11 Edition
Dec 2021
WOW LEADERS SPEAK
(Here are memorable excerpts from the meeting of PJMT)
“It occurred to me about a month and a half ago that I needed to contