be essential to prove the ‘value proposition’. That is, how everyone’s lives can be enriched by better water information and sharing what is available. We’ve certainly proved that here in Australia. We’ve

been able to create services that bring real economic value. In fact, already although the water information program here has only just completed the ten-year implementation phase, it is already returning a cost-benefit of somewhere between 3 and 8. And that return on investment is only going to be improving in the future. In India, I think it’s very important to go back to basics to talk about the inherent value proposition, to conceive the services which will have real appeal to the stakeholders, the owners of the information, and to incentivize them to participate, to think through policy instruments that could help. They might be partly regulatory, they might be partly financial. Again, many agencies have frustrating limitations on their resources. Incentivising them to cooperate may sometimes just take money, for instance. I think it’s important for India to think deeply about, and work through, those nontechnical-design matters first. I think strong institutions are absolutely vital in this, particularly where there are complex inter-jurisdiction or inter-agency arrangements. It’s essential that someone stands up and takes on the leadership...and that they are properly resourced to do so, and can manage the conversations and can devote themselves to creating the ‘X-factor’ out of what is currently available as assets. In other words, I believe they need to create an institution with a mandate and a rationale to address the broader good of the country, of the sector, of the region, for whatever function you are talking about. However, even though that approach succeeded here, it takes a large amount of money - and it might not work as a new institution. Australia gave that function to a long pre-existing institution, the Bureau of Meteorology. I have made quite a point of this idea recently in guidelines

I have written for the highlevel panel on water, to be released in 2018. There is a chapter on institutions and on how you go about thinking through what their mandates are, and how you go about presenting propositions to government - considering how to create new institutions to serve these purposes. That was the magic of the Australian formula and I think the principle is generic and is going to apply wherever you go – because why should a particular single agency with a very discrete set of business objectives and mandates bother itself about other people’s concerns? That’s the essential problem in a way.

How might other countries set up their own water information institutions with the resources, authority, and ability to create the necessary shared vision? Prof. Vertessy: As I said, Australia did not create a new institution: we gave the function to the pre-existing institution, the Bureau of Meteorology, and I think that could be a good approach for a country - i.e. to consider augmenting its national weather service. When you look at all the national weather services around the world, in many countries (though far from all countries) the weather service already has some hydrologic functions. Many national weather services are responsible for flood forecasting, for instance. Not many are responsible for water resource information roles, but I would argue that they are fit for purpose for that task. Even in Australia, we needed to bring a whole new cadre of water resources specialists into the Bureau of Meteorology to do this job properly. Weather services have many characteristics that I think are beneficial for this type of role. First of all, they’re very independent; they are not strong ‘policy shops’, for

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WATER DATA instance. Also, they tend not to be driving a particular policy agenda, and they are generally respected for their technical prowess. They have a lot of common infrastructure including highperformance computers, databases, communications systems. They have respected qualifications in measuring things because they are running weather station networks and similar equipment. And weather services are stable organizations because the information they provide is so critical and there is a sovereign requirement to have that kind of information at hand. That is what you need for long-term environmental monitoring of any kind. I believe that weather services can do much more in most countries than they are doing. In our Bureau, as CEO, I was trying to reimagine the organization as a broad-based environmental intelligence agency, rather than just a weather service. Our bureau does oceans monitoring, space weather monitoring, longterm climate change and other measurements, as well as the water information and the weather. And also it has a natural inclination to interface with the public. In short, you find that weather services have many of the characteristics that are needed for the water information tasks, which is why the Australian Government assigned water information as an adjunct function to the Bureau. It has now been made a permanent function, which is fabulous. In similar countries I’ve visited, I’ve seen similar opportunities present themselves with the weather services as well. So, I would exhort most people to start there and explore that opportunity.

Tell us more about your work with AWP, especially finding out how to engage productively and supportively for India. Prof. Vertessy: The way the AWP has initiated a coun-

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try strategy for every partnership that they have overseas is, I think, very important because countries have different motivations, or constraints - ‘boundary conditions’. India is the first country where the AWP has sought to develop a Country Strategy, and I have had a go at producing one (it’s still work-inprogress) by doing an extensive set of interviews with around 30 people who had been working in India for AWP or, in a few cases, independently of AWP. My aim was to get a sense of their rich body of experience gained over last few years. Initially, the draft just sets down the main things to think about in India. It’s clear they have a series of diabolical water challenges: everything from WASH and water quality problems to water scarcity and flooding. You don’t have to look far for a problem to focus on, but working out how to interface with them and finding a productive opportunity in a sea of opportunity, that’s a different thing. And that’s what the country strategy tries to do. There are a few things we need to be mindful of in India. First, trying to understand the dynamic between States and Central Government agencies is very, very important when it comes to water reform. It’s a complex federation, like Australia but much more complex. It’s got some 30 objects rather than six or seven. Of course, it’s a vast, giant country with many, many people and thus many institutions as well. So, navigating your way through that maze and working out the productive alliances to work with is very important. Also, although it’s beset by many problems it’s also a highly capable country. It has nuclear power, a space race. They have a very strong technical capability, and in the water sector as well. And so working out how we can add value to that is a very important consideration.

Third, they have an unhappy colonial history and therefore they don’t react well to colonist-type mentalities in people coming into their country and telling them how to do things. I have heard of a number of cases that have misfired, where an Australian team went in heavy-handed to try and sell an approach that the Indian people did not want. So working out a way in which to work with them, help them to help themselves, is a really important thing I discovered. Fourth, there is a lot of sensitivity to carpet-bagging. India’s a massive country and its water sector is huge. It will be spending literally trillions of dollars on water in the next 50 years. And many countries look at this as a kind of business opportunity, and they are in India because of commercial interests. However, when you speak to our people in the federal government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), you find that although they would like to see improved trade between India and Australia, they are approaching India’s water issues from a waterdiplomacy point of view. The attitude at DFAT is: ‘Look we’ve got some interesting and useful skills in this area, and they’ve got some big problems. It would be really good for our bilateral relationship if we could find a way to help them meaningfully.’ The AWP approach, of building a country strategy, and going to India with an authentic long-term, patient and honest approach, is a really good thing to be doing. We are not setting-up expectations of any great commercial return. Anyway, it is very hard doing business in India. And another thing I’ve learned through the AWP interviews is that, although India has many deep problems – with terrible filth and some terrible WASH issues and they are way behind on their Sustainable Development Goals – they are not an aid country. So Australia cannot

go there with an aid mentality. In short, finding a way to interface with them that is authentic and resonates with them is the key, and the Country Strategy offers helpful viewpoints for that. It has been a masterstroke, I think, to appoint a person on the ground in India, ‘VJ’. He’s building a consistent relationship for AWP there. VJ is a guy who has tremendous networks and experience. Virtually every person that I interviewed thought

want of a better term, the ‘burning platform situation’. You speak to technical specialists and they’ll quickly explain how they are facing a ‘cliff’ at some point in the near future, and yet that sense of urgency or crisis is not being explained to the Minister nor the public in ways compelling enough for them to understand it and embrace it. All these specialists crave a solution to this problem, and water information turns out to be one of the magic ingredients.

Water Information Reforms in Australia There are about 170 government agencies in Australia that collect water data, each with different mandates and business interests. At the national level, the availability of this data is vital for solving water scarcity problems and is much more valuable than individual research items. This is a scenario that exists in many countries. In this interview, Rob suggests that many countries don’t consider end users of the data and information is communicated to affect change. Instead, they focus on technical issues. Create financial and policy incentives for the owners of data to collaborate is important for addressing water scarcity, however, overcoming reluctance is not a simple process. Organizations need mechanisms to make them comfortable to share information. In Australia, a response to overcome resistance to change was needed. This involved legislative reform through the Water Act (2007) as a stick and an AU$80 million government-funded program called the Modernisation and Extension of Hydrological Monitoring Systems Program as a carrot. that it was fabulous that AWP has appointed this person. I’m sure that is going to yield a lot of fruit. Personally, I find working in India to be intensely interesting. It’s a privilege and an honor to go into a country and learn about it and meet fabulous smart people in agencies and discover what their issues are and find a way to help.

Have you seen any commonalities in terms of water data among the countries you have worked in? Prof. Vertessy: In virtually all the situations I’ve gone into, I have learnt that it’s been very hard for these countries to execute water reform in a general sense because they lack a compelling narrative around their most urgent issues – what I might call, for

You certainly also need individuals with great communication prowess, but the common point is the need to get their water information assets working for them, to catalyze change. That is one reason why they are all interested in trying to reform their water information. I like to work with their governments and senior officials to start them thinking more about how a solution can be a kind of business proposition. That’s the key, quite apart from having generic technical-focused conversations on how to get data sorted out. The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) is an Australian Government development initiative enhancing the sustainable management of water across the Indo-Pacific.

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MARKET

Desalination in India is Inevitable! Devesh Sharma is the Managing Partner at Aquatech International - a global leader in water purification technology for industrial and infrastructure markets. Established in 1981, Aquatech helps some of the world’s most recognized companies solve their water scarcity challenges by providing solutions in desalination, wastewater reuse, and zero liquid discharge. He has been with Aquatech since 1997 and he has worked in virtually every facet of the company from commissioning to process engineer, project manager and business development manager. From 2006 to 2013, he was responsible for Aquatech’s business activities in Asia. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the International Desalination Association (IDA) and chairs IDA’s Energy and Environment Committee. Mayur Sharma interacted with him about his experiences in the seawater desalination market and the strategies and performance of Aquatech in the desalination projects. How can desalination best mitigate and address the high energy, cost, and toxic effluent from membrane problems? And what is the best way to reduce the environmental impact of polluted membranes after use?

Devesh Sharma

Devesh: The best way for the industry to address these issues is to move to a true lifecycle-based approach and steer clear of evaluating only the capital cost of the plant. It is important to note that in desalination, an optimized design approach is completely aligned with environmental stewardship. The largest costs of desalination over the lifetime of a plant are power consumption, membranes & consumables, and chemicals. If the focus is on lifecycle costs then those who have developed more reliable and low energy consuming systems will have longer membrane lives and less chemical cleaning, so these facilities will not only have less energy consumption, they will also have in less waste. All of this ultimately results in the lowest total cost of water. This should be everyone’s ultimate focus.

In the desalination market,

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the latest studies and advances are aimed at cost savings, both in energy consumption and in the final cost of desalinated water. In addition to the incorporation of renewable energies, what all technologies would contribute to further reduce these costs? Devesh: This is why Aquatech developed LoWatt™ technology. Our initial aim was to reduce energy consumption. The goal was simple: develop a plant with “low energy by design”, and to do this effectively, one would have to operate the system as clean as possible, as fouling of the membrane is a significant contributor to energy consumption. Through innovations such as our Nutrient Removal Filters (NRF™) and Osmotic Cleaning™ we met our goal and created a process that can reduce power by 20-25% over conventionally designed SWRO plants. In addition to this, we discovered many added advantages that amount to lower lifecycle cost and higher reliability. In the LoWatt™ process, membranes last longer and cleanings are less frequent. The result is higher uptime

and less waste - which equals less cost.

Tell us about any ‘one’ cutting-edge technology which you believe will set the trend for the future of desalination? Devesh: This is a very difficult question to answer. I’ve been in this industry long enough to have learned that there are no shortcuts or cutting-edge technologies that will solve problems with a snap of a finger. It seems that every month we read about something new and revolutionary, but when it comes to proof and practice either technologically or economically - the wheels fall off the wagon, so to speak. When it comes to seawater desalination, I think there is still tremendous scope in improving the performance of reverse osmosis and this will lead to significantly improved economics as I have described with LoWatt™ technology. With regards to desalination of industrial brines, I do see Vacuum Membrane Distillation as a cutting-edge technology that could make a significant impact in the space. This technology has the potential to reduce capital as well as operating costs of zero discharge.

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MARKET

With regards to desalination of industrial brines, I do see Vacuum Membrane Distillation as a cutting-edge technology that could make a significant impact in the space.This technology has the potential to reduce capital as well as operating costs of zero discharge. Please shed some light on the product and services portfolio of your company related to seawater desalination. How does your product & technology compare to other desalination products & technologies in the market? And which are the new launches that you have come up with recently? Devesh: Aquatech has the most comprehensive desalination technology portfolio in the industry. For seawater desalination, we are one of few companies in the world that has significant experience in thermal and membrane technologies. We have MSF, MED, as well as Reverse Osmosis in our toolbox. When it comes to wastewater desalination, we also have the complete technology line starting from biological treatment through membrane-based treatment and thermal evaporation for Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). We have several differentiating technologies, LoWatt™ for seawater being a case in

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point. The best place to gain a better understanding of our various differentiations would be our website at www.aquatech.com, but I would like to say our biggest differentiator is our deep operating experience in all of these waters. Experience is the bedrock of anything we do, and in dealing with difficult to treat waters, there is nothing more valuable.

How long have you worked in the field of seawater desalination? Could you tell us something about your own experience in this field? Devesh: I have worked in seawater desalination for over 20 years. Aquatech has always worked on seawater reverse osmosis project for our industrial clients. When we acquired AquaChem in the year 2000, it brought a thermal capability for wastewater as well as seawater, and we catapulted into a bigger league when it came to addressing seawater projects around the world. We have participated in desalination projects on 6 continents and are passionate about bringing excellence in this space.

What is the state of your company’s current and upcoming seawater desalination programs and projects? Devesh: Our approach to seawater desalination is to partner with clients and offtakers that understand the importance of power consumption, plant longevity, and total lifecycle cost. We can work with them to implement

a project completely, from intake to outfall, as we say, as a technology and O&M partner, or even financing the facility and selling water by the liter.

What were the achievements of your company in 2017-18? How has the company grown? Devesh: Two keystone achievements this past year have been the commissioning of a project for one of the largest consumer products manufacturing companies in India. In addition, we completed three years of operation at the Ghalilah desalination plant in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Ghalilah is one of our major “low energy by design” facilities, and after three years of operation, almost no membranes have been replaced and the power consumption is even lower than what we guaranteed when we were awarded the project. We take great pride in this, as our complete focus as a company is to ensure that plant KPIs are met years into operation and not just through the initial performance test. The Indian company project is significant as it is our first LoWatt™ installation in the country and I feel this is a very exciting technology for India.

What are some of the major orders won by your company in the past few years? Devesh: In addition to the landmark projects noted above, we’ve had many other noteworthy achievements in recent years. These include wastewater recycle and ZLD for several projects in China,

commissioning of the first integrated ZLD plant in Egypt, and wastewater-recycle and ZLD facilities for a gold mine in Colombia. Two very noteworthy projects include taking the wastewater-reject from a sewage recycling facility in Kuwait and converting it into high purity water for oilfield steam flood. The other is a completely biological, water reuse and ZLD facility for a municipal solid waste (garbage) to jet fuel facility in the United States. Each of these projects leverages our vast experience in treating challenging waters and wastewaters and our focus on optimizing the lifetime cost of projects for our customers, but more importantly, most of them include long-term operations where we partner with our clients to ensure they achieve their operational objectives.

What are your growth and expansion plans for the next five years? Devesh: Overall, Aquatech has more than 1,000 installations in 60 countries, distinguished by a high percentage of repeat business. While we are headquartered in the United States, we have operations in India, Europe, the Middle East and China. We have a very strong presence in India including R&D facilities and a membrane innovation center where our QUA™ subsidiary develops and manufactures advanced membrane technology products. We look forward to continued growth in our key industry and infrastructure sectors, and ongoing innovation in technologies and systems that further enhance energy efficiency, lower lifecycle costs, and improved reliability.

What is the future of seawater desalination in India, in your opinion? Is seawater desalination a suitable technology for Indian conditions considering the huge costs involved? Devesh: Desalination in India is inevitable. The water

A keystone achievement this past year has been the commissioning of a project for one of the largest consumer products manufacturing companies in India. It is significant as it is our first LoWatt™ installation in the country and I feel this is a very exciting technology for India. scarcity situation is severe and all approaches, including conservation, redistribution, water reuse, and desalination will be needed to address these challenges. We are very much active in this field having done seawater desalination for over 20 years in the country. We only intend to grow our desalination footprint in India and expect our low energy approach to be very valuable to the market. Established in 1981, Aquatech is a global leader in water purification technology for industrial and infrastructure markets with a focus on desalination, water recycle and reuse, and zero liquid discharge (ZLD). Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Aquatech has offices throughout North America, and has a significant presence worldwide through subsidiaries in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Through its network and worldwide operations, Aquatech has successfully executed more than 1,000 water management projects in over 60 countries around the globe.

July, 2018

KNOWLEDGE

Yesterday’s Solutions are Not the Answer to Future Problems... The United Nations (UN) had adopted the ‘Agenda 2030’ with a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. In this issue, Mayur Sharma talked to Dr. Mritunjay Chaubey, Global Vice President - Environment & Sustainability, United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) about his company’s ambition and plans for reducing 30% environmental footprint in its manufacturing plants by 2020, and the significance of SDGs for all the industries. Dr. Chaubey has nearly 22 years of professional experience in renowned MNCs like Shell, Unilever, UPL, and Pentair in the field of sustainability, environmental engineering, and water & wastewater treatment. Currently, more than 100 environmental protection technologies, designed by him, are successfully working in the Asia, Africa, Europe, and the USA.

agriculture sustainable, we are the fastest growing company in the industry. Our business includes the production of crop protection products, intermediates, specialty chemicals and other industrial chemicals.

What is the “Water Consumption Reduction Plan” of UPL?

Dr. Mritunjay Chaubey

First, tell us in brief about United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) and its activities. Dr. Chaubey: UPL is world’s second largest post patented crop protection agrochemical manufacturing company and was incorporated in the year 1969. UPL is a global company present in more than 130 countries. Winning farmers’ hearts across the globe, while leading the way with innovative products and services that make

July, 2018

Dr. Chaubey: Two years ago, UPL had launched UPL Sustainable Development Plan to reduce 30% environmental footprint by 2020. Under this development plan, 30% specific water consumption reduction plan by 2020 was included. We have adopted structured approach toward water consumption reduction at UPL. In the past two years, we have achieved 20% specific water consumption reduction and in future, we are committed to reducing it further. Sustainable industrial water management plays a vital role in achieving future water security in a world where water stress will increase. The optimum utilization of all natural resources is an integral part of UPL’s commitment to sus-

tainable development. Aiming to decrease abstracted water demand in our operating plants, we have taken following initiatives this year: • Reduced the water consumption in ALP Red Phosphorus production in our Vapi Unit 0. • Reduced the water consumption in Clomazone, Devrinol production in our Ankleshwar Unit 2. • Utilized the hot water bath water in drum detoxification in ou Ankleshwar Unit 3. • Enhanced the RO water utilization by 57% in last two years at Jhagadia Unit 5. • Implemented water-efficient equipment in manufacturing processes. • Implemented Metering, Monitoring & Targeting (MMT) to ensure the efficient performance of the system. • Dedicated technologygroup worked to reduce the water demand.

How are you connected with the environment and sustainability? Please tell us about your background. Dr. Chaubey: I am con-

nected with environment & sustainability since my academic career. I was passionate to work for environmental protection since childhood. I have done B.Tech., M.Tech., Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. I have nearly 22-years of professional experience in renowned MNCs like Shell, Unilever, UPL & Pentair in the field of sustainability, environmental engineering, water & wastewater treatment. Currently, more than 100 environmental protection technologies are successfully working in Asia, Africa, Europe and America designed by me. I have also worked in the cross-cultural environments - Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Dubai, USA, Libya, Indonesia, Russia, China, South Africa, etc. My contribution towards the research work of fixed film bioreactor technology, fluoride removal, extreme modularization of WWTP, OH radical technology, forward osmosis technology, and low-salinity water flooding was also well appreciated by the industries. I am a member of various interna-

tional bodies. I am also a member of advisory board of World Business Council for Sustainable Development. More than 50 technical papers have been published in renowned international journals and conferences with my name. I was awarded “CSO of the Year Award” at Air Quality Control & Monitoring Summit 2017, New Delhi. I believe that yesterday’s solutions are not the answer to future problems. At present, I am heading environment & sustainability of UPL Limited globally and working to reduce its 30% environmental footprint by 2020 by embedding sustainability into UPL business strategy.

What are your major contributions to the environment and sustainability? Dr. Chaubey: I believe that sustainability is the best opportunity for business to drive smarter innovation and the profitable growth. Sustainability ensures a fair society, living within environmental limits and creating a sustainable and profitable business. We are constantly working to reduce environmental footprint and find

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KNOWLEDGE aims to align its goals with the global targets for sustainable development. The 17 goals were identified by UN to achieve the sustainable development goals (see graphic).

What is the role of WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals?

17 Sustainable Development Goals (Photo credit: United Nations Department of Public Information and UPL)

innovative product solutions that benefit the environment. Till date, I have made following contributions toward sustainable development: • Reduced industrial CO2 emissions 198471 ton/annum which is equivalent to planting 9.7 million large trees. • Reduced industrial water consumption 3136 million liters per annum which is equivalent to provide drinking water to 1.7 million people for 1 year. • Designed water and wastewater treatment plant to treat 10452 million liters per annum which is equivalent to provide drinking water to 5.7 million people for 1 year. Currently, more than 100 water & wastewater treatment plants are successfully working in Asia, Africa, Europe and America designed by me. • Contributed to get LEED certification of 13 factories (Silver-10 nos. and Gold-3 nos.) • Published more than 50 technical papers - related to sustainability, environment, water, and wastewater treatment.

How do you think ‘sustainability’ contributes to a business? Dr. Chaubey: Again, I

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believe that sustainability is the best opportunity for business to drive smarter innovation and profitable growth. It ensures a fair society, living within environmental limits and creating a sustainable profitable business.

How does technology play an important role in it? Dr. Chaubey: Technology plays an important role in reducing the environmentfootprint of any company. At present several technologies like MBBR, OH Radical, Volute, Forward Osmosis, and Scaleban are playing a very important role in the treatment of complex industrial effluent. By using above technologies not only we are able to treat our effluent but also able to achieve 100% recycling & reuse. We also able to achieve reduction of power, chemical, footprint and capital cost by using above technologies. Let me brief you on some good technologies which we implemented recently: Scale Ban recycle ETP treated water into cooling tower up to 1,00,000 ppm TDS. This will reduce cooling water demand and decrease treated wastewater discharge in our operating plants. OH radical technology is advance oxidation technology to treat high TDS (70000

ppm) effluent. This technology uses minimum power, and chemical, with minimum area occupancy. Volute is an efficient sludge dewatering equipment operated on a continuous basis. This will help us in the efficient management of sludge generated from our wastewater treatment plants. Moving Bed Bioreactor (MBBR) process is a combination of suspended growth and attached growth process. It uses the whole tank volume for biomass growth. It uses simple floating media, which are carriers for the attached growth of biofilms. Biofilm carrier movement is caused by the agitation of air bubbles. This compact treatment system is effective in removal of organic as well as nitrogen and phosphorus while facilitating effective solids separation.

What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Dr. Chaubey: In September 2015, more than 190 countries signed up to the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (Global Goals), which set out a vision for ending poverty, hunger, inequality and protecting the Earth’s natural resources by 2030. UPL also

Dr. Chaubey: WBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. WBCSD helps its member companies become more successful and sustainable by focusing on the maximum positive impact on the shareholders, environment, and societies. WBCSD member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing a combined revenue of more than USD 8.5 trillion and with 19 million employees.

One of the aims of UPL is to achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2020 - as per Agenda 2030. How do you align your own sustainable development plan with these goals? Dr. Chaubey: The United Nations (UN) adopted the “Agenda 2030” with a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Our ambition is to achieve the “UN Sustainable Development Goals" to transform our world. To align our UPL Sustainable Development Plan with UN Sustainable Development Goals, our ambition is to reduce 30% environmental footprint in our manufacturing plants by 2020.

How is UPL contributing to reducing its environmental footprint? Dr. Chaubey: Since we implemented UPL Sustainable development plan in 2015-16, we are able to

reduce 30% specific CO2 emission, 20% specific water consumption, and 25% specific waste disposal at our operating plants.

What are the key issues with wastewater treatment in industries? And what are the best solutions for wastewater recycling & reuse? Dr. Chaubey: The key issue with industrial wastewater treatment is the complexity of effluent characteristics and its variation. At this moment, biological treatment is the most popular treatment technology for wastewater but its treatment efficiency decreases with the increase of total dissolved salts inside the effluent. We must carry-out effluent stream identification, characterization, and segregation before finalization of a treatment technique. High TDS stream must be segregated and treated separately with either OH radical or forward osmosis technology. Scaleban technology can help us a lot for treated effluent recycling, and reuse in the cooling tower.

Vedanta's Sterlite Copper industrial plant in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu has recently been in news due to protests and the unfortunate death of 13 people in subsequent police firing. What are the learnings from this overall episode? Dr. Chaubey: From this episode, we should learn that we must percolate the massage of good work done by a company for environmental pollution control in the nearby community. We must take note of shifting trends in public opinion about environmental sustainability and reputational consequences of not doing so. We should not go on satisfying only government authorities regarding environmental compliances but we should also spread awareness in the nearby communities regarding good work done by the company for environmental pollution control.

July, 2018

MARKET

Focussing on Increased Awareness of Water Standards and Being a Voice of the Industry Sunil Trivedi is the new President of Water Quality India Association (WQIA). Earlier he has served Water Quality Association as Vice Chairman-India Task Force. He was the treasurer in WQIA and a Panel Member in C11 Gujarat for energy & environmental committee. He is the MD at Sarjan Watertech India Pvt. Ltd. Mayur Sharma recently interacted with him in Ahmedabad and discussed his journey in the water sector so far, the new set of challenges for WQIA, and his strategies for the same as its new President. Here are the excerpts...

Sunil Trivedi, President, Water Quality India Association (WQIA)

Please tell us about your journey in the Indian water sector so far. How has been your experience? Mr. Trivedi: In 2003, I started with the trading activity. At that time, the penetra-

July, 2018

tion of the RO systems particularly and our awareness of water division was very low. People had just started understanding the need of purification, or RO, particularly in case of Gujarat where the

water is very hard. We thought that there should be options within the country. All our requirement was supposed to come from outside India. People used to import their needs but lacked real

application knowledge. The major issue was that we were getting things from outside India that were suitable for those countries but not for Indian conditions. If you take the example of China and

Taiwan, the water quality is moderate, not bad in all locations. The TDS is around 500ppm or 1000-ppm. Some conditions are very minimal where even UV or UF will work. In India, there are conditions like the hardness of water or presence of too much Arsenic or Fluoride. To combat the problems, we might just need RO for some areas whereas only UV is needed for other areas. So there was no awareness. Initially, even when we started the trading, it was difficult. Even small manufacturers who wanted to enter into this sector or even companies who wanted to venture this space did not have enough knowledge as to where to start with, what component must be used, how would they make a difference. So initially, in trading also, I was doing more of an education programme. Say for example in Sarjan, if I wanted to attend the business, first it would start with the education - what we should do, what are the Indian water conditions, what components should be used. We started with customization from the first day itself. We never used to import components without customizing it. When we tied up with big giants like multi-nationals, we always tried to get components that were suitable to Indian conditions. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how we

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MARKET became very excited about the industry even with the OEM also. We started with the trading of the components and slowly moved to the OEMs. Since we were keen on customization, we were the first choice of all the OEMs and ODMs to get their components. We used to provide them with customized solutions for their needs. That’s how we started and slowly moved to the manufacturing of complete unit systems. So right now from components, we are complete manufacturers of systems for OEMs and ODMs. Today, we are like one of the largest OEM and ODM manufacturers in India as we are catering to almost 10-12 brands.

So you have come a long way from then and now. How will you summarize your experience? What are the biggest changes you have seen in the market? Mr. Trivedi: There have been huge changes in the market. It has a current growth of 20% to 30%. But it has been always growing. And particularly awareness is now witnessing growth like never before. People understand the need for purification. Still, I would say a major concern is the penetration level which is very low compared to what it should be ideally. Still, it is not in double digits. It is floating between 10% to 11%. I would say we are at par with washing machine penetration. It is still an area of concern, but when compared to the previous figures of 1% to 2%, the growth is considerable. Still, there is a huge scope. When I compare the situation with the times when we had started entering this business, a lot of innovation has come into the market. The two major areas of concern as an association are that the market penetration is still very low and secondly the technical ability is also very low, and the entry and exit is very easy in this industry. There are particular norms that are not available. Due to that, the product level

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or the product standard that we have to maintain is still an area of concern.

Please give us a background of WQIA for our readers, and its activities in the past 2-3 years. Mr. Trivedi: WQIA (Water Quality India Association) was incepted in 2014, in mid-2014. Earlier, it was in the form of a task force. The legal entity Water Quality India Association was formed in mid-2014. The need of this kind of formation is basically to create a legal entity so that one can represent their activity or in case of legal requirement, it should have that legal entity. Otherwise, it was difficult for us to take it to the government or BIS, for any kind of issue related to the industry. It was difficult for us to take it to any legal identity without having the guarantee. Therefore, it was decided by all the members to have such an entity which was finally formed in September 2014. And the mission was kept to have reliable source and information, ethical practices, and education & training. Keeping that in mind, it was decided that we would have this Association, and we will work on all those areas.

Can you give us a few examples? Mr. Trivedi: After the formation, we immediately launched a product certification standard which was very affordable compared to other internal standards available for 15 to 10 lakhs rupees. We came out with standards that you could obtain in around 5 lakhs or below 5 lakhs rupees. For product certification, if you applied for international standards, since there were no Indian standards available at that time, it charged more than 20 to 30 lakhs rupees against what we came out with in accordance with the Indian conditions, which is in accordance with the Indian needs and which is available at 5 lakhs or below 5 lakhs rupees.

So that is actually a major achievement… Mr. Trivedi: Yes, and along with that, we conducted a lot of programmes also. We conducted programmes in Gujarat, Mumbai, etc. We trained company team staff members too. We have worked with almost all large organizations. We train their sales team and service team for basic water treatment, etc.

So can you give me a figure of how many people you must have trained? Mr. Trivedi: We have trained more than 500 people and this year around we intend to train 500 more. Another thing that we have done in last 1 year, a breakthrough that we have done majorly is the NGT case which the Association is reporting.

So if you can give me a background on the case as to what it is all about. Mr. Trivedi: There is an NGO that has filed the case with a request that RO should be banned because it is wasting a lot of water.

When did this happen? Mr. Trivedi: This happened around 2 years back. They filed the case stating that RO should be banned as it is wasting a lot of water and it is harmful to the environment. These two were the major concerns. But later on, the NGO has added a couple of applications to their case saying that the water has been used for the cricket ground, and it should not be used for it, or the kind of water available is not good. Community projects which government is installing,, there they should impose some restrictions. So, there are a couple of applications that the NGO came up with and the application was given to the RO manufacturers association. This kind of association does not exist in the country. So again in the interest of the members of our Association, The WQIA took the decision that since this kind of association does not

exist, and it is not known what will happen to the case in absence of such an association, it voluntarily decided to take the case and fight it. So, we took the case in the interest of all the members of our association.

What is the status of the case right now? Mr. Trivedi: As I explained earlier also, that a couple of applications got added to this case later. Last year, they have added one more application stating that BIS merge should be made mandatory since standards are available now. And they should put some standards that RO should produce a minimum of a particular TDS water. They also want a lot of things to be listed on the products.

What is WQIA’s take on it if you could summarize it? Mr. Trivedi: WQIA is working on this right now. As far as certification of the products is concerned, yes, definitely, every member is in the interest of the consumers and as the code of conduct or ethics, the goal of the organization is to give good products to the consumers. But there are certain limitations also that we need to address too. We are trying to find out ways of how it could be done. For instance, in one of the standards, Live Cyst Test is given to be tested for RO standards. If you want to go for RO certification, that facility is not available in India. Even if it is available somewhere, it is very costly which no one can afford. We have submitted our response with the NGT trying to take a stand which is in the balance of entire industry both the small manufacturers and the large manufacturers.

What was the role of WQIA in the GST? Mr. Trivedi: On behalf of the Association, we have represented a request to the government to reduce the tax structure as earlier it was the excise and VAT that was going

We should stick to the minimum norms and product standards for water that is used for either drinking, or treatment. I would request water professionals to take the advantage of training programmes that we are conducting in the interest of their business and in the interest of consumers. very high. If the product is more beneficial for the consumers, it can help the government also since it is not able to provide pure drinking water to every human being. So, we requested the government and we took up this issue with all GST committee and councils and the members and they have accepted our proposal. Thankfully, our product was slotted in 18% water purifiers categories against all consumer durables of 28%. QWP (Qualified Water Professionals) Programme is another achievement. The basic understanding is that if you are new to the water industry, or if you have joined a job and you don’t know what is to be done, this programme will help you to understand how the industry works. So, the Qualified Water Professionals programme gives them a broad idea. Currently, the programme duration is four hours.

What will be your role as the President of WQIA? Mr. Trivedi: The major activity that I would like to

July, 2018

MARKET take up is sticking to the core activities like training, education, having product standards and certifications. The main task that I would want to take is that whichever activity we are doing, the advantage should be taken to the grass root level as we have reached the water fraternity, whether they are members or nonmembers. Any activity being worked upon such as standards, programmes, or training programmes, will be open for non-members also. There may be some price differentiation, but we want to make this. Earlier it was for members only, now we want to make it for non-members also. Ultimately, we also want to take advantage. Our purpose is to take this down to every individual, every organization irrespective of whether they are members or non-members. That is the first thing I will do.

Please tell us about the recent MoU signed between WQIA and IAPMO India. What were the objectives of this agreement? Mr. Trivedi: Major objective to sign MoU with IAPMO India is better management of the Associations because IAPMO India already has its presence in the country, and they have good experience in managing these associations. We have taken their help to manage our association. The strategic guidelines and inputs have been borrowed from WQIA only and IAPMO will work accordingly. The day-to-day activities will be managed by IAPMO.

What is the duration of this MoU? Mr. Trivedi: Currently, we have signed it for one year. Definitely, it will extend to a couple of years based on the mutual comfort.

I will come to the water sector now. How do you see the future of Indian water sector as President of WQIA? Mr. Trivedi: As far as

July, 2018

water sector or water industry is concerned, I still see scope for growth. The penetration is still very low. Government, infrastructure, CSR, if you look at all the areas, there is still ample scope for growth in the water industry, and that can be any segment whether it is drinking water, or water treatment, or the STP, or ETP - in all the segments it is still growing and it is likely to grow rapidly for maybe another 10 years. Looking at this growth, WQIA would see how it can bring in innovation because as growth happens, you need to make the technology affordable to the users. If you see the news which feature water scarcity, recycling of water, STP, and the need for water, affordability is a major concern why people are not opting for it. So reaching that, bringing those kinds of innovations that can be connected with the right people, is what we can bring through the platform of WQIA. People must come to know that this kind of technology is available. Even if you want it in a commercial place, it can be converted. So that is one aspect.

On a broader level, how do you see the role of WQIA in the coming 2-3 years? Mr. Trivedi: We have already begun with our activities like training and education. Right now, we have started with the QWP 1 and we intend to upgrade that in a year or two to QWP 6. Starting from the basic water understanding, we will go to the level where the person is technically qualified. Today, there is a shortage of technically qualified manpower. The first thing is how we can help our members in the industry to train and educate their people and making technically certified people available to them. We will create a force of skilled people for the industry in terms of both technical ability and after sales course. We will upgrade to industrial ETP/ STP. So it will be general as well as technical. We are

going to work on both fronts and we wish to cover the entire gamut of the water industry where we can provide them with trained professionals.

WQIA Milestones â&#x20AC;˘ Organized six WQIA industry meetings in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai in last 3 years. â&#x20AC;˘ Currently 32 Gold members/associates and 141 ordinary members. â&#x20AC;˘ Development of new standards for product certification.

I will now come to the part about the WQIA membership benefits. What are the benefits of being a WQIA member? Mr. Trivedi: The person who becomes a member of WQIA gets the advantage of gaining knowledge about the water industry. They get an opportunity to network with the members of the same fraternity, have business expansion as we give huge opportunities through the website where we have published membership lists. Anyone who wants to purchase certified or good quality products can approach good suppliers. We have provided facility to all the members to connect through WhatsApp services which helps in generating business leads. It helps them in business development, networking, etc. They can take advantage of our education programmes and training programmes. We conduct two meetings in a year of which they can be a part. Not only these, they can be a part of the Association too if they have the zeal to do something for the water fraternity. We provide the opportunity to the members to be a part of the sub-committee. They can be members and they can serve the industry.

Now I will come to the awareness part. How is

WQIA creating awareness on water quality and standards? Mr. Trivedi: To members or non-member companies, our people are approaching to create awareness of the standards that should be available. This year, we intend to take help of CII, FICCI, and government organizations related to drinking water and environment to help us and work out programmes that reach the ground-level understanding. Not only national bodies like CII and FICCI, we will take help from local bodies like Rotary Clubs and Lions Club as they conduct such kind of programmes. We will reach out to NGOs to help our members and to help create awareness within the community. So not only national programmes, we will go to the regional level programmes. We are working out ways to find out how we can be helpful to the regional associations as they are a big strength of the local members. We want to take them into the mainstream through our training programs and seminars so that the advantage can go down to the basic level.

What are the biggest challenges WQIA faces right now? Mr. Trivedi: The challenge is getting everyone in India to join us in whatever activities we are doing. I would say the main challenge is to create awareness. Though we have worked out many plans, taking it to the ground level is a big challenge. Passing on the advantages to the ground level is another biggest challenge. As you can see, it is not a proper organization. Everyone needs to come voluntarily. Thirdly, there are a lot of good professional programmes that we have conducted and we know there is a need for awareness of such professional programmes. But to convey the importance of these programmes within and outside the membership is another challenge.

Are you planning any events in 2018 and 2019? Mr. Trivedi: In 2018-2019, we have started with QWP and solicitation programmes. We have planned to train at least 500 people for QWP programme. And similarly, there are certified trained technicians, around 200, which we want to train for the country. Currently, we are starting with the Residential Service Technician Programme and Certified Service Technician Programme. We will be starting with Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Chennai. We will try to cover all big cities in the first phase and then given the opportunity to tie up with the regional associations, we will take it to the Tier 2 cities. We plan to have our convention somewhere in August. Other than that, in association with IAPMO and CII, we wish to conduct some programmes, not only training and education but more of social awareness programmes related to water conservation with a couple of NGOs and other bodies.

Your message for water professionals in India as President of WQIA. Mr. Trivedi: I would say that associations are lifesavers for a code of conduct. I would expect that every member or non-member should follow ethical practices since we are serving the industry for a good cause. We must not dilute that cause. We should stick to the minimum norms and product standards for water that is used for either drinking or treatment. I would request them to take the advantage of training programmes that we are conducting in the interest of their business and in the interest of consumers. Once they have their qualified personnel, that will be an advantage for them. And similarly, the consumer will also be benefitted with the help of trained people which will ultimately help in the growth of business and industry.

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COVER STORY

STORMWATER & FLOODS

As our cities are facing increasingly frequent and severe cases of flooding, Express Water reviews the challenges in addressing urban flooding and managing the stormwater.

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July, 2018

COVER STORY

To Avoid Urban Flooding,Several Infrastructural Improvements Are Required! Dr. Kapil Gupta is Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India. He is currently advising the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Govt. of India on urban flood disaster management. He is also advising many cities such as Guwahati, Hyderabad, Mumbai, etc. on urban flood mitigation issues. Following the Mumbai megafloods of 2005, he has been responsible for setting up the Mumbai Flood Early Warning System using 60 automatic weather stations and designing many of the flood mitigation works on the Mithi River in Mumbai. For the Disaster Risk Management Master Plan for Mumbai, he has carried out the flood risk assessment for Mumbai. He has been the Convener and Member of Expert Committee for drafting NDMA Guidelines on Urban Flood Disaster Management and Member, Expert Committee for drafting Manual on Urban Drainage, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. For our cover story on the stormwater management and floods, he shared his views on various aspects of urban floods with Mayur Sharma. flooding? And how much should we blame on our urban planning and practices?

Prof. Kapil Gupta, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

It is now recognized that the urban flooding is very different from other floods. What are the reasons and causes of urban

July, 2018

Prof. Gupta: The term urban flood consists of two parts "urban" and flood". An urban area has been defined as (according to Census of India 2011): (a) All statutory places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee, etc; or (b) All other places satisfying all three conditions: i) a minimum population of 5,000; ii) at least 75 percent of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and iii) a density of population of at least 400 per sq. km. Flood is defined as "an overflow of a large body of water over areas not usually inundated". Thus, flooding in urban areas is caused by intense and/or prolonged rainfall which overwhelms the capacity of the drainage sys-

tem. As our cities are major international centers for trade and commerce, they are densely populated, and an urban flood affects a large number of people in a very small area. In addition, there is inundation and damage to vital infrastructure, disruption to rail, road, and air services, thereby affecting all walks of life. Urban flooding often leads to major economic losses which have both local and global implications. Outbreaks of diseases is another major hazard after a major urban flood. In rural flooding the flood extent may be quite large, there may be agricultural losses but the number of people affected is not much in comparison to urban areas. Moreover, the flood peaks in urban areas are about 2-8 times and flood volumes are 6 times the predevelopment (rural) levels. Urban flooding

is caused by three main factors - meteorological factors, hydrological factors and human factors. Meteorological factors include heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms, and thunderstorms. Major hydrological factors include presence or absence of overbank flow channel networks and occurrence of high tide impeding the drainage. Human factors include land use changes, surface sealing due to urbanization which increases run-off, occupation of the floodplains and obstruction of the flood flows, urban heat island effect which has increased the rainfall in and areas surrounding the urban areas, sudden release of water from dams located upstream of citizen towns and even failure to release water from dams resulting in backwater effect. The causes of urban flooding are well documented, the main causes being: a) Rapid urbanization, b)

Concretization of surfaces, c) Loss of holding ponds/low lying areas to development, d) Construction in low lying areas, e) Blockage of drainage channels, and f) Encroachment on drainage channels/river floodplains. The indiscriminate disposal of solid waste into the urban water drains and channels is a major impediment to water flow during the monsoon. Unfortunately, very few urban planners are aware that water channels should be left alone. The old drawings show only property boundaries without showing the water channels/drainage paths. They should draw up the development plan only after physically visiting the site and clearly demarcating the water bodies and water channels.

Why are we seeing fewer but more intense rainy days which, in a way, are behind these flood crisis?

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STORMWATER & FLOODS Prof. Gupta: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has indicated that we are going to witness increased rainfall in smaller amounts of time which means that our existing drainage systems have to be redesigned to accommodate the flows that will be coming in from the increased rainfall. These can be done by resizing the drains where possible and by judiciously providing best management practices into the drainage infrastructure.

Why our cities are not prepared for these extreme rainfalls with sufficient drainage systems? What should be done to augment the drainage capacity of a big city? Prof. Gupta: The Ministry of Urban Development is yet to bring out a dedicated manual on urban drainage. They had started the work 8 years ago but are yet to release it. The old manual specifies that cities be designed for at most once in 2 years flood - which means our drains will overflow every two years! This needs to be increased to at least once in 10/25/50 years. The Netherlands is upping it from once in 100 to once in 1000 years event.

Only 50% of the Netherlands is more than a few feet above sea level. Major floods have occurred there for hundreds of years. Ten years ago, they developed the concept of “room for the rivers”, in which they give more space to the water. Can we build similar flood protection systems in our cities? What could be the practical challenges and solutions? Prof. Gupta: Definitely. The people living in the floodplains and low lying areas will need to be relocated or they should construct at least above the high flood level and provide sufficient waterway for the floods. Our local leaders should be made aware of this and with their support, this can happen.

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Can you tell us about similar best practices and projects from around the world - which we can replicate in our country, in part or full? Prof. Gupta: Best management practices such as the construction of storage tanks either at the rooftop level, at the intermediate level, at the ground level or underground. Storage/Holding ponds should also be provided at judicious locations to store water during heavy rainfall so that it does not cause downstream flooding. The water can be released gradually once the rain subsides. Porous pavements have been implemented in various cities around the world. These allow the water to gradually infiltrate into the underlying soil thereby maintaining the predevelopment sub-soil water conditions. Several best management practices have been practiced in India in the past. We have forgotten these. We should wake up and revise the simple practices like storage of water in rainwater tanks, rooftop storage, underground tank storage, temple tanks, recreational holding ponds in parks and residential estates, etc.

Mumbai and Chennai are India’s two big flood-prone metro cities. What should be the plan for an effective ‘Storm & Flood Water Management’ in your opinion, for such coastal cities? Prof. Gupta: To avoid urban flooding, several infrastructural improvements are required. First, the existing drainage path should be well demarcated. There should be no encroachments on the natural drainage channel in the city. Secondly, we see that a large number of bridges, flyovers, and metro projects are being constructed and the columns are located in the existing drainage channels. These can be avoided using proper engineering designs such as cantilever construction thereby preventing blockage of existing drainage widths. One more thing that is seen is that the roads are sur-

faced and resurfaced several times thereby increasing the levels of the road above the plinth levels. The Indian Roads Congress has recommended that whenever a road has to be resurfaced, the existing layer should be scraped through and then the new layer should be laid so that the plinth level and the road level are maintained to the predevelopment levels. Mumbai has also developed a flood drainage master plan and it is being slowly implemented.

MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) has identified parts of Mumbai and its suburbs which are more prone to urban flooding. What should be done at such identified spots to prevent or reduce the damage of floods? Prof. Gupta: With current available instrumentation technology and information on the internet, it is quite easy to forecast an urban flood and issue early warnings. For example, Mumbai Municipal Corporation has installed 60 automatic weather stations for recording the rainfall every 15 minutes. This information is disseminated through the GMDMA (Greater Mumbai Disaster Management Authority) web portal in real -time during the monsoon. Water level measurements can be made on the receiving river or drain using ultrasonic water level meters. The methodology that should be adopted is - one can look at the satellite maps for movement of weather systems, one can simultaneously monitor the Indian meteorological department's 'Nowcasting’ forecasts. Looking at the satellite, one can estimate when the rainfall or heavy rainfall is likely to take place. Once the rainfall takes place, automatic weather stations record the rainfall and simultaneously, the flow gauges are also recording the water level. Now, by the time the water falls on the rain gauge and it reaches the river or stream of

the affected area, there would be a delay of about 20 minutes (in Mumbai) for the water to flow from the upstream rain side to the downstream side. So, if we know that heavy rainfall is happening at the upstream point, we have a 20minute lead time to inform the people living in the downstream area that a heavy rainfall is happening and that the river levels are likely to rise. 20 minutes is enough time, as was in the case of Mumbai during the 2013 heavy rainfall event, for the people to evacuate with their belongings.

What are the significant infrastructural changes that should be made in urban areas’ planning at the macro and micro levels? Prof. Gupta: At the macro-level, reserved green spaces should not be dereserved. Adequately sized drains should be provided for at least 1 in 10 year/25 year/50 year design period. At the micro-level, people should install one or more of the best management practices in their apartment blocks/residential estates/institutional areas.

The Government of India is focusing a lot on the Smart City projects right now. How can a smart city include a master plan in readiness for the urban floods? Prof. Gupta: Only a small fraction of a city is being covered under smart cities. The practices mentioned earlier are adequate if implemented in the proper spirit.

We hear about so many advanced methods and techniques on flood forecasting systems which already exist (for prediction, data assimilation, and post-processing, etc.), why are we not able to implement them in our operational systems? What is your advice for the researchers and operational forecasters? Prof. Gupta: A dedicated team of trained and compe-

tent personnel to operate the flood forecasting systems as well as the operation of the gates of reservoirs and dams within a watershed area is required. This should be developed similar to the air traffic control dedicated staff.

Last year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Urban Risk Lab had launched a flood reporting app called RiskMap - where people affected by flooding and waterlogging can add their location, flood depth & photos, etc which could be seen by other residents as well as government officials. Do you think we can develop more of similar apps and services? Prof. Gupta: An app is only as good the developer of the app and the understanding of the user. The user should be prepared to act on the information provided in the app. One should remember that power supply is the first casualty of urban flooding and the user may be left without power/charge in his phone to update the app.

Anything else which you would like to add, looking at the upcoming monsoon season here? Prof. Gupta: The people should also not dump debris in the stormwater drains. Destruction of holding ponds and green areas should be controlled. In most cities, we see that after the flood water recedes breakout of epidemics such as malaria, chikungunya, dengue propagated by mosquitoes and leptospirosis due to mixing of rat’s urine with water. So, immediately after the floods, people should take measures such as consuming boiled water or if possible, bottled water to avoid these diseases and also to avoid gastroenteritis. Water should not be allowed to stagnate to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.And the guidelines on urban flood disaster management can be downloaded from www.ndma.gov.in. It is advisable to read them.

July, 2018

COVER STORY

Retrofitting Older Neighborhoods Infrastructure BoundaryConditions - Social and Environmental Construction Issues By Deodat Budhu THE BEEMAN PARK subdivision, one of Orange Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest neighborhoods, was platted and constructed in the 1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with very limited stormwater infrastructure during area development. Sue Harbor subdivision, on the other hand, platted in the 1970's includes more traditional stormwater conveyance features such as curb and gutter as well as and curb inlets. Both of these neighborhoods are within close proximity (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Location Map

Figure 2: Standing Water

July, 2018

Due to the relatively flat elevation of the south portion of the subdivision and lack of stormwater infrastructure, localized street flooding can occur within the Beeman Park and Sue Harbor neighborhoods during rainfall events. The majority of the street flooding concerns are in the Beeman Park area, near the roadway intersections and around the Woodlawn Drive/ Lake Sue Drive vicinity area. Over time the standing water in the

streets have caused deterioration of the limestone roadway base course under the asphalt pavement, which has created numerous potholes in several areas (Figure 2). The subdivision also lacks curbing or the existing curbing is in poor condition along most of the roadways with the exception of Sue Harbor Cove. Some of the curbings have also been heaved by nearby tree roots, causing damage to the curbing as well as impeding drainage along the roadway flow paths. Additionally, the tree roots have also heaved or cracked the sidewalk in several areas, primarily within the Beeman Park subdivision (Figure 3). Moreover, the sidewalk ramps do not meet current Orange County, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for handicap access. The area is occupied with mostly affluent residents who are happy with their natural environment, of many trees, narrow street and somewhat private and low traffic neighborhoods. However, due to many deficiencies which poses safety hazards to the older and younger residents alike, such as walkers and joggers as well as the standing water nuisance due to improper drainage as well as the roadway needing resurfacing are all issues that needed to be addressed. It would not be prudent to resurface the subdivision without addressing all the affected infrastructures such as

Figure 3: Tree Heaving, No Curbing

drainage, non-existing curbing, tree growth into the paving areas, and flooding among others. The first prospective solution is to remove tree constraints to allow for a holistic solution but this was not something the affected resident desired; however, the utility(ies) within limited roadway right of way, would result in construction rehabilitation impacting resident yards. The elevation of yards in many places are higher

than the roadways and some residences have 3-4 feet of concrete, wooden, or brick retaining wall(s) which would be impacted by any proposed curb or gutter solution given the lack of easement and narrow roadway. These boundary conditions compounded with lack of areas for water retention reduced the options for many solutions except a combination of odds and ends improvements. As part of project evaluation a detailed topographic

Figure 4: Exfiltration System

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Figure 5: Historical Oak Tree

survey was performed together with a subsurface utility survey. The evaluation and survey revealed: • Widespread drainage problems exist within Beeman Park subdivision, where the generally flat terrain along the southern half of the subdivision does not properly drain north to the storm sewer system which discharges into Lake Sue. • Due to the age of Beeman Park subdivision, a majority of the curbing and many sidewalk sections are damaged and in need of repair. • The Sue Harbor subdivision is in generally good condition, without obvious drainage deficiencies and only limited curbing and sidewalk damage. • The ADA accessibility

Figure 6: Roadway Milled

throughout both subdivisions does not meet current guidelines, primarily at sidewalk ramp locations, where proper detectable warning (truncated dome) surfaces have not been installed.

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To address the observed deficiencies, the following were suggested recommendations: • Repair or replace the damaged curbing throughout both neighborhoods. Repaired curbing should be fixed to its original condition, whereas new curbing should be FDOT Type D curb. • Replace sidewalk with significant cracking or damage. Grind sidewalk joints that have been lifted due to tree roots to create smooth, uniform sidewalk surface. • Regrade portions of the existing asphalt surfaces to create positive drainage flow to storm sewers catch basins. It is assumed that this regrading effort will be part of a separate milling and resurfacing contract for Beeman Park and Sue Harbor subdivision. • Install new storm sewer and curb inlets to intercept and to collect stormwater from additional ponding areas within Beeman Park subdivision. The limited storm sewer analysis conducted suggests that 24-inch storm sewer lines could accommodate the 10-year 24-hour design storm for subdivision roadways. The analysis makes general hydrologic assumptions in regard to the drainage characteristics within the Beeman Park and Sue Harbor subdivisions. • Install ADA detectable warning surfaces at the sidewalk ramps in both the Beeman Park and Sue Harbor subdivisions. Limited sidewalk improvements are also included to widen or otherwise be modified to create greater ADA accessibility.

Sidewalk widths of three (3) feet meet the minimum clear width criteria within the ADA guidelines. Sidewalks that have their effective width reduced to less than 3 feet due to canopy tree encroachment are proposed to remain as is, because widening the sidewalk may damage or destroy the established canopy tree. • Install an exfiltration system at the intersection of Woodlawn Drive and Boyd Avenue within the depressional area located along the southwest portions of the Beeman Park subdivision (Figure 4). The design of the exfiltration system includes a perforated pipe style system that infiltrates water directly into the sub-soil. A geotechnical investigation and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the exfiltration system was also conducted, and it was determined that the proposed exfiltration system would accommodate the 25year 24-hour flooding levels, and would improve the routine flooding conditions. The County will need to maintain this exfiltration system by routinely monitoring the sediment levels within the system and jet clean and vacuum the system as sediment accumulates within the trenches. Construction of these retrofits commenced in April 2017 with an expected completion date of December 2017. Within the first three months of construction, various site condition constraints became evident, including but not limited to utility conflicts, narrow roadways, construction equipment maneuverability issues and residents’ delay to exit their driveway. Moreover, citizen complaints about dust from the construction; not wanting the contractor to work at more than one street at a time and the closure of Woodlawn Drive became convenience constraints inhibiting the progress of the project. In addition, adding valley gutters, additional inlets and pipe to offset site conditions as well as preserving

Due to relatively flat elevation of the south portion of the subdivision and lack of stormwater infrastructure, localized street flooding can occur during rainfall events. a large historical oak tree have all been part of the growing pains (Figure 5). To make matters worse from those described above, Hurricane Matthew passed our way and created further delay with fallen trees, ponding and area clean up, etc. The experience thus far to retrofit these older areas has been a balancing act. On one hand to achieve a meaningful construction progress and shorter schedule while on the other mitigating the citizen inconvenience, preventing any mishap and maintaining high safety standard. To enable reasonable progress in the areas, several after-hours meetings and briefings were held with affected residents on project progress and incorporating their recommendations into our operation. To minimize setbacks from noise impact, utility conflict, and dust control while keeping vocal citizen complaints to a minimum was very challenging but thankfully, for the most part, the residents in the area were very practical and accommodating. Due to the many varied issues both from an environmental standpoint and social inconveniences, the milling and paving resurface operation was performed by in-house paving crews because the resurfacing required minute adjustment of grades to accommodate a positive flow of water (Figure 6). The construction retrofit was completed in April 2018 at a cost of USD 1.4 million. Although late by a stretch, the residents were pleased overall. Our operation staff was thrilled to be out of the area.

About the Author

Deodat Budhu, P.E., is the Manager for Roads and Drainage Division at Orange County Public Works Department. He has more than 36 years of experience in consulting, contracting, teaching, research and public works in a variety of Civil Engineering disciplines. He is currently responsible for daily administration and management of 233 employees and an annual Operation and Capital budget totaling USD 85 million. His division is responsible for managing the construction, maintenance & operation of Orange County’s roadway and drainage system infrastructure. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida and Virginia with memberships in several professional organizations including ASCE, FSA, APWA, amongst others.

July, 2018

COVER STORY

Storm Chambers SatisfyNewConstruction Needs to Support HeavyLoads The design engineers used StormTech® MC-4500 chambers to meet the significant volume requirement. By Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS)

A NEW NURSING home complex here required four stormwater drainage units in order to meet the volume requirement of more than 79,000 cubic feet of water. Installed under parking lots, the ability to handle top load strength was another critical design criteria for the contractor, especially with heavy equipment being used during construction. Scheduled to be completed during the fall of 2018, the five-acre Brightview Senior Housing Development will include 140 apartment homes, 69 independent living apartment homes, 45 assisted living apartment homes and a 26

July, 2018

apartment unit designed for dementia and Alzheimer’s Care. Design engineers used StormTech® MC-4500 chambers, a product of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) to meet this significant volume requirement. The large chamber design of these chambers allowed design engineers to maximize the storage volume provided in a limited footprint, an important consideration on this site where space constraints required efficiency in each square foot. The ability to handle top load strength was another critical design aspect met by the StormTech chambers, which

can be installed under parking lots. A total of 458 chambers were used to construct the underground sub-surface detention basins. System A1 with a capacity of 36,158 cu. ft. and A2 with 11,872 cu. ft. are connected while Systems B and C are separate with a capacity of 17,000 and 14,000 cu. ft respectively. The footprint for System A1 is 240.98 x 37.58 feet with 213 chambers. System A2 with 69 chambers is 108 x 28.5 feet and connects to System A1. System B, in the southeast corner of the site, is 112.18 x 37.58 feet and has 96 chambers. System C has 80 chambers installed in a 120 x 28.50 foot pit. Each system had 12 inches of stone and 12 inches of backfill and has a StormTech Isolator® Row that catches sediment in the rainwater preventing it from settling at the bottom of the bed and slowing the infiltration rate. This Isolator Row can be cleaned out using the JETVAC® process. The StormTech chamber is designed in accordance with ASTM F2787 and AASHTO standards and manufactured in accordance with ASTM F2418, "Standard Specification for Polypropylene (PP) Corrugated Wall Stormwater Collection Chambers", making it a qualified choice for use in commercial and municipal projects. The chambers have a 75-year design service life and are manufactured using a high-performance impact modified polypropylene (PP). The MC-4500 measures five feet from the bottom to the

top of the corrugation and has a base of more than eight feet. According to ADS, StormTech chambers exceed AASHTO 12.12 LRFD requirements for both live load and dead loads for a 2-1 safety factor. ADS N-12® corrugated HighDensity Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe was used for connections, in addition to Nyloplast® inline drains. ADS is a leading global manufacturer of water management products and solutions for commercial, residential, infrastructure and agricultural

applications. "The stormwater collection area spanned five-acres, with limited detention space" explained Tori Durliat, Director of Marketing for ADS. "An underground detention system was the least invasive and most cost-effective choice. The StormTech chambers are designed to easily split the system into multiple beds, allowing design engineers to direct the pipe to multiple locations where the water is stored until it is infiltrated back into the

The stormwater collection area spanned five-acres, with limited detention space. An underground detention system was the least invasive and most cost-effective choice.

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STORMWATER & FLOODS

ground.â&#x20AC;? "Designs using the pipe or other sub-surface detention systems would have required larger excavations. Using the chambers proved to be costeffective and provided a structurally robust design, which was required in order to with-

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stand loads from heavy construction equipment such as cranes, concrete pumps, and dump trucks." Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) is the leading manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastic corrugated

The StormTech chambers are designed to easily split the system into multiple beds, allowing design engineers to direct the pipe to multiple locations where the water is stored until it is infiltrated back into the ground.

pipe, providing a comprehensive suite of water management products and superior drainage solutions for use in the construction and infrastructure marketplace. Its innovative products are used across a broad range of end markets and applications, including non-residential, residential, agriculture and infrastructure applications. The company has estab-

lished a leading position in many of these end markets by leveraging its national sales and distribution platform, its overall product breadth and scale and its manufacturing excellence. Founded in 1966, the company operates a global network of approximately 57 manufacturing plants and over 33 distribution centers.

July, 2018

COVER STORY

Innovative Pumping Solutions for Flood Control Flooding is unavoidable and often unexpected, but it can be controlled to minimize losses and damages. Flood control places stringent demands on the pumping solution, not least with regards to reliability. By Grundfos India idea was to create an ‘urban wetland’ which roots the new city in the landscape. What an impressive landscape it is, with the Han River running through it and a steep mountain backdrop. Bound by an elevated motorway, that also acts as a dyke, the city is constructed on two levels: a dense street level, which accommodates the activity of the city itself, and a sparser upper level. Here a series of rooftop pavilions, elevated public spaces and buildings crowning bigger buildings below look over the road and out to the river and mountain landscape beyond.

Paju Book City, South Kora Planned New Pumping Station to Prevent Flood During Monsoon Season

Project Highlights: Grundfos Pumps Help Protect Paju Book City from Flooding Location: South Korea Customer: Paju City Grundfos Provided: A complete solution from audit and flood control consulting to engineering services. • Pump data: 10 x Submersible KPL Propeller Pumps • Total capacity: 4,104m3/min (246,240m3/hr) • Discharge diameter: 1800mm • Motor power: 730kW • Voltage: 3300V

Case-I: Flood Control Solution Keeps Book City High and Dry Overview South Korea’s Paju Book City, an ambitious new town based exclusively around the business of publishing, is a remarkable and unexpected

July, 2018

architectural endeavor. Located 30-km north-west of Seoul, it features buildings by some of the finest architects working in the world today. But the master plan for the city, created by London-based Architectural Research Unit, is unique in another way too. The

The Situation/ Challenge The fact that Paju Book City is built on marshland, former floodplains and paddy fields means that it is always at risk of flooding, particularly during the heavy rains in the summer. With just one pumping station built 20 years ago, the municipal authorities quickly realized that this was insufficient for the new city, especially as average rainfall was on the rise. Grundfos was well placed to help them increase capabilities. In 2008, Grundfos acquired KJI Co of Korea, a company with a long history of manufacturing flood control pumps. Moreover, the company boasted an impressive R&D facility and a team with extensive experience of the complexities of flood control. The Solution Grundfos Korea was involved with the Paju project

right from the start. It helped with the analysis and audit of the situation and advised that a new pumping station was needed. As the project developed, team Grundfos provided engineering and consulting services, flood control expertise and, of course, the Grundfos pumps. The first phase of the project, in 2007, was to significantly boost the capacity of the existing pumping station with the addition of 3 Grundfos KPL submersible propeller pumps. When the Munbal Pumping Station was ready in 2011, these pumps were transferred to the new facility, which was already equipped with 7 KPL pumps. The completion date for the entire project, which included an eco-park was in 2012. The Outcome Flood control places stringent demands on the pumping solution, not least with regards to reliability. Through a combination of technical know-how, industry leadership and solution-oriented product development, Grundfos was able to supply pumps for high volume water handling, tailored and optimized for the new Munbal Pumping Station. The 10 Grundfos submersible KPL propeller pumps provide a total pumping capability of over 4,000 cubic meters (that’s roughly the amount of water contained in two Olympic-sized swimming pools) a minute. The pumps combine quality elements inside a compact design and despite their power, they require surprisingly little space. They are

Inside the Pumping Station

also easily installed, drastically reducing construction costs. But what’s unique about the Munbal Pumping Station is that it’s designed to complement the stunning architecture and natural environment of Paju Book City. Walkways and an observation platform were built on top of the station so visitors can look over the Han River on one side - a great spot for watching migrating birds - and on the other side, the eco-park and reservoir. In line with its commitment to green principles and sustainability, Grundfos helped the Paju municipal authorities turn what could have been a run-ofthe-mill pumping station into something that not only prevents flooding but also complements the environment of an extraordinary modern city.

Case-II: Pump Gate - An Innovative Solution to Flood Control in Densely Populated Areas In Poglar, Indonesia, Grundfos has installed a new innovative solution that protects the local community from flooding without the traditional space requirements for a pumping station, floodgate, and

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STORMWATER & FLOODS Project Highlights: Pump Gate for Flood Control in Densely Populated Areas Location: Poglar, Indonesia Grundfos Indonesia Supplied: • Consultancy with local partners • Supervision of installation • Resolution of all issues prior to commissioning • Commissioning of the Pump Gate Grundfos Supplied: • 3 gates with 2 pumps per Pump Gate • Pump flow 6 m3/s and total head 4.2 m reservoir. Combining floodgates and axial flow pumps give a ‘Pump Gate’ solution on an existing waterway, relieving flood pressure with a very easy operation and maintenance. Flooding is unavoidable and often unexpected, but it can be controlled to minimize losses and damages. Flooding is a common issue facing most of the low-lying areas in major cities in Asia, and in Jakarta, Indonesia, this is compounded by population growth, high annual rainfall, and limited space. Soil surface subsidence accompanied by industrialization and urbanization further aggravates the situation. Flooding is the main problem in many areas in Jakarta, and one of them is Poglar, locat-

ed at Kapuk, Cengkareng, West Jakarta. Flooding is a common issue at Poglar, where high tides frequently inundate the area. The flow conditions of the Angke River also have a major influence on the area. The lowlying geography of Poglar means that controlling the outfall of the Angke River and avoiding backflow up the river from high tides is essential for protecting the local community. As is always the case with flood control measures in atrisk areas, flooding cannot easily be overcome, but measures can be taken to minimize losses and damages. In cooperation with the Public Works department for Jakarta, This is what Grundfos Indonesia has done, by installing a Pump Gate. How Pump Gate Works A Pump Gate consists of a floodgate on an existing waterway equipped with pumps. This removes the need for a separate floodgate, pumping station and reservoir, all of which take up space. Building the submersible pump directly into the floodgate means that the function of a floodgate can be combined with the function of a pumping station and reservoir. The floodgate and screen can be opened to discharge the retained water by gravity flow. And if the water outside the floodgate gets higher, the Pump Gate can be closed to block backflow. If the retained water reaches a certain level, the pump starts operating to forcibly discharge the retained water.

The Grundfos Pump Gate Solution was the Most Suitable for Poglar, Considering the Limited Land Area Required and the Flow Conditions from the Angke River in Poglar, Indonesia

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This approach offers tangible benefits: • No need for extra land with the costly process of land acquisition, legal delays and

“

disruption to the local community • A straight-forward installation on an existing waterway and with a small construction footprint • A simple operation, as the pumps are integrated into the floodgate • A low maintenance solution, because the installation consists only of the floodgate with pumps and a screen; site infrastructure is significantly reduced. The Outcome - The Pump Gate Installed at Poglar For the low-lying area of Poglar and with the added problem of the Angke River flowing through the area, the Pump Gate performs the following functions in one space-saving installation: • In situations of low tidal pressure, gravity ensures that Angke River water drains out to sea. • When the tide is sufficiently high to cause flooding, the floodgate can be closed, until seawater levels fall and the gravity feed of river water can resume. • If river levels are high at the same time as a high tide, the pumps can be started to force water through the floodgate to the sea, at the same time as tidal pressure is held back. Three gates and six pumps have been installed at Poglar. The existing waterway where the Pump Gate is installed has a channel width of 12 m and a height of 4 m. Under normal conditions, water levels varied from a low of 0.6 m to a high of 2.5 m. Installed are six submersible pumps capable of 6 m3/h flow and 4.2 m head. Integrating the pumps into the floodgates means there are no requirements for other parts, such as a column pipe and a separate water gate. As

A traditional pump station requires a large scale site area for the pump station and reservoir, with high costs resulting in the purchase of land and a long time to prepare the site. By using a Pump Gate, no sump pit and pumping stations are required, with minimum space requirements. Compared with the cost of an ordinary pump station with a floodgate and reservoir, we achieved great time and cost reductions. Supriyadi Supriyadi Operations Manager, Grundfos Indonesia

the pump is integrally equipped with the gate, the operation & maintenance of the Pump Gate is very simple and easy. In the company’s role as a business partner for the Jakarta Provincial Government, Grundfos Indonesia has applied the Pump Gate system at Poglar, the first such installation in Jakarta. Although there are other flood control systems that would give the same results, the Pump Gate is most suitable for Poglar, considering the limited land area required and the flow conditions from the Angke River flow. In Indonesia, Grundfos has worked with flood control at a number of sites and was active-

ly involved in the first Grundfos Indonesia flood control project for the Surabaya Urban Development, which ran from 2000 to 2006. Grundfos Indonesia received an award in appreciation for its outstanding contribution to this flood control project from the local government. is satisfied.

Grundfos Engineers Supervise the Installation

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Flooding is the main problem in many areas in Jakarta, and one of them is Poglar, where flooding is a common issue because of high tides. It is not easily overcome due to geographical conditions.Therefore, one of the strategic programmes of the Government of Indonesia is to minimize flood damage through integrated water resource management.We needed high technology and a perfect solution, so Grundfos was selected as our business partner. Toni Sudarsono Field Supervisor, Water Resources Management, Public Works Department, Jakarta

July, 2018

OUT OF THE BOX

The Mental Health Impacts of Droughts on Rural Populations By Klaus Reichardt

Klaus Reichardt

TYPICALLY, WHEN WE discuss droughts impacting different parts of the world, our discussion is about the following: • What steps governments and communities are taking to cope with drought conditions • What industries are affected and how they are dealing with it • Data, such as how much potable water is in dams and how much water there is now compared to one or more years ago • If the drought might be related to climate change • What water restrictions are in place along with other steps being taken to reduce consumption • How people have managed to “carry on,” but doing so using far less water. But one aspect of droughts that does not get as much attention as it should is how droughts can impact people emotionally. Possibly one reason for this lack of discussion is the fact that most of the people in the world are now living in moderate-sized to vast urban areas. While those living in urban areas may fret and complain about being asked or required

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to use less water, very often they find doing so is surprisingly easier than they initially thought. Maybe the car isn’t washed as often as before; transferring from 15-minute showers to five-minute showers wasn’t as hard as anticipated; and while vegetation may suffer, very often people use the drought as an opportunity to install landscaping that requires less water, and with it, far less care, time, and attention. But those living in rural areas often find drought conditions much more difficult to cope with. A great deal of this is because these people use the land, in one of many ways, as the source of their livelihood. And to make this work, for them to generate income and meet their costs and expenses, their land invariably needs water, and all too often, plenty of it. If water is in short supply, anxieties and an array of emotional problems can soon result. But let’s look at this situation in greater detail. People in rural communities, indigenous groups, and those that depend on their land for their livelihood, tend to be very stoic. There is a culture of self-reliance in these areas of the world. We witnessed examples of this stoicism in North America during what was called “The Dust Bowl,” which was the result of drought conditions that impacted much of the central U.S. during the 1930s. But similar examples of this stoicism have been and are now found in rural and farming areas around the world. Stoic people, according to several studies over the years,

tend not to seek help when they are experiencing difficulties, whether it involves their land, their business, or their emotional lives. And if they do, they are often frowned upon by their neighbors. For instance, during the just mentioned Dust Bowl of the 1930s, government agencies started delivering food and supplies to rural people and farmers struggling to get by. While these people welcomed and almost always needed the supplies, what they did not welcome were the brown trucks that delivered them. Their neighbors would see the brown trucks and ridicule these recipients for not being more self-sufficient. This ridicule along with their stoicism further marginalized these people, especially the men. Men are supposed to be the breadwinners for their families, especially at that time. If they are not able to do this and their neighbors see this, then for many, their selfvalue has been reduced or eliminated. Often, they are then placed in a no-win situation as to their mental health. If mental health services are available in rural and farming communities, which they often are not, and their neighbors find out they are seeking help for emotional issues, they are further mocked and frowned upon. The same can and does happen today in many parts of the world, and because of this, many of these people experience serious mental health issues, all compounding their ability to address their situation in more positive ways.

How to Address These Is-

sues Before continuing our discussion, I must say I am not a psychologist and likely have no more training in this field than most of the people reading this article. However, some steps can be taken that should help minimize the emotional impacts of droughts, both in rural areas of the world as well as in urban areas. The three that are most important are education, technology, and realization. Education In many parts of the world, drought conditions are viewed as temporary. “We’re going through a drought now, but things should be better next year.” That is something we hear people frequently say during drought conditions. But what we see more and more of is that droughts are lasting longer, are often more serious, and even more, reflect changing climate conditions. In other words, some of today’s “droughts” are actually reflections of the “new normal.” We need to educate people starting at a very young age in both rural and urban areas that the generous ways we consumed water in the past may be coming to an end. An unlimited supply, and in many cases, a very inexpensive unlimited amount of water, may no longer be the case in many parts of the world in the 21st century. If people know this and realize this, then they are often better able to cope with drought conditions, with fewer emotional impacts. Technology Another step is to encour-

age the development of technologies that help us use water far more efficiently and - very important - make sure people are aware of these technologies. Being aware that steps are being taken to help us reduce consumption, use water more wisely, eliminate water waste, remove some of the traditional ways we use water - for instance by replacing water using urinals with no-water urinals - or turning seawater into drinking water far less expensively than in the past, brings people hope. When people have faith, they see the future as brighter. Realization Finally, we must recognize that droughts can take a severe toll on people and their mental health. While the two steps just mentioned can help ease the situation, much more may be necessary, especially in rural areas of the world, to help people handle such situations. This includes more than just those living in rural areas, but people living in developed regions, emerging countries, as well as third-world areas. Mental health facilities and resources must be available to those impacted by drought. Mood disorders caused by droughts can and have caused physical illness, and to a lesser extent, violence and even suicide. Mental health facilities and resources can help prevent this. About the Author Klaus Reichardt is a frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues. He is Founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc., based in Vista, California, USA.

July, 2018

OUT OF THE BOX

Pioneering Funding Initiatives in Water Sector With a rise in funding options globally, improving outcomes, existing potential as well as reducing costs with the advent in relevant technologies, there is every reason to win the confidence of investors, funding agencies, and proven technology players. By VA Tech WABAG Limited sector. However, financing in the water sector has been hampered by a couple of reasons. First, water as a sector may not be as prominent as the other infrastructure sectors in terms of size and volume. Second, the sector is undergoing a maturity curve to ensure bankable projects with timely execution, sustained performance and good returns backed by guarantees and clear contractual terms for payment and performance. Driven by such concerns of the perceived high risk of long gestation periods and poor cost recovery in water sector; due diligence and subsequent commitment to disbursement is a long drawn process. Water resource management and desired return on investment in the sector stand out as one of the major challenges in the

Dambulla Integrated Water Supply Scheme

TODAY MORE THAN 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Demand for water is expected to increase by nearly one-third by 2050 in view of the burgeoning global population. This results in accelerated consumption followed by increasing environmental degradation due to the low percentage of sewage treated and the all-round impact of climate change. In order to manage the challenging demand for our extremely valuable freshwater resources, setting up of sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure coupled with capacity building to manage such infrastructure effec-

July, 2018

tively emerges as a priority in the list of requisites. Imagine this scenario: A comprehensive water transmission, treatment, distribution model followed by complete wastewater treatment incorporating efficient and modern technologies, resilient green infrastructure, and complete resource recovery with minimum footprint and conformance to global environmental standards. Couple this solution with low lifecycle cost, extremely good cost recovery and returns with maximum project life. Sounds too good to be true? Maybe it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. In fact, the doubt that this may be an

overly optimistic context does keep people away from taking advantage of excellent opportunities especially considering the current scenario of the global water industry. Private financing (through infrastructure bonds) can aid in bridging the demand-supply gap by supporting sustainable infrastructure with long project life. The state of infrastructure in most of the emerging markets globally has been improved with such funding mechanisms. The challenge faced by utilities in terms of operational and financial sustainability can be largely alleviated by the involvement of the private

incentives, low-cost recovery and inadequate funding coupled with lack of capability for proper maintenance, ultimately leading to poor performance of assets and a wastage of financial resources. Water tariffs need to be rationalized and water purchase agreements need to incorporate a take-or-pay clause to ensure that the utilities as well as the investors are protected commercially, be it an annuity model or a revenue generation model. In order to progress towards the ambitious target of Sustainable Development Goal-6 of United Nations Clean Water and Sanitation by 2030, we must focus on a comprehensive framework taking into account different stakeholders: For investors, one which comprises an inno-

Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Project in Valenzuela, Philippines The contract value of the order was around EUR 25 million and World Bank funded this project. WABAG designed and built the 60,000 m3/d Valenzuela sewage treatment plant for Maynilad Water Services Inc. using the activated sludge process. The contract also included operation and maintenance of the plant as part of performance proving period of one year.

water sector today. The situation is further aggravated by inefficient usage at the consumer end which in turn increases the cost defeating the objective to bridge demand-supply gap. To sum up, the current scenario combines weak performance

vative and guaranteed financing model, for utilities, one which augments their vision for sustainable infrastructure and capacity building, for contractors, one which provides weightage for technical expertise, not just commercial competitiveness and

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OUT OF THE BOX Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Project Under JICA Funded Ganga Action Plan in Varanasi, India This order had the value of around EUR 30 million for design and construction of 140,000 m3/d Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Dinapur, Varanasi including operation and maintenance for 10 years. The scope for WABAG included design, engineering, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the sewage treatment plant whereas the civil construction is to be carried out by its JV partner. The order is part of JICA - Funded Ganga Action Plan Project and the implementing agency for this project is Ganga Pollution Prevention Unit of UP Jal Nigam, Varanasi. WABAG is to employ the activated sludge process with biogas based Power Generation for this project. This process will help the plant to generate power from biogas and the plant would largely be self-sustainable using this “green energy”. This will not only help the project to reduce its operational costs but will also reduce the carbon emissions and thus will qualify for carbon credits. Upper Ruvvu Water Treatment Plant, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

enhances their accountability and performance. One such financing model to benefit the water sector would be funding through the Buyer’s credit mechanism. WABAG pioneered this initiative and availed Buyer’s credit (Commercial Credit) of EXIM Bank of India for a Drinking Water Project in Sri Lanka of value 78 million USD. This project is an ideal combination of competitive financing for an emerging market in need of developing sustainable water infrastructure by partnering with a company with proven technological expertise which helped secure access to safe drinking water for over 5 lakh people in Sri Lanka. Moving over to the western hemisphere, WABAG also executed a drinking water project in Upper Ruvvu, Tanzania under the line-of-credit from

EXIM India. This project has ensured access to drinking water for over 7 lakh people in Tanzania. In addition to governmentfunded projects, WABAG has also been championing in projects funded by multilateral and bilateral institutions like World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and European Union, etc. • World Bank funded the 60,000 m3/day STP in Valenzuela, Philippines and 100,000 m3/day STP in Illugin, Philippines • JICA funded 140,000 m3/day STP in Varanasi, India under Ganga Action Plan and 90,000 m3/day STP in Bengaluru, India • Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded 32,400 m3/day WWTP in Guheswori, Nepal (EUR 20

Guheshwori WWTP Plant Project in Kathmandu, Nepal This Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) project in Kathmandu, Nepal had the value of Rs. 141 crores (>18 million Euro). The order was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and included operation & maintenance of the WWTP for a period of 10 years. This was the second order secured by the company from Nepal, the first one being the Melamchi Water Treatment Plant order which was funded by JICA. The scope of the order included rehabilitation and expansion of wastewater treatment plant at Guheshwori in Nepal. WABAG carried out rehabilitation and expansion of the WWTP while the existing plant was kept operational. The salient feature of the plant included generation of power from biogas produced out of the sludge.

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Million) • 19,200 m3/day WWTP in Polatli, Turkey funded by European Union With a rise in funding options globally, improving outcomes, existing potential as well as reducing costs with advent in relevant technologies, there is every reason to win the confidence of investors, funding agencies and proven technology players who want to expand in global emerging markets with a vision to be partners in setting up sustainable infrastructure. As thought leaders, it is incumbent on us to initiate discussions and drive actions at all relevant levels to move towards a more sustainable management of water resources. It is this collective effort from all stakeholders that alone can help realize the 2030 vision of achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all coupled with comprehensive wastewater treatment. As an internationally respected expert group, WABAG is a systems specialist and full service-provider with a focus on the planning, installation, and operation of drinking and wastewater plants for local government and industry in the growth markets of Asia, North Africa, Middle East, the Central and Eastern Europe. The WABAG Group

represents a leading multinational player with a workforce of over 1,600 and has companies and offices in more than 20 countries. It disposes of unique techno-

logical know-how, based on innovative, patented technologies and long-term experience. Since 1995, WABAG has completed over 900 water and wastewater plants worldwide.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Project Near Ankara in Turkey This project for the construction of Polatli Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wastewater Collection Network and Collectors”, had a total value of around EUR 13 million. The plant was co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey. The project was related to the building of a new municipal wastewater treatment plant and sewerage network in Polatli, a city with a population of 120,000, which is located in central Anatolia in the vicinity of Ankara, the Turkish capital. The wastewater treatment plant is equipped with conventional mechanical/biological treatment technology on the basis of the activated sludge process and also incorporated carbon and nitrogen removal. In addition, the plant is operated using aerobic sludge treatment, sludge dewatering, and a biological waste air filter. The facility corresponds with EU regulations regarding environment-friendly wastewater treatment and in particular with the Environmental Impact Assessment Report. The treatment plant had a capacity of roughly 20,000 m3/d. However, overall plant design and parts of the buildings and electro-mechanical equipment was designed and installed to accommodate a planned subsequent extension to 27,800 m3/d. WABAG partnered with an experienced, local specialist company ECETAS for the completion of the “collection network and collectors” section of the contract. An optimized process design, the high quality of the quotation and last, but not least, the competitive offer proved convincing for the customer. As a result, during an international tendering process, the WABAG and ECETAS consortium was able to beat off challenges from twelve competitors. Turkey invested roughly EUR 13 million in the project of which WABAG’s share will amount to some EUR 6 million. The financing was provided by the national government and the EU within the framework of the IPA programme.

July, 2018

OUT OF THE BOX

The Touchless Story of a Startup By Realment Labs Private Limited

Bhrigu Chadda, CEO - Realment Labs Private Limited

The Story Behind the Inspiration Project Almanac, a lesser known Michael Bay movie was the first breath of inspiration behind the experimentation with touchless and gesture control technologies for a young inventor in 2015. The scene shows three nerdy friends flying a drone using just their hand gestures, with-

July, 2018

out touching a button or a joystick. This was the eureka moment for the inventor and futurist Bhrigu Chadha. The simplicity and yet graspable reality portrayed in the scene inspired Bhrigu to not only let his imagination run wild but also create this technology himself. Having been a veteran

from the tech-field, he had already seen similar gesturecontrol devices such as the Microsoft Kinect earlier, however, they lacked seamless and versatile implementation. This sparked the process of researching various other available technologies to see if any could be fine-tuned to a finger level control. After some experimenta-

tion and pilots in Bhrigu’s previous job, he started gesturecontrol services for responsebased marketing for clients, using platforms such as XTR3D, Leap Motion, and Kinect. Combined with the IoT, the initial goal was to put up a great show for an audience to market a brand in the offline events. This received great support and admiration but lacked the ability to deliver actual value and improvement of life. Having imagined the technology that could have such wide-ranging effects on society, Bhrigu wanted to work on a problem that had not been solved adequately yet. Seeing that the technology was more than just a novelty but lacked mass appeal, Bhrigu started leaning towards trying to identify everyday issues to solve with this technology. It was at this point that he saw large scope for this kind of technology in the healthcare sector in India, and across the world. Being an inventor by passion, he knew the technology and the solution but couldn’t yet identify where he wanted to ideally implement this solution. During a casual conversation, while lying in bed one day, Bhrigu asked his wife “What do you think would be useful for you at home or at your office if you did not have to touch it?” She replied ‘Washroom taps, dustbins, and drinking water dispensers!’ Initially having been given the inspiration to the path of touchless technology by Micheal Bays movie, Bhrigu had just been provided the first very milestone on this path by his wife in a casual conversation. Research showed a variety of dustbins operated by sen-

sors that exist in the market but haven’t been successful and lacked mass adoption. Touchless equipment in washrooms in malls, hotels, and offices have been prevalent for many years all over the world. Yet there were none in the drinking water segment. There were some brands outside India that make touchless equipment, but these were not really compatible with how most people across the world store and dispense drinking water. Wanting to expand on his wife’s suggestion and explore the market to better understand the needs, Bhrigu then started surveying and taking feedback from more people. Being clear about wanting to solve an existing problem

instead of providing a solution irrespective of the nuances of the market, Bhrigu started with taking his design to a prototype stage. The first prototype was made at home using Atmega based Arduino and key mechanical components with minimum cost. This was to try and understand the actual working of the parts. This initial process brought with it a variety of unseen possibilities in terms of improvement in parts and process. Yet, instead of spending too much time on the drawing board, Bhrigu decided to display this product and include the end-user in the innovative process by pro-

EXPRESS WATER

OUT OF THE BOX

viding insights or reviews they had on the product. Using this basic homemade prototype, Bhrigu interacted with over 1400 urban decisionmakers via phone, WhatsApp, emails, surveys, and even exhibitions. He was pleasantly surprised on seeing the support for the product with more than 90% of the people acknowledging that the problem was being solved. The responses and feedback were recorded and evaluated to improve the product as well as to meet a convenient and acceptable price-point for the market. Seeing an actual future for this specific product, finally, Bhrigu took the help of a business consultant to further understand the market, and applied for a provisional patent. This is when Bhrigu quit his job and together with Mohith Manjunath, an already seasoned entrepreneur with over 9 years of experience in successful entrepreneurship, formed Realment Labs Private Limited to forever change the landscape of the tech market using touchless technologies. The first target was to start with the production and marketing of their first product the, MoPure - Touchless Dispensers for Drinking Water.

What Does it Do? Problems which we are addressing: • We see people in offices, hospitals, schools and even at home using water dispensers. What they don’t know is that there are over 7,000 different types of bacteria on our cell phones and 3,200 bacteria from 150 different species on our hands. • We see ‘no’ education on

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washing hands before interacting with a drinking water source like we do with food or other consumables which can then cause diarrhea, influenza, common cold, pneumonia, abdominal pain, stomach infections, allergic reactions, skin rashes, and even pimples. Yet, with time we have seen a growth in the adoption of touchless technologies both locally and globally with a slowly growing understanding of sanitation and hygiene. With more emphasis on the process of carrying and transmitting bacteria, people have understood how unavoidable it

can be in everyday life. People come across a range of different germs when interacting with other people, touching commonly interacted-with surfaces, using toilets, handling cash, and other public interfaces. As a result, modern washrooms are equipped with touchless faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers. Some airports, western hospitals, and universities also have touchless drinking water fountains and bottle filling stations. Realment Labs has created MoPure (touchless drinking water dispensers) to be able to solve this same problem but with a cheaper and more versatile solution. It uses a patent-pending technology that dispenses drinking water through a tap just by placing a hand over the sensor. It is food grade and is tested in a water quality lab. Existing touchless systems have limitations when used with drinking water at low pressure and in portable sys-

tems. Our solution, MoPure, overcomes these limitations. MoPure is cheaper, safer, convenient and highly compatible with the most commonly used drinking water dispensers globally. It will help in reducing the spread of infections in rural and urban areas. The implementation of this solution will see an improvement in the quality of life and increase in the education regarding sanitation. Especially in schools and hospitals where there are more contaminants as well as more vulnerable individuals, there will be an improvement compared to the current analogy technologies being used. We will notice that over a period of time a simple solution like this will not only improve individual life but also improve the productivity and attendance of employees and students by reducing their chances of falling ill compared to the conventional method. This is also something very useful for the people who have infants and young children. The reduction in germs, that they are exposed to, would improve the health of these children. The touchless option has also proved to be convenient in households, especially while cooking and handling uncooked food. We want to create a culture of improved sanitation in our drinking water eco-system and educate the public about touchless solutions. To deliver a social impact, we are looking to collaborate with organizations and individuals who would like to contribute to the implementation of this touchless healthcare solution in various parts of India in governm e n t schools/hospitals/offices/rural establishments. The long-term goals encompass the further education of society towards higher standards of hygiene, especially in underdeveloped and poorer countries. We have seen the need for multiple campaigns like the “Clean India” campaign, and this a prime example of technology

being used to solve problems in an inexpensive manner. The MoPure touchless dispenser package includes a storage container (capable of holding a 20-25 liters water can), the integrated touchless tap unit (removable for cleaning) and a 5V 2A DC power supply adapter. Remember - no touching equals more hygiene.

Big Break During the process of setting-up the manufacturing of the product, we were lucky to partner up with one of Indias largest water dispenser manufacturers, Veeline Media Ltd. They have 25 years of manufacturing experience along with a great R&D team to help us further with the manufacturing process. They are currently manufacturing our products and with growth over time we see ourselves expanding the range of products with their assistance.

Technology Behind the Device Ours is a hardware product using proprietary mechanisms for controlling the flow of drinking water externally using a microcontroller and electro-magnetic actuators.

over a range of products as consultants for specific products. We can achieve all this because of our dedicated team and the precise delegation of work. Apart from this, we continue to focus on our in-house R&D to provide more solutions in the form of products or services to problems that haven’t been tackled before or addressed inefficiently previously and to improve society in our own touchless way.

Challenges Being Faced Negotiating with investors to retain maximum control over the company becomes a highly time-consuming process as trust levels are low in India off-late. The focus of the entire board in such times moves away from R&D and core development. To add to that, closing deals with organizations and corporate is a long bureaucratic process in some cases. Irrespective of the size, organizational clients take time to trust startup products and delay their payments. Future challenges in retail might even include the fight over space, and a consumer goods startup would require a heavy financial muscle to be able to get into that segment.

Remarkable Highlights Growth Strategy At the core of the company, Realment Labs is an R&D company. We have been working on a range of different products and fields using touchless and other forms of technologies. There are a variety of new innovations currently in the pipeline that we are testing on and improving. Due to our range of expertise, we have chosen a multipronged strategy. Firstly, our objective is to show substantial traction in the B2B and B2C segment of our current product. Secondly, we sell our technology via licensing and royalty deals since we hold the patent behind it. Thirdly, white-labelling our product and selling as OEMs to existing brands for integration with their line of dispensers. Fourthly, providing R&D services to different companies

We are recognized by DIPP Startup India and Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS) for our innovation. We are supported by the DERBI Foundation, an incubator affiliated to DST. We were the top 10 finalists in Headstart Kickstart contest in May 2017 in South India. We have participated in big trade shows recently with our beta version, such as India Manufacturing Show and Invest in Karnataka Tradeshow. We have received over 1000 pre-production inquiries from distributors, offices, factory owners, gyms, schools, and individuals, and are currently closing orders for our market version. We are currently getting interests from investors for mass production of the product.

July, 2018

TECH FOCUS

WATER SUPPLY

Securing Reliable Water Supplyto Villages in Rural India - 24x7 Water Supplyin Malkapur,Maharashtra In rural India, there are many villages with intermittent and inadequate water supply systems. This often means that villagers spend many hours queuing for their meager share. By Chanchal Dasgupta

Malkapur in 2008 Malkapur is a small village near Karad in the State of Maharashtra, 400-km to the south of Mumbai. In 2008, the population of 30,000 was served by a water supply system which was installed in 1988. This system was designed to supply a population of 14,000 by 2010. However, being located in the rich sugar production belt, there had been a rapid growth in population far exceeding the water infrastructure.

Piped water was supplied only a few hours in the morning and evening. Hence the residents had to store water every day. Many of them had to stand in a queue at public taps every day for fetching water. Due to leakage in the existing DI and PVC pipe network, about 35-40% of treated water was lost, which was a substantial revenue loss for Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), owner of the water utility. For many years, villagers

of Malkapur had to live with an irregular and unsustainable supply of drinking water. Their dependence was always on the supply of water through water tankers which operated few days a week or walking every day to fetch water for their daily consumption. Sometimes, villagers had to spend hours during the day or in the middle of the night to waiting their turn to fill the water buckets and walk back to their houses.

Requirements for a New 24x7 Water System The objective of the project was to provide every household in the village with fresh water round the clock seven days a week. A completely new water distribution network was required to distribute the water among the 3,000 homes and minimize the water loss from the system. MJP, who was financing and taking ownership of the project had set a requirement for the new network to reduce water loss from more than 35% to less than 5%. The system was designed to supply a projected population for 2030 of 67,000 people. The government officials in the State of Maharashtra carefully monitored the project in order to gain experience which they would use to implement a 24x7 water supply projects in many other villages and towns.

that whenever we store water, we store more than required. The excess water is thrown away the next day when fresh water is available. Therefore, More water storage = More wastage. • It has been seen that if water is made available round the clock, the water consumption/ wastage comes down. And when the supply is with volumetric billing, consumers are much less likely to waste water, as it costs money to them. • It gives peace of mind to the residents and saves them considerable time, effort

and worry every day. They can utilize their time in economic activities. • Due to use of PE pipes and welded fittings made of specified PE100, Borouge was confident that the water wastage will come down from 35-40% to <5%. This could be monitored through smart metering and water-audits. • Reduction in leakage also meant more water revenue for the authorities for the same volume of water pumped. This was expected to help pay for the project to be more cost-effective in the

Why 24x7? • It is the human psychology

July, 2018

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TECH FOCUS

medium to long-term.

Design & Construction of Network To meet the requirements of the project it was an MJP requirement to use pipes of the highest quality and durability to ensure the long service life without interruption and minimize the water loss caused by leakages in the system. Therefore it was agreed that high quality compounded black PE100 material would be provided by Borouge to produce the 53.55 km of water mains ranging in sizes from 75mm to 140mm OD (outside diameter). Kimplas Piping Systems manufactured all the pipes using Borouge HE3490LS PE100 black material. Kimplas also manufactured the electrofusion fittings which were selected as no local technicians had experience with butt fusion jointing.

All the pipes were supplied in 50-meter coils, which significantly reduced the number of joints and thereby the possibility of leakage along with speeding up the installation of the system. EPC Industries installed the pipes and jointed them using electrofusion fittings in six different water dis-

Rajendra Holani, Chief Engineer MJP, Receiving Prime Minister’s Award for the Project

tricts around Malkapur village. The other best practices MJP introduced were Bentley systems water network software, 100% metering, and remote data collection. This was indeed a showcase of best practices in water systems. The water storage tanks were located on the hill and the

WATER SUPPLY

entire water distribution was fed by gravity without any need for pumping. "Success Story of Malkapur 24X7 Water Supply System" - the sustainable project developed with technical excellence and with the complete motivation of beneficiaries achieved water and energy conservation - won Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration out of 64 projects shortlisted from all over India. The architect of the Project, Rajendra Holani, Chief Engineer (T) and Member Secretary Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran received the award on 21.4.2011 on the occasion of "Civil Services Day" at the hands of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. This project has paved way for other towns in India and many city managers, professionals and political leaders from across the country are visiting to replicate. Borouge along with EPC Industries & Kimplas supported the project through special pricing under Borouge’s CSR project “Water for the World”. The project was telecast by CNBC worldwide in their programme “Beyond Business” along with 4 other global projects.

Fresh Water for Every House in Past 10 Years By the summer of 2008, every one of the 3000 houses in Malkapur village was connected to the new water system, saving enormous women-hours and allowing

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The Maharashtra State government was determined to improve this situation and provide a continuous supply with a much-improved leakage rate. Borouge together with a local pipe supplier and installer worked to meet this challenge by providing high-quality PE100 material for a new water supply network. By the summer of 2008, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) had installed a new 24/7 “leak free”water supply system to the 3000 homes in the village of Malkapur following the best practices for a modern water supply network and a recent survey has shown that it is running perfectly after 10 years. Malkapur residents to enjoy the precious fresh water dur-

ing the hot summer. Malkapur water project was India’s first rural 24X7 project, carried out under the Maharashtra State government’s program to improve the water supply to its rural population. During a recent survey undertaken by the Maharashtra Govt officials, it was found that the network is still working fine in 2018, while the population of Malkapur has increased to 40000. It has helped bring prosperity to the villages, reduced the UFW losses and brought down per capita water demand and cost of water. People from nearby areas have migrated here due to 24x7 water availability making it a model project for other villages in India.

About the Author Chanchal Dasgupta is Application Marketing Manager at Borouge (India) Pvt Ltd. A Chemical Engineer from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, he started his career at Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, the first mega Petrochemical Company in India, in Technical service and Application development for Polyolefins in various applications, where he worked for 14 years. For past 18 years, he is working for Borouge for market development of Borstar Technology PE and PP grades for film, moulding, pipe applications. Borouge is a joint venture of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Borealis, Austria, manufacturing 4.5 Million Tons of Polyethylene and Polypropylene. Currently, as Application Marketing Manager (Pipe), he is in charge of marketing of Borouge PE and PP pipe products in the Indian subcontinent. He leads the market development for Steel Pipe coating for whole Borouge territory. He is the winner of Borouge innovation award on 4 occasions and has 3 application patents.

July, 2018

TECH FOCUS

WATER SUPPLY

One Water LA2040: Planning for a Resilient Water Supply Los Angeles has an ambitious plan to ensure the city’s water future through collaboration, integration of work and resources, and public involvement. The citywide effort will change the way Los Angeles residents think about and manage their water. By Lenise Marrero and Inge Wiersema

dependence on imported water. Additionally, the city initiated a comprehensive water planning effort to update its 2006 Water Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), officially known as the One Water LA 2040 Plan. Simply put, the One Water LA 2040 Plan is a collaborative, citywide planning effort that will change the way the city of Los Angeles thinks about and manages its water resources. Although the plan sounds simple in theory, in practice, it isn’t so straightforward.

From Silos to Integration The Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Combines Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technology with the Beauty and Tranquility of its Japanese Garden. The Plant’s Recycled Water Irrigates the Garden, which is Open to the Public Year Round. The Plant Provides Recycled Water to Many Users in the San Fernando Valley, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works is Collaborating with Other City Departments to Expand the Program.

FOR MORE THAN a century, the city of Los Angeles, as an organization, has relied on distant and unpredictable water supplies to provide to Angelenos. Attracting people to the city hasn’t been much of a challenge, but finding sufficient water to keep the city thriving and growing has kept city managers and public agencies exploring new sources and solutions. Over the past several decades, Los Angeles has imported most of its water supplies from hundreds of miles away. The distant

July, 2018

sources have their own reliability issues, and the last several years of intense California drought conditions have taken their toll on even the most historically reliable water sources. Despite heavy rainfall in late 2016 and early 2017, California isn’t out of the desert yet. In response to these conditions, on Oct. 14, 2014, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued Executive Directive Number 5 that called for reduced demand and the development of local water supplies to reduce the city’s

Traditionally, different types of water in Los Angeles have been handled by different city departments. Potable water, recycled water, wastewater, stormwater, surface water, and groundwater have all had one or more departments in charge. Although there has been cooperation, true integration is kind of the last frontier. The One Water LA 2040 Plan looks to change that by breaking down traditional water “silos” and putting projects, programs, and policies in place to make it easier for departments to integrate their respective water management practices and get the most out of the city’s water supplies. A precursor to the One Water LA 2040 Plan, the Water IRP outlined the first steps toward integrating

Building the Right Tools

Angeles water system seemed close to impossible. Although the city had commissioned multiple studies over the years that looked at pieces of the puzzle, there wasn’t a single unifying tool that could bring all this valuable information together in one place. Now a user-friendly water balance software tool has been specifically developed and tailored for the city’s One Water LA 2040 Plan by an engineering consultant. City staff members use the water balance tool for multiple purposes. Because it contains information on the entire urban water cycle (including wastewater, potable water, groundwater, and recycled water), users can prepare dynamic plans and what-if scenarios to respond to changing conditions. These conditions might include increased water demands, water conservation results, wastewater flows, stormwater flows, and estimated annual rainfall. The tool can also estimate the average costs for different combinations of future projects and flow conditions. Equally important, the water balance tool can summarize the estimated costs of all planned projects and determine if the level of planning complies with Mayor Garcetti’s water-related initiatives.

From a practical standpoint, getting a good big-picture view of the overall Los

New Operations Require New Skills

wastewater, stormwater, recycled water, and water conservation efforts. However, what made the IRP special was its outreach program. The IRP actively enlisted and engaged stakeholders from across the city, including regulators, academia, business leaders, and members of the community. Unprecedented in its scale, the outreach program went a long way toward the IRP’s success. The One Water LA 2040 Plan builds on the success of the IRP’s outreach efforts and extends its planning horizon from 2020 to 2040. To date, the city has established a Steering Committee made up of representatives from 14 Los Angeles city departments and six regional agencies; created five Special Topic Groups to tackle key plan components; and brought in more than 350 stakeholders representing more than 200 organizations, including neighborhood councils, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, academia, and other members of the public. This wide range of perspectives, experiences, and agendas has helped build and shape the One Water LA 2040 Plan and moved the city toward its goal of a plan that fosters cooperation and buy-in from all stakeholders.

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TECH FOCUS

WATER SUPPLY SEVEN OBJECTIVES PROVIDE A PICTURE OF SUCCESS

ONE WATER LA 2040

Sometimes, keeping all the numbers straight in a plan like One Water LA 2040 can be difficult. The plan’s Steering Committee consists of 14 city departments and six regional agencies; additionally, the Advisory Group has 10 members who represent the One Water Stakeholder Group, which in turn has 350 stakeholders from more than 200 organizations. Together, they participated in more than 30 focus meetings to kick around ideas, suggestions, and possible solutions. Out of all that collaboration came the One Water Vision, seven objectives, and 38 guiding principles. For simplicity’s sake, let’s focus on the seven objectives and what they mean for the One Water LA 2040 Plan.

Integrate management of water resources and policies. This speaks directly to the city’s desire to increase the level of coordination, cooperation, and integration among all city departments, partners, and stakeholders - a key component for the future.

Improve the health of local watersheds. Projects under this objective would look at ways to replace or reduce impervious covers, such as parking lots, streets, and sidewalks. Other projects would focus on restoring local ecosystems, minimizing pollutants in the waterways, and reducing the risk and effects of flooding.

Implement, monitor, and maintain a reliable wastewater system. As wastewater flows decrease because of greater conservation, opportunities to use the excess sewer collection system capacity to capture and convey dry weather runoff and stormwater for treatment and reuse will turn up. Beyond that, maintaining the sewer system to reduce overflows and odors is a top priority.

Increase community awareness and advocacy for sustainable water. A key factor of the One Water LA 2040 Plan’s success hinges on public and stakeholder engagement and outreach. As educational and informational programs are implemented to help the city’s citizens think differently about where their water comes from, everyone can be a part of achieving the One Water LA 2040 vision.

The One Water LA 2040 Plan will usher in a new era of interdepartmental cooperation and true integration. The city’s water and wastewater treatment plant operators -

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the people who maintain, operate, fix, and work with the city’s complex water infrastructure every day - will see some big changes. This is particularly the case when it

OBJECTIVE

comes to indirect potable reuse and stormwater capture. Turning wastewater treatment plants into advanced (or similar) water treatment facil-

Balance the environmental, economic, and societal goals. This means looking for affordable and equitable projects and programs that provide multiple benefits to all communities. For example, if a stormwater capture facility can also be part of a public park, then it meets multiple objectives and might be worth doing.

Improve local water supply reliability. This objective identifies ways to increase stormwater capture, as a large percentage of Los Angeles area’s wet and dry weather runoff is lost to the Pacific Ocean. Other efforts under this objective look at ways to expand the city’s water conservation program and make potable reuse a practical, affordable and acceptable reality.

Increase climate resilience. The ongoing drought is only one example of how climate change can negatively affect the city’s water supply and infrastructure. Milder winters reduce snowpack levels, intense rainstorms lead to flooding, and sea level rise makes coastal facilities (like treatment and belowground pumping plants) more vulnerable to storm surges and tsunamis. Building mitigation strategies into the city’s overall plan is an important step to making the overall system more resilient and reliable.

ities for potable reuse isn’t an overnight operation. There will be changes to treatment processes, and the host of regulations that come along with potable reuse will require

engineers and operators to bring new skills and knowledge to their jobs. For example, one of the key regulatory issues surrounding direct potable reuse is real-

July, 2018

TECH FOCUS

WATER SUPPLY

The One Water LA 2040 Plan’s innovative approach will go a long way toward ensuring Los Angeles can achieve its vision of implementing ‘an integrated framework for managing the city’s watersheds, water resources, and water facilities in an environmentally, economically, and socially beneficial manner’. Angeles

The Tujunga Spreading Grounds is One of 27 Los Angeles Groundwater Recharge Facilities That Lie Adjacent to River Channels and Soft-Bottom Channels and Permit Water to Percolate into Groundwater Basins for Later Pumping.

time water quality monitoring. Simply put, operators must constantly verify that the water leaving the treatment plant and entering the potable water distribution system meets stringent quality standards. That will require additional training and technology as well as new operator certification methods. As direct potable reuse moves closer to regulatory approval, operators will see more stringent, though streamlined (it’s hoped), training and certification protocols. However, potable reuse is only one piece of the puzzle. Truly integrated water management will also entail implementing new practices with unprecedented implications. Potentially, operators must be

July, 2018

able to manage wet-weather flows and divert dry-weather runoff into treatment plants while ensuring the city’s pipes and pumps continue to operate as intended. In short, One Water LA 2040 operators will need to be able to react, respond, and adapt to changing conditions to make sure the city’s stormwater, wastewater, and recycled water systems integrate with one another. To do this successfully will require additional training and a paradigm shift - a higher level of collaboration and communication to ensure operations staff have ownership and buy-in on the new policies and procedures generated from the One Water LA 2040 Plan.

Next Steps Since kicking off the One Water LA 2040 Plan in late 2015, the city has made a lot of progress in meeting the seven objectives formed during the plan’s development (see “Seven Objectives Provide a Picture of Success” in the box above). From establishing stakeholder groups and developing project “triggers” to preparing studies on Los Angeles River flows and analyzing climate change impacts, the city’s plan is taking shape. The city, with input from departments and stakeholders, has identified a series of near- and long-term opportunities in the form of projects, programs, and policies that will fold into its overall implementation strategy,

which picks up where planning leaves off and serves as a roadmap to guide the city’s decision making regarding project scope, timing, costs, and benefits. City staff members recognize there’s a long road ahead, and it won’t be an easy one. Yet the spirit of collaboration, cooperation, and communication fostered thus far by the One Water LA 2040 Plan’s innovative approach will go a long way toward ensuring Los Angeles can achieve its vision of implementing “an integrated framework for managing the city’s watersheds, water resources, and water facilities in an environmentally, economically, and socially beneficial manner.” Photo Credit: City of Los

About the Authors Lenise Marrero is assistant division manager, Wastewater Engineering Services Division, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. Inge Wiersema is regional planning manager with Carollo Engineers, Los Angeles. Source: This article originally appeared in the June 2017 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 http://dx.doi.org/10.5991/OPF.2 017.43.0035.

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KNOWING OUR WATERS

Water & Wastewater Services in Asia-Pacific By Frost & Sullivan

IN A RECENT REVIEW OF the global growth landscape, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has highlighted waterrelated risks as the top threat to global governments and industries. This means that, both in the short- and longterm, the demand for water resources will outpace supply across the world and that water-related risks will create major disruptions in business and daily life. Among the global regions, Asia-Pacific (APAC) is expected to face the highest risk of water crises given the high demand and low-supply environment. APAC is undergoing rapid population growth and urbanization, at a rate that is much higher than the World average. In addition to this, the continued migration of manufacturing operations to low-cost Central China and Southeast Asia (SEA), is leading to further stress on water resources and environment. Given these circumstances, the region is expected to see strong growth in treatment penetration and in the adoption of advanced technologies and processes such zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and water data analytics as a means to increase resource availability and efficiency. This will present the APAC Water & Wastewater Services market, which consists of design & engineering (D&E) and operations & maintenance (O&M) services offered to municipal and industrial water and wastewater entities, with strong growth opportunities in the next 5 years.

Current Market Landscape APAC’s municipal water sector is chronically underfunded and faces mounting losses due to high non-rev-

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enue water (NRW) and low water tariffs. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that the APAC region currently spends just $18.5 billion on water and sanitation, against the nearly $50 billion required annually to ensure sustainable development. In addition to this, strong growth in the region’s manufacturing and consumer sectors is expected to bring with it a host of environmental concerns. The good news is that regional governments are cognizant of the need to balance growth and long-term sustainability. Governments have been working to strengthen regulations to ensure a cleaner, safer water and to safeguard existing water resources for future use. Many governments have also revamped foreign direct investment (FDI) policies to ensure further investment in infrastructure development, and have created transparent platforms for interaction between policy makers, stakeholders and investors to help quicken the pace of growth.

FDI-Friendly Policies After official developmental assistance (ODA), FDI is expected to be the next biggest contributor to the market’s investment demands in the next decade. Through major FDI reforms in recent years, regional governments have been able to facilitate the smooth entry of foreign funds into critical sectors. Some early milestones include Indonesia’s 2016 restructuring of its water sector allowing investment in pre- and post-consumer treatment, Australia’s 2016 opening up of the water extraction and supply sector, and China’s 2017 deregulation of the water

sector. As a result of the investment-friendly high-growth markets, the region’s FDI inflow has been largely immune to the global decline in FDI flows over the past 2 years. These positive developments are expected to result in continued deregulation of the water sector across the region in the next decade, and a resultant growth in FDI inflow into the region.

Stronger Regulatory Landscape The Asia Pacific has historically lagged in the enforcement of water-legislations, given the more pressing developmental needs in the region. Many developing nations in the region lack defined standards and fees for wastewater discharge, with end-users often paying only a fixed fee regardless of discharge levels. This is, however, changing in recent times with many regional governments picking up cues on environmental management from more conscientious neighbors such as Japan and Singapore. In a bid to balance growth and sustainability, high-growth economies such as India and Vietnam have adopted industry-specific standards for effluent discharge and for high-impact wastewater treatment. Ambitious targets for water supply and pollution prevention set by China and India in their 5-year plans highlight an increasing focus on water security. Some regional governments, such as those in Indonesia and India, have also restructured and liberalized their water sector, enabling easier market entry and a decrease in the time-to-market for various technologies and services, resulting in fur-

ther sectoral growth. While there are still enforcement challenges and a lack of sufficient investment in the APAC water sector, treatment adoption continues to improve given concerns regarding long-term business sustainability and environmental impact.

Spotlight on Southeast Asia Recent years have seen the mass exodus of local and international market participants from the slowing water markets in China and India, in favor of other emerging markets in nearby Southeast Asia (SEA). With the availability of water being a key restraint of this incoming growth, there is an ongoing push in the region to secure reliable, sustainable, and economical sources of clean water. These factors are expected to make the SEA market the top growth region for the Water & Wastewater Services in APAC. Within SEA, Vietnam and Indonesia will offer the best growth opportunities given the rapid economic development and industrialization. The Design & Engineering services segment is expected to perform especially well in the SEA as the pace of new greenfield projects picks up in the next 5 years. Among end-user segments, the SEA industrial water and wastewater services segment, worth $3 billion in 2017, will make up for its lack of size by offering market participants high-growth opportunities throughout the forecast period. The SEA industrial segment will experience the strongest growth in APAC, clocking a CAGR of 13.45% between 2017 and 2022.

Clear Skies Ahead for

APAC Market As more governments and industries seek to ensure longterm water security, regional demand for water and wastewater treatment and associated services is expected to continue its upward trend. Innovation in business delivery, through the adoption of flexible business models such as Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) and through valueaddition in service offerings, will be critical to success in the APAC market. Developing capabilities in the implementation of smart water metering and leak detection technologies will prove to be a major competitive advantage given the regional efforts towards water network rehabilitation and NRW reduction. Also, with the growing amount of water data being generated by today’s technologies, participants offering data services such as predictive analytics and integrated data management systems can capitalize on the rapidly transforming landscape. Overall, the APAC Water and Wastewater Services market will achieve a robust 5.82% CAGR over the next five years, growing from $147.58 billion in 2017 to reach $195 billion in 2022.

Hari Ramanathan is a Research Analyst at Frost and Sullivan. @FrostSullivanEE

July, 2018

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MARKET INSIGHTS

Understanding Supply-Side and Demand-Side to Support Water Management in the Asia Pacific By Karen Delfau, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP) WATER, AS A RESOURCE, is finite. While the earth seems to be covered in water, only a small percentage of it is actually available for human use and consumption, posing a challenge when it comes to water management. How can stakeholders ensure that resources are used and managed appropriately when demand increases while supply stays the same? Therefore, to adequately manage water assets, stakeholders must consider both supply-side and demand-side management. Both have benefits and drawbacks, and regardless of what approach is taken, education is key. In the Asia Pacific region, the Asian Development Bank estimates that 80% of water resources are used for agricultural irrigation. This high percentage has management implications, as demand-side efficiency and supply-side augmentation solutions must take into consideration how the agriculture water is being used, and for what exact purposes. New technologies and approaches, when applied to agricultural water, can have significant implications for water use, reduction, and reuse, allowing for farmers to better prepare for and manage water scarcity challenges.

Supply-Side Water Management Supply-side water management works by increasing the amount of available water, which can be done in a number of ways: • By finding new sources, • Increasing storage capaci-

July, 2018

ties, • Diverting water to increase supply at a particular asset, or • Using technology to create clean, potable water from a previously unusable source. Supply-side water management does not usually place a burden on users to change their own usage of the available water, at least initially, when the costs are borne by the government. However, these techniques are often expensive, meaning places with fewer financial and technological resources are unable to implement them easily, and those that do have the resources may still eventually be pressured to recover costs of maintenance and upgrades from water users. Examples of agricultural supply-side augmentation or storage solutions that may be suitable for the Asia Pacific context could include the development of small farmsized dams or implementing water reuse for crops that can use water that may be run-off from other crops.

Demand-Side Water Management Demand-side water management can be defined as reducing the amount of water that is being used by people for specific purposes, such as household use, for farming, or for municipal or industrial needs. To reduce demand, stakeholders can implement various measures. A structural or operational change, such as fixing leaky systems or upgrading existing infrastructure to reduce waste is one technique. Economic

approaches focus on financial incentives for use reduction, or disincentives for overuse. Public education works to change user behavior based on sharing knowledge about why reducing demand is important. Water management professionals may use one, or many of these techniques. For demand-side water management to work, water managers must understand both the water resource and its users, in full. To reduce the burden on any given asset, those working in water management must explore how reducing demand will impact the user population, and if reducing demand is even feasible. For example, Hydronumerics’ Chris O’Neill saw this challenge play out in India, noting many large companies wanting to invest in infrastructure to add supplyside management, without understanding the demand side of the equation. Similarly, according to O’Neill, some water users do not understand their own role in demand-side management, experiencing a disconnect between how they use the water supply, and how that affects the overall availability and longevity of the resource. Education and understanding water values are key to implementing effective demand-side water management processes. Demand-side management measures are successful when water managers understand how water is used by the people depending on the resource, and they work to educate users on best prac-

tices to reduce demand, for example by introducing efficiency measures that are suitable for the specific water use. In an agricultural setting, demand-side measures may include replacing inefficient pumps, or using drip irrigation when appropriate. Many of the demand-side management approaches for agriculture look at how both water and energy demand can be addressed when implementing new technologies. Successful demand-side management interventions also have a community capacity building element. Individuals need to understand why the measures and important and what benefit they will receive before they sign on to any behavior change or new technology. Focusing on the long-term health and availability of a water resource can help show users why it is so important to manage water carefully.

Which Approach is Best? To effectively handle water management, stakeholders have to be willing to look at both approaches and consider what will work best, whether that will be supply-side management, demand-side management, or a combination of both. The first step to implementing any supply-side or demand-side program is to speak with the stakeholders involved, and fully analyze the data and information available. This initial scoping may take a fair amount of time, but a comprehensive understanding of the situation is essential to implementing an effective

solution. Decisions and projects that take place with incomplete knowledge can waste precious money, human resources, time, and even have the unintended consequence of damaging trust. Various reports, white papers, and industry guidelines emphasize the critical value of stakeholder engagement for water management, and a good starting point, if you are looking for more information, is the OECD 2015 Stakeholder Engagement for Inclusive Water Governance publication. It has been demonstrated that reducing demand is usually somewhere between three to ten times less expensive than developing water-supply options, such as building reservoirs or importing water from distant places. In Australia, community engagement has helped to identify opportunities for demand-side management approaches, which has allowed for governments to avoid costly new infrastructure projects. 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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URBAN WATER

The Rise of Blue-Green Infrastructure By Robert C. Brears

FACED WITH CLIMATE change and environmental degradation many cities are turning to Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) solutions to enhance climate resilience as well as restore the health of ecosystems. BGI is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas, ranging in size from rain gardens right up to green streets, that are designed and managed to deliver a wide range of environmental, economic, and social benefits including improved water quality (BGI captures and cleans stormwater, ensuring waterways are healthier), reduced potential for flooding (BGI slows down and holds stormwater allowing it to soak into the ground), enhanced resilience to climate change (BGI can use water as a resource for communities and natural habitats), reduced infrastructure costs (BGI reduces the volume of water entering the sewer system, increasing the lifespan of the sewers and reducing infrastructure maintenance costs), and increased space for communities and wildlife (BGI provides multiple mental and physical health benefits to communities as well as a sanctuary for urban wildlife and pollinators). Amsterdam Implementing BGI at Different Spatial

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Scales Amsterdam, facing rapid population growth and climate change threats, is developing various types of BGI at different spatial scales in both existing and new neighborhoods to achieve a variety of benefits including enhanced climate resilience, increased biodiversity, and improved human health. Specifically, Amsterdam’s BGI will increase the retention and reticulation of rainwater, all the while having a cooling effect on surface temperatures, provide habitats for indigenous plants and animal species, and provide opportunities for recreation and relaxation. The city’s range of BGI being developed includes green pocket parks and neighbourhood parks, which are small parks designed to not only manage stormwater but also invite activity; green play streets which are streets that have been closed to traffic and turned into green spaces for people to meet and play in; and sidewalk gardens where residents are encouraged to create green facades or plant vegetation in bare soil around street trees.

LA’s Green Streets Each year Los Angeles loses 58 trillion gallons of water to the ocean. To collect some of this excess water off the city’s impervious surfaces the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is developing a stormwater incentive programme for the infiltration and on-site use of

stormwater from industrial facilities as well as designing and constructing ‘green streets’, which are streets that reduce, treat, and capture stormwater runoff close to its source. Both initiatives align with the Sustainable City pLAn’s goals of reducing the purchase of imported water by 50% by 2025 and producing 50% of LA’s water locally by 2035. Regarding the stormwater incentive programme, all industrial facilities regulated by the Industry General Permit and within LADWP’s service area/areas of interest will be eligible to participate in the program. The total rebate amounts will be based on yield for each respective facility, with the rebate amount of USD 1,100/acre foot (AF) for infiltration and USD 1,550/AF for onsite reuse. Meanwhile, one green street being implemented is the Laurel Canyon Boulevard Green Street Project that will see a series of vegetated infiltration swales and dry wells installed. During storm events, these BGI solutions will capture and treat stormwater runoff from an approximate 123-acre drainage area and infiltrate it into the San Fernando Groundwater Basin. During a normal year, the project will be able to replenish 13 million gallons of rainwater into underground aquifers.

Oslo Restoring its Waterways The City of Oslo is one of Europe’s fastest-growing

Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas, ranging in size from rain gardens right up to green streets, designed and managed to deliver environmental, economic, and social benefits.

cities with its population in 2030 projected to be 30% higher than today. With a greater number of people facing climatic risks, Oslo is implementing a range of BGI strategies to create a more resilient, greener city including the restoration of its waterways. Oslo has 10 main waterways that run through its urban areas. Up until recently, these waterways were considered problematic for sewage and an obstacle to development. As such, large sections have pipes and culverts. However, these have predefined capacities and with more frequent and heavier rainfall the city faces increased urban flooding risks. In response, Oslo has decided to restore these waterways by reopening closed rivers and streams to handle stormwater more effectively as well as create recreational spaces for people and facilitate increased habitat for biodiversity. One example is the Teglverksdammen Project which is a reopening of around 650 meters of the stream Hovinbekke. The project has been planned and designed as a natural cleaning system with several sedimentation basins, a stream with water rapids, a small lake, and shallow waters with dense vegetation. Stormwater from a nearby school is also safely led into the newly reopened stream.

New York City Incentivizing BGI on Private Property New York City’s BGI aims to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) into New York Harbour, in addition to providing multiple community and environmental benefits to the city’s neighborhoods and residents in a cost-effective

way. These secondary benefits include increased urban greening, urban heat island reduction, and more habitat for birds and pollinators. To incentivize BGI retrofits on private property, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be releasing a Request for Proposals to procure a Program Administrator to launch and administer a new BGI Private Incentive Retrofit Program. The five-year contract will have a value of USD 43-58 million with a goal of retrofitting 200 greened acres. DEP has also released a streamlined fast-track review process for private green roof projects funded through its Green Infrastructure Grant Program. The funding schedule sets reimbursement rates for green roof projects based on growing media depth and planted area. These upfront reimbursement rates eliminate uncertainty over how much funding is available for potential projects and by giving this information to applicants in advance it means DEP can fast-track green roof grant applications, with anticipated design approval within 90 days from the submittal date.

Moving Forwards A range of policies can be implemented by cities around the world to implement BGI solutions including retrofitting public areas as well as encouraging the uptake of BGI solutions on private property. Robert Brears is the author of Urban Water Security, Founder of Mitidaption, and Our Future Water." @Mitidaption

July, 2018

APPLICATION

Howto Choose the Right Concrete Wedge Anchor for Your Water/ Wastewater Facility By Bob Carlisle WATER AND WASTEWATER maintenance staff and contractors are looking

galvanized wedge anchors would provide the longer lasting corrosion resistance.

Is it a Wet or Moist Environment?

Confast Stairs

for ways to avoid long-term maintenance problems for their projects can take time to carefully examine the environmental conditions of an application using wedge anchors. Choosing the correct type of wedge anchor to fasten an item to concrete can reduce the negative impacts of rust and corrosion. In fact, a few ounces of moisture plus its substance will tip the scale toward the use of the 304 stainless steel wedge anchor, 316 stainless steel wedge anchor, or use of the hotdipped galvanized wedge anchor.

Wedge Anchors Come in Varied Materials and Types • Zinc plated carbon steel wedge anchors are among the most common. • Other types include stainless steel wedge anchors and hot dipped galvanized. When choosing wedge anchors made from specific materials or with particular finishes, it's important to consider the environmental demands of the end installation. In the moist environments, a careful judgment is critical to ascertain whether stainless steel or hot dipped

July, 2018

When an application of a wedge anchor is needed, a practiced installer will inspect the environment carefully to decide if it is moist or wet. These few minutes of scrutiny will translate into years of rust resistance and durability for the completed job. Wet environments can be either indoors or outdoors, and are submerged in liquid. This wet area will never be completely dried out, i.e., a sump pump. The 304 stainless steel wedge anchors will provide effective rust resistance in this type of atmosphere. Zinc wedge anchor might be used in wet applications but will rust over time. Moist environments are also found both indoors and outdoors and are places that are temporarily submerged. The hot dipped galvanized wedge anchor will have more rust resistance than even the mechanically galvanized wedge anchor, but not more than the stainless steel variety.

Is It a Caustic Type of Liquid? Once the decision has been made that places the setting on the continuum of wet to moist, the next assessment concerns the liquid itself. Attentiveness to this detail will have long-ranging consequences on the endurance of the wedge anchor application. Caustic, chemical and salt liquids will need the additional corrosion resistance offered

by the 316 stainless steel wedge anchor, regardless of whether the application will be in a moist or wet environment. Food processing plants where cleaners are present are examples of where the 316 stainless steel wedge anchor is the most intelligent choice.

Wedge Anchor Comparisons: 304 Stainless Steel Wedge Anchors • Used in submerged, wet environments • Used only in solid concrete • Spacing between each anchor must be more than 10 anchor diameters apart

Confast Stainless Steel Sleeve Anchor

Available Diameters for Wedge Anchors Concrete wedge anchors come in nine different diameters ranging from 1/4" to 11/4". Each diameter of concrete wedge anchor is available in different lengths from 1-3/4" in the 1/4" diameter to 12" long in all diameters larger than 1/2".

Determining Diameter The diameter of concrete wedge anchor to use for any particular application depends on the weight of the object being fastened, on the diameter of the hole size in the object being fastened, and on any specifications of diameter recommended by an engineer. The rule of thumb is that the larger the diameter than the better the holding values. Holding values concrete wedge anchors can be found at technical specifications for wedge anchors.

Length to Use 316 Stainless Steel Wedge Anchors • Used in caustic, wet and/or moist atmospheres • Used only in solid concrete • Minimum distance from an unsupported edge is five anchor diameters Hot Dipped Galvanized Wedge Anchors • Used in moist environments • Used only in solid concrete • Holding value depends on the diameter of wedge anchor, depth of embedment; the hardness of concrete base material increases holding value

Minimum embedment depths for each diameter of concrete wedge anchor are listed below.

The length of concrete wedge anchor to use is based on the thickness of the material being fastened plus the embedment depth of the concrete wedge anchor into the concrete. Each diameter of concrete wedge anchor has a minimum embedment depth that the anchor must be inserted into the concrete for it to obtain minimum holding values. Adding the minimum embedment of the diameter of concrete wedge anchor being used to the thickness of the material being fastened plus the thickness of the nut and washer will give the minimum length of concrete wedge anchor that should be used.

Confast Water Fittings

Concrete Fastener Solutions Due to the high moisture content that is common in the water and wastewater environments, items can be effectively anchored down for improved rust resistance using 304 or 316 stainless steel wedge anchors. Caustic, chemical and salt liquids will need the additional corrosion resistance offered by the 316 stainless steel wedge anchor. The electrical conduit applications on the block, brick or concrete can be done with stainless steel tapcons, stainless steel wedge anchors or stainless steel sleeve anchors. Control boxes fastened to concrete can use stainless steel wedge anchors, while stainless steel sleeve anchors are recommended for use with block walls. An additional way for water and wastewater maintenance staff and or contractors to reduce the cost even further is to purchase wedge anchors directly from the manufacturer by ordering online. About the Author Bob Carlisle is President of Concrete Fastening Systems.

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Beautifully Remote Smaller Local Authority Shows How to Handle Wastewater with Low Environmental and Energy Impacts By CST Wastewater Solutions

Lord Howe Beach

THE COST-EFFICIENT wastewater treatment system is currently being assembled (first half of 2018) by Australian company CST Wastewater Solutions for installation on World-Heritage listed Lord Howe Island in the second half of the year, to replace the existing waste management facility on the Island, 900 km off the coast of Eastern Australia. The two-stage system suitable for smaller, remote and ecologically sensitive community, municipal, agribusiness and industrial applications - was selected by the Island Board of Lord Howe after extensive testing to determine the best solution for the management and disposal of waste generated on the island. It uses a combination of coarse and fine screening and advanced dry compaction KDS separator technology to produce a more hygienic and more compact output that is

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easier to handle and transport. The system is more economical, compact and uses less energy and minimal water compared to alternative systems,’ says CST Wastewater Solutions’ Managing Director, Michael Bambridge. “The installation on Lord Howe illustrates the efficiency of the best screening technology now available as well as the clog-free automatic liquidto-solid waste KDS separator.”

Advanced Grit Removal The company is also highlighting Smith & Loveless PISTA® 360 fine screening technology, which removes 95 percent of grit as small as 105 microns (140 mesh). The technology, which CST is distributing throughout Australia, sets an entirely new benchmark for grit removal, which has typically been set at 95 percent as small as 250 microns, says

Bambridge. The technology also: • Reduces the enormous cost of de-sanding downstream aeration basins, channels and digestors • Reduces damage to downstream equipment from wear • Eliminates the loss of efficiency of downstream processes through loss of active volume • Enhances Waste Water Treatment Plant reliability • Reduces OH&S hazards involved in unclogging systems • Helps to prevent environmental spills from blocked and flooded systems.

Waste Streams The existing waste management facility for Lord Howe Island sorts various waste streams including food waste, paper & cardboard, green waste, recyclable materials re-usable materials and general waste. Septic Waste from the residential and commercial system is also treated at this facility, drawn from about 220 wastewater systems on the island, 25 of which are commercial operations. Currently, the pumpouts are delivered to the facility via a 1,800-liter wastewater tanker. CST Wastewater Solutions was tasked by the Lord Howe Island Board to review a “best fit” sludge dewatering system for the septic waste because the current infrastructure is becoming outdated and the existing drying beds are to be

decommissioned. Working with Lord Howe Island Board’s Project Manager, CST Wastewater Solutions developed an optimal solution that combined outstanding environmental performance with equally strong OHS performance - and which has a much smaller footprint than the drying rack system used currently. CST’s new two-stage system comprises: • The first stage is a CST Screen Extractor with a coarse screening at 6.0mm up front to remove plastic, rags and other disposals typically found in the community, commercial and industrial wastewater treatment plants. • The second stage employed CST’s new KDS Separator technology for fine screening and dewatering of the fines. The KDS system was developed in Japan, a country which is highly focused on food and water purity. CST Wastewater Solutions engineers KDS’ latest technologies into Australianengineered packages specified to achieve best results in individual locations, such as Lord Howe Island. The compact KDS multidisc roller separator features a unique self-cleaning dewatering and conveying system with oval plate separation and transfer structure that prevents clogging and permits automatic continuous operation that handles oily and fibrous material with ease.

“This simple-to-maintain separator offers a high throughput within a small body, with the smallest model being just under 350 mm wide and weighing 50 kg. It is ideal for applications such as Lord Howe Island and other smaller communities and industrial applications throughout the Asia-Pacific, including coastal, remote and ecologically sensitive areas. It is more hygienic and produces an output that is twice as light and half the cost to transport for disposal, compared to other systems. It is also extremely compact, energy efficient and uses minimal water.” Designed for efficiency, sustainability, and conservation of resources in small-tomedium applications, the energy-efficient KDS separator consumes as little as 0.06kW hr of electricity and uses no wash water, says Bambridge. Compared to alternate technologies it saves on power, space and money. “The KDS separator uses a fraction of the power of a centrifuge and involves no water usage during operation, unlike a belt press or a screw press. For a relatively low investment cost, it offers a high-performance alternative for example to sludge drying beds and geobags, says Bambridge. The KDS technology can also be used for thickening of dissolved air flotation sludge a very common application throughout wastewater operations.

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Highly-Effective Containerized Units for Biological Wastewater Treatment By Cornelia Harmsen and René Trübenbach For the operator, it is also essential to know that only one Mutag MBBR power pack™ unit will be required instead of 2 or even more containers. As a result, additional costs can be further reduced by providing savings in both capital and operational expenditure. IN ORDER TO meet the globally increasing requirements on flexible, biological wastewater treatment plants, Multi Umwelttechnologie AG (Mutag) is now offering their basic engineering support in the form of a franchise-concept. In this way, companies engaged in marketing and/or operating this technology, or being interested in using this technology as additional know-how can benefit from Mutag’s many years of experience and development work.

What is Different with the Mutag MBBR Power Pack™ Unit and what is Essential? In Germany, the production of standardized water treatment plants is currently not profitable due to high manufacturing and transport costs. In case that the steel structures and the pipework are manufactured according to construction plans directly at the site in the respective destination country where the plants are urgently needed, suchlike plants can be produced at significantly lower costs. Additionally, such a support is contributing to the further development of the destination countries. In a franchise concept, companies in these countries are given the possibility to use the long-term know-how and

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engineering basic guidelines. They will hence neither need any additional development nor highly-skilled employees. Thanks to this franchise concept, the business idea of offering the production and the operation of compact, flexible wastewater treatment plants is possible to be brought into price-conscious markets and developing countries. It is essential that highly efficient and flexible plants can be produced and operated directly on the spot. In this way, any potential further costs can be kept as low as possible. The efficiency of the Mutag MBBR power pack™ unit becomes obvious when comparing it directly to other containerized plants which are available in the market. A Mutag MBBR power pack™ unit in the framework of a 40-ft container having dimensions of 12.0 m x 2.3 m x 2.5 m (L x W x H) is designed for municipal wastewater treatment at a capacity of 2,400 m³/d, the load of 6,600 PE and 400 kg/d BOD at 15°C. Hence, the removal performance of the Mutag MBBR power pack™ unit at the same MBBR reaction tank volume is a double or a multifold of other available containerized plants which are comparable in size.

What are the Benefits Provided by this Franchise Concept? The franchise is not only supplied with the Mutag BioChip™ high-performance carrier media and the membrane air diffuser panels. He also is brought into the position to use the long-term know-how of MBBR-processand application technology, biofilm-technology & support, starting from the designing of plants up to the calculation and layout of the particular components. Also, the constructional design of retention screens, as well as mass balance, flowsheets, basic P&ID, datasheets of equipment components, and construction plans are included in the scope of supply of the franchisor (Mutag). Of particular importance is the operational support after the construction of the plant. For this purpose, the franchisor Mutag provides complete commissioning- and operation manuals, as well as documents, and supports the operating staff by means of evaluation of the operating data and by giving recommendations for an optimal plant operation.

Why is the Efficiency Higher Compared to Other

Containerized MBBR Plants? The removal efficiency in a smallest possible MBBR reaction tank (-volume) can be significantly enhanced by using and combining certain selected components. By using highly effective membrane aeration panels, very fine-bubbled process air is being supplied, ensuring that the oxygen quantity required for the high biological removal performance can be transferred into the water. If the supply of this high oxygen mass would not be ensured, the aerobic removal process would not take place. It is of particular importance that sufficient active biomass is maintained inside the MBBR tank in a controlled manner. Compared to other carrier media in containerized plants, controlled biomass growth is realized by using the highly efficient Mutag BioChip™ carriers. It is essential that the biomass fixed in the pore structure of the approx. 1.1 mm flat chip (disc) is sufficiently being supplied with substrate and oxygen from both sides by diffusion. Consequently, the entire biomass is kept active and no inactive sludge will clog the pores. Due to the carriers contacting very smoothly with each other in the moving bed bio-reactor, the biofilm (biomass) inside the pore system of the Chip is constantly kept at a layer thickness of approx. 0.5 mm on both sides of the Chip. Any excess biomass is sheared off. Hence, the defined depth of the pores ensures that the biofilm is optimally controlled in its

thickness and provides hence a very high biological activity. This effect provided by the Mutag BioChip™ is unique in its nature. It is indeed very surprising to see that this positive effect with its highly advantageous features is being recognized rather rarely among experts. Contrary to the Mutag BioChip™, the biomass on other carriers made of PE is highly susceptible to being flushed off the carrier surface. Furthermore, the biofilm on such carriers cannot be controlled in thickness. The positive, advantageous effect of the Mutag BioChip™ is impossible to reach with injectionmolded plastic carriers. Conclusion The highest efficiency is reached by the combined application of the two key components: the oxygen transfer system and the Mutag BioChip™ carriers. This combination allows for the highest possible biological removal rates in the smallest possible reactor volume, as well as for significant savings in capital and operational expenditures. The production of units on the spot in accordance with the construction plans provides cost savings on the one hand, and it promotes the wastewater infrastructure in the destination countries on the other hand. At the same time, the franchisor Mutag provides support to the franchisee/operator in all processtechnological, biological or operational matters. Cornelia Harmsen and René Trübenbach work for Multi Umwelttechnologie AG.

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Social Entrepreneurs and Enterprises (SEE) Conference on Water: Act or Perish The 1-day conference organized in IIM Bangalore is an initiative by the alumni of IIT Kanpur, supported by the alumni of IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Bangalore. By Express Water

S O C I A L ENTREPRENEURS & Enterprises (SEE), a volunteer-driven initiative by alumni of IIT Kanpur & supported by alumni of IIT Kharagpur, IIMA & IIMB that fosters & nurtures entrepreneurs in the social sector while attempting to solve burning issues having a critical social impact. It covers various domains and invites experienced practitioners to share their journey, their challenges and how they have overcome them and the opportunities they see. SEE organized its 4th event at IIM Bangalore on 28th April on Water. The event featured 34 prominent speakers with the impressive background in the area of water and was attended by around 250 people. The event was inaugurated with the lamp-lighting by K Kumar (IIM Bangalore), Pawan Kumar (IIT Kanpur), Deepankar Khasanbis (IIT

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Kharagpur), Parthasarthy S (IIM Bangalore) and Pradeep Bhargava (IIT Kanpur). Umesh Joshi (President IITKAA Bangalore chapter) gave the welcome address which was followed by the address by K Kumar, Professor of Entrepreneurship at IIM Bangalore. The keynote address was then given by Tushar Girinath, IAS, and Chairman of BWSSB articulating government perspective and initiatives and answering questions from the audience. This was followed by SEE Research on water by Gayatri Chauhan (IIT, ISB alumnus and expert on sustainability) who spoke about entrepreneurship opportunities and challenges on water. This was then followed by story session in which Dr. Rajendra Poddar (Director of Water and Land Management Institute, Dharwad),

Vishwanath S (popularly known as Rainman, Advisor of Biome Environmental Trust, Argyam, Rainwater Club) and Sudesh Menon (CEO, Waterlife) shared their stories with audience which was followed by questions. The event then had four panel-discussions. First panel discussion was on drinking water treatment and water conservation, which had Shweta Tripathi (Global Head of Knowledge and Water Strategist, Enzen Global), Padma Venkat (Faculty, the University of Trans Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology), Saurabh Shresth (Genesis Director Water Management, Unilever R&D) and Peeyush Kothari (Neo Systek Aerators) as speakers. The panel was moderated by Shweta Tripathi. Second panel-discussion was on wastewater treatment and recycle and was moderated by Amit Sengupta (exPromoter VA Tech Wabag). Apart from him, other speakers in the panel were Rajesh Shah (Executive Director, Peer Water Exchange), Varadu Seshamani (Director, ISA Impex Pvt Ltd), Ananth Kodavasal (Owner, Ecotech Engineering Consultancy), and Rajesh Jain (CEO, Enhance Wapp Systems). The third panel was about water preservation, rainwater harvesting, and lake rejuvena-

tion. AR Shivakumar (Principal Scientific Officer, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology) was a speaker and the moderator of the panel. The panel was addressed by Michael (Owner, Farmland Rainwater Harvesting System), Ankit Magan (Director, Retas Enviro Solutions), Ravi Prakash (Principal Coordinator for Engineers, Advanced Center for Integrated Water Resources Management), Ekta Bhaskar (Expert LeadCSR/Commercial Project, Ministry of Water Resources and Transport) and Seema Garg (CEO, Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority). This was followed by a panel on innovations in water. This featured 10 speakers, each talking about their innovations and subsequent execution in various fields of water. The panelists were Ashok Das (CEO, SunMoksha), Anjan Mukherjee (Owner, Taraltec Disinfecting Reactor), Kasturi Rangan (Co-founder & CTO, SmartrHomes Technologies), Yatin Tayalia (Business Leader South Asia Suez Water Technologies & Solutions), Vibha Tripathi (Founder & MD, Swajan and IIT Kanpur alumnus), Vijay Bhaskar (Founder, KisanRaja - IOT for Agriculture),

Mughilan T Ramasamy (Cofounder & Partner, Skylark Drones), Samuel Rajkumar (Product Manager, Foundation for Environmental Monitoring), Madan Iyengar (MD, Ozo Nano Sciences), and Swapnil Potdar (Co-founder, Ira Sustainable Water Solutions). The panel was moderated by Ashok Das. There was a brief presentation by NSRCELL (IIM Bangalore Entrepreneurship Cell) informing the audience about itself. This was followed by the last panel on the funding and impact of investing in water. The panel was moderated by Ashish Dutt (Social Alfa). Apart from him, other panelists were Biswadeep Ghose (Director Programmes, Arghyam) and Pawan Sachdeva (Consultant, Public Policy - Urban Water Sector). The panel brought our key challenges, opportunities and actionable items for making enterprises in water more lucrative for investors. The program was concluded by a vote of thanks by Prathmesh Kant, Program Lead SEE and Secretary, IITK AA Bangalore chapter. A total of 9 stalls were put in outside the main event hall. Stalls were put by Bubblenut Wash, Wappsys, Irawater, Suez, Farmland, Tide Technocrats Pvt Ltd, Sharun Emmanuel Saju, E Water Harmonizer, and IITACB.

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Water Loss 2018 - Conference & Exhibition By Jurica Kovac

THE INTERNATIONAL WATER Association (IWA) Water Loss Specialist Group had their biennial Water Loss world conference this May in Cape Town, South Africa. The conference was organized together with City of Cape Town, with accompanying exhibition from 7-9 May 2018 at the Century City Conference Centre and Hotel. More than 400 people from 50 countries attended the conference and we had more than 100 presentations. Many of the world’s leading experts in the field of NonRevenue Water Management presented latest developments, strategies, techniques, and applications in the field of water loss management. A one-day pre-conference workshop was also held on 6th May, with close to 100 participants who had a chance to learn in more detail the wide

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scope of issues of NonRevenue Water Management and an overview of the latest IWA Methodology for reducing water losses. Besides the benefits that the conference brings, participants had the opportunity to witness and learn how to face challenges of water scarcity, first hand, since Cape Town was faced with serious water shortages. Massive programs for reducing water consumption were launched by the city of Cape Town, that can be very instructive for the rest of the world. However, the plight of the drought-hit South African city with the population of 4M is just one extreme example of a problem that experts have long been warning about water scarcity. The interesting story hit mainstream media recently, describing problems of insufficient

potable water in 11 major cities around the world. An important point to mention is that during the conference, a full 90-minute session was devoted to the water crisis in Cape Town as well as similar crises that have been experienced elsewhere. The issue that was discussed concerns the recent press reports that “The City of Cape Town is set to become the first major city in the world to run out of water”. Before the representative for the City of Cape Town was asked to present details of the current water crisis, three other speakers were asked to highlight what happened in their cities when faced with serious drought. The first speaker up was Francisco Paracampos from Brazil who presented some details of the water crisis experienced recently in Sao

Paulo which is the main city in Brazil supplying some 20 million people. Second speaker up was Bambos Charalambous from Cyprus who presented a very crisp and clear picture of the water crisis that engulfed Cyprus a few years ago. The situation was so bad that water had to be transported to Cyprus by tanker ships from Athens in Greece. For a period of two years, the main city of Lemesos and its environs were forced to operate on intermittent supply which means that the water is cut off completely for hours or days at a time and the supply restored for short periods on a rotational basis. Mr. Charalambous highlighted that this approach was to some extent forced onto the water managers and in hindsight was a poor strategy. The net reduction in the supply into the system during the drought was only 10% and after the system was restored to continuous supply, the supply into the system increased to 10% above the pre-drought levels. The increase was due mainly to the increase in burst pipes which took almost 2 years to resolve and Mr. Charalambous is now the main critic of intermittent supply and Chairman of the new IWA Intermittent Water Supply Specialist Group. His message is simple “Don’t go there!”. Third speaker up was Tim Waldron from Australia who presented some facts and figures on the recent drought that gripped the Eastern seaboard of Australia. He provided details of how the major cities in Australia grappled with their worst drought on

record and how they managed to reduce their daily per capita demand (across all usage sectors) to less than 140 liters per person per day.

IWA and Water Loss Specialist Group IWA members and staff are situated in 130 countries worldwide, forming the largest international network of water professionals working towards a water wise world. One of the most popular groups within IWA is Water Loss Specialist Group, with more than 1400 individual members. 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.

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2018 Going Digital Event Series by Bentley Systems By Express Water

BENTLEY SYSTEMS, INCORPORATED, a leading provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure launched 2018 Going Digital Event series in India. The event highlights included: executive keynote, technology keynote, reality modeling presentation, concurrent industry tracks, and the user presentations highlighting ‘Be Inspired’ Award Winners and other outstanding projects from around the globe.

Industry Track: Water & Wastewater The Bentley Institute Going Digital Event was a fullday event which was organized on 5th June in Mumbai and 7th June in Delhi. It received a warm response from project owners, consultants, Government officials

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and media with over 360 participants at each location. The event featured thought-provoking keynotes and informative sessions featuring awardwinning infrastructure projects with best practices used in engineering projects of all sizes. The event brought the expertise and knowledge sharing from the annual Year in Infrastructure Conference to cities around the globe. The morning keynote presentations at each event highlighted the benefits of Going Digital and explored the next generation cloud platform for digital workflows - the iModelHub for a better solution for synchronizing work in infrastructure projects. The event showcased advantages to transform from a loose collection of heterogeneous engineering files and documents into a truly reliable, reusable, and scalable database resulting in high performing projects and improved asset performance. The afternoon session had Water Industry track. Water industry leaders shared their rich experience and presented about the application of technologies to improve project outcomes for both owneroperators and project delivery

firms. The session helped participants to discover how Going Digital will have a direct impact on project and business outcomes. At the Mumbai event, Kailash Shirodkar - Business Head of Express Water moderated the session and set the floor for industry leaders with thought leadership presentations. Dr. Sanjay Dahasahastra (Ex-member Secretary of MJP) shared his outstanding work and best practices of the industry with his amazing passion for the industry. He pointed out the need for technologies to deliver water projects of today. He shared his recent work of water supply project from Dehradun and sewerage master plan of Aurangabad. Virant Joshi, the General Manager from Ceinsys, presented on Digital Information for Water & Waste Water Solutions and it’s imperative for the Future. He entrusted their project offerings with work carried out with three case studies. He shared Jagdalpur Water Supply Scheme Under AMRUT Mission to achieve 24x7 Water Supply project, Bhandara Underground Drainage Scheme. Ceinsys did the design of sewerage scheme covering all areas of the Bhandara Municipal Council. And last success story was from Sinnar Municipal Council. Sinnar project was a classic example of the integration of requisite technologies to deliver project outcomes. At the Delhi event, Sanjay Kumar (CEO) of Geospatial Media and Communications chaired the session. He shared his insights and handed over the session to speakers. J

Venkatesh, Senior Deputy General Manager from L&T shared his project execution on water loss management projects. He mentioned the need for modelling tools for identification and rehabilitation of network. He put forward scientific engineering approach adopted by L&T for diagnostic water management from planning to construction. He presented UFW project of Bangalore water board, Moga water supply project from Intake to distribution with great insights. Deepak Kr Mohta, IT Consultant from Shah Technicals presented innovative project experience with Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project (Unit of RUDSICO). The project developed Smart Check – a mobile application on top hydraulic models of water and sewerage networks to engage stakeholders from engineers, contractors, and local communities. Smart check application facilitated real-time monitoring of project execution activities by clicking site pictures. Deepak showed facilitative stakeholder’s involvement in project progress and transparency.

Participants from the industry from project owners to consultants actively participated in the sessions and got engage in fruitful discussions. Participants also recognized the importance to leverage data to support better decision-making and employ new digital technologies to improve your business processes and outcomes. Session entrusted digital movement is real and represents a tremendous opportunity for water organizations. It put forward necessary for adaptation of holistic technological solutions to simplify the hydro-social contracts needed to effectively expedite transition towards sustainable water cities/towns. Bentley is dedicated to providing engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,500 colleagues in over 50 countries and is on track to surpass an annual revenue run rate of USD 700 million during 2018. Since 2012, Bentley has invested more than USD 1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

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5th Watertech Wastetech India 2018 - National Summit on Water,Wastewater Treatment,and Solid Waste Management By Express Water

(Left to right) YB Sontakke, Joint Director, Water, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board; KP Bakshi, Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority; BR Naidu, Director, Central Pollution Control Board; Gabriele Boner, Deputy Consul General, Federal Republic of Germany; Dr. Ajay Deshpande, Member, Compliance Review Panel, Asian Development Bank, Manila; and Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director CSIR, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute

OVER THE YEARS, Watertech Wastetech India has established itself as an important gathering for top government authorities and decision makers, international partners, industry leaders, end users, technology pioneers, eminent subject-matter experts and key stakeholders. Past four successive editions of the summit have been well

attended, enabling active discussions, deliberations, and networking at the highest level. It serves the prime objective of bringing together various key stakeholders in the sectors of water, wastewater, and solid waste from India and abroad in one common platform. The 5th edition of Watertech Wastetech India

(Left to right) Chanchal Dasgupta, Application Marketing Manager, Borouge (India); Vivek Wankhade, All India Radio; KP Bakshi, Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority

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2018 - a National Summit on Water, Wastewater Treatment and Solid Waste Management was organized in Mumbai from June 6-7, 2018. The Watertech Wastetech India 2018 was well attended by around 140 technical experts, government officials and utilities, end users, engineers, academicians, technology solution provider companies, NGOs and international development assistance bodies involved in water, wastewater and solid waste management to exchange knowledge and gain insights in cutting-edge technologies on a unique platform to network with all stakeholders, to establish business and research relations and to find global

(Left to right) Gabriele Boner, Deputy Consul General, Federal Republic of Germany; KP Bakshi, Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority; Ramdas Kadam, Minister of Environment, Government of Maharashtra; and Dr. P Anbalagan, Member Secretary, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board

partners for collaboration and technology. The chief guest of the event was Mr. Ramdas

Excerpts from the speech made by Mr. Ramdas Kadam, Minister of Environment, State Government of Maharashtra: The subject of Water and Wastewater is of extreme importance. Unfortunately, all our rivers are polluted today. Unsustainable industrialization and pollution are having long-term effects on our environment. I asked for 14 proposals during the tenure of previous government, from our environment department. If we chalk out a time-bound program to clean these rivers, I will consider it as a good beginning. Most of the rivers are getting polluted due to solid waste or wastewater water discharge from industries. We have had a meeting in Mantralya to discuss some portion of the 27 rivers in Maharashtra being polluted, and how these rivers should be cleared of contamination. We have been trying since the past two and half years. Godavari River which originates in Nashik and flows directly to Nanded, is considered to be pious, but is still polluted. I have organized about 50 meetings to discuss the Mithi river plan and this is an issue the whole country is witnessing. All these rivers

Kadam, Minister of Environment, State Government of Maharashtra India.

need immediate attention. We urge you to help us with investments and the right technology and we will clean Mithi and other rivers ourselves. We need to pay serious attention to pollution issues of these rivers, and I personally feel that this is of utmost importance. We have enacted a law stating that every Municipal corporation will have to spend 25% funds on sewage and solid waste. Unfortunately, at many places it is not yet spent. I recently visited 8 districts of Marathwada, there is no processing of sewage, all the sewage is released in the rivers. We are looking for more financial support from central government. Clean drinking water as the most essential element of life and we urge you to help us with investments and the right technology and we will clean Mithi and other rivers ourselves. We enacted a law stating that every Municipal corporation will have to spend 25% funds on sewage and solid waste. Maharashtra pollution control board is working for last 70 years and we need to move two steps forward in pursuance of it. Together, all of us can certainly take this responsibility and the movement ahead.

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4th Smart Cities India Expo 2018 The event co-organized by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), NASSCOM Centre of Excellence - IoT and Exhibitions India Group saw its grand launch at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. By Express Water

THE 4TH SMART Cities India Expo 2018 was organized from May 23-25, 2018 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The inaugural session of the event saw the presence of H.E. Daniel Carmon, Ambassador of Israel to India, CR Chaudhary - Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Durga Shanker Mishra IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and LC Goyal, IAS (Retd.), Chairman, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The Water Conference during this mega event had the following sessions: Implementing Smart Cities Transforming India for our citizens; strengthening access to clean drinking water; river rejuvenation: innovative practices, and the socio-economic impact; smart solutions for wastewater management in liveable cities; industrial leadership collaboration for secure water future; plastic

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waste crisis in urban waterways; and the best practices in wastewater reuse. Durga Shanker Mishra (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said, “The concept of smart cities is not simply about integrating technology into urban infrastructure, but about improving the overall quality of life of citizens residing in the country. The Mission aims to undertake a complete urban transformation to meet the demands of more than 50% of the population which is expected to reside in cities by 2050. Since the launch of the Smart Cities Mission, we have flagged off projects worth INR 2.04 lakh crores towards developing urban infrastructure and living spaces for more than 90 cities that have been selected for the mission.” CR Chaudhary, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, said, “Being involved with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, it fills me with great hope when I see new-age start-ups and entrepreneurs contributing

towards the development of new technologies that can help us solve key problems in the country. These young men and women, with their ground-breaking ideas and extraordinary vision, are making great strides with smart and innovative technologydriven solutions. Hence, I believe that it is these startups and businesses that will play a key role in helping the government and institutions in realizing the goal of transforming India into a smart and sustainable country.” Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, said, “The government’s goal is the holistic development of the nation, which we believe must start with our villages and cities. Smarter villages and cities can not only help in providing the higher quality of

basic infrastructures such as health and education but also create job opportunities for marginalized sections of the society and uplift them.” Delivering the inaugural

address at the event, H.E. Daniel Carmon, Ambassador of Israel to India, said, “I feel privileged to participate in this prestigious event as Israel joins India for the second time at the One Mega Event. While each country across the world faces unique challenges, they also possess a diverse set of competencies and tools. No country has all the solutions, but with the combined abilities of these various tools and diverse intellectual capital, we can work together to build a better world. Israel has contributed immensely to the world by providing various nations with tailored technologies to meet diverse challenges, and I’m proud to see our technological partnership with India reaching new heights.” The City Leaders’ Conclave, a dynamic and exciting business programme for industry and government, was held during where multiple stakeholders addressed the needs of urban sustainability. Panelists at the discussion emphasized that smart city development need to be truly holistic, encompassing everything from technology to policy to enablement to government action and citizen participation. The last day of the threeday expo also saw the Smart Cities India Awards, an annual event designed to felicitate, recognize and encourage individuals, policy-makers, companies, government bodies and associations working

towards developing over 100 smart cities and rejuvenating 500 cities in India. The Smart Village Conclave served as a platform to bring together village heads (pradhans, sarpanches), MPs, innovators, influencers, NGOs, etc., working towards developing smart villages in India. The 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo offered a platform for key decision makers, industry experts, and thought leaders from around the world to connect and engage in constructive dialogue to lead sustainable development. The expo also helped attendees access funding, business, and partnership opportunities, with participants from over 40 countries and the biggest brands in the space attending the event, spread over 20,000 square meters in the heart of New Delhi. The expo initiate conversations around new-age technologies such as Internetof-Things (IoT), renewable energy, artificial intelligence, Big Data, and VR/AR, which are expected to be instrumental in creating the Smart Cities of the future.

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PRE EVENT

IWAWorld Water Congress,Tokyo At the upcoming World Water Congress taking place in Tokyo, Japan from September 16-21, 2018, IWA will launch the Basin-Connected Cities Action Agenda. This agenda builds on the principles for Water Wise Cities. By Katharine Kross

IWA Principles for Water Wise Cities

Basin Connected Cities Action Agenda In 2016, ten cities endorsed the IWA Principles for Water-Wise Cities at the IWA World Water Congress in Brisbane, Australia. This official signing signaled their dedication to undertake actions to improve resilience to floods, droughts and the challenges of growing water scarcity, and to integrate water in city planning to provide increased liveability, efficiencies, and a sense of place for urban communities. Since then more than 50 institutions including cities, utilities, governments, basin agencies, and universities have endorsed the principles. At the upcoming World Water Congress taking place in Tokyo, Japan from September 16th to 21st, 2018, IWA will launch the Basin-Connected Cities Action Agenda. The agenda builds on the Principles for Water Wise Cities, with a focus on how cities can be active water stewards in their wider water basins. The agenda aims to influence and activate urban stakeholders to protect and invest in water resources with basin and catchment organizations, including securing the water resource, protecting water quality and preparing (and responding) to

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extreme events. Global projections show that urban populations will continue to rise, thus improving water security and protecting water resources which cities rely on is a priority. Pressures on water sources can result in, for example, the disruption of the production of treated water for distribution, which has serious health as well as economic consequences. Such problems cannot be solved by individual entities alone, as the wider catchment is often beyond their mandate. Utilities and city governments can, however, take the lead by engaging with and influencing other relevant stakeholders. Consequently, it is critical to encourage urban leaders (cities, utilities, and industries) to champion water resources protection by connecting with basin and catchment organizations, which also manage the connection between all relevant stakeholders across the basin such as the agriculture and mining sectors that impact water quantity and quality

downstream. The Basin-Connected Cities Agenda outlines the rationale for urban stakeholders to lead the way in realizing their role as water stewards and the different pathways and activities towards achieving more integrated water resources management. This includes the drivers for action such as flooding, water scarcity, and pollution; followed by the pathways for action through assessment, planning and implementation; and the foundations for action from developing a vision to building capacity to improving governance. To support the agenda, IWA has developed and is developing Basin Stories to document some of the best practices and approaches that demonstrate how stakeholders especially those in urban areas (e.g. city government, water and wastewater utilities, industries) are taking part or contributing to sustainable management of water resources. For example, how SUNASS, the national water regulator in Peru, together with water utilities

A Global Event for Water Professionals The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2018 will be held in the phenomenal Tokyo Big Sight, 3 Chome11-1 Ariake, Koto, Tokyo 135-0063, Japan. The event brings over 5,500 water, environment, and related professionals from more than 100 countries and offers new insights into how pioneering science, technological innovation and leading practices shape the major transformation in water management that is underway. The 2016 edition took place in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and covered 5 programme themes: Cities, Utilities and Industries Leading Change; Re-Charting the Course of Water Resources; Enabling Progress with Good Governance, Sustainable Finance, and ICT; Water Quality, Safety and Human Health and Water and Wastewater Processes and Treatments. The 2018 edition taking place in Tokyo will have the key focus on digital economy, megacities, diffusion of innovation, disaster resilience and sustainability.

Katharine Kross, IWA

and other stakeholders are working to introduce principles and practices to create water-wise basins. Or how a water fund is bringing together major water consumers in Nairobi - companies and government agencies with a vested interest in high quality and reliable water supply - and creating linkages to non-urban communities.

The Forum will focus on the resilience of water supply, drainage and wastewater systems in cities. It is a unique opportunity to learn about the Japanese experience from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 in recovering the functions of their water and sewerage works. The sessions also share practical experiences of several cities in the world on building water resilience strategies, understanding resilience as the capacity to recover after a disruptive event (disaster or crisis) or slow changes (diminishing resources, social changes, climate change). Lessons learned on how to assess the risks, how to reduce the risks and prepare for the emergency response will be shared throughout the three complementary sessions on the following topics: â&#x20AC;˘ Lessons learned from the Great East Japan earthquake, the recovery of water and sewerage works, â&#x20AC;˘ Enhancing water security, and â&#x20AC;˘ Wastewater and drainage as opportunities to enhance resilience.

EXPRESS WATER

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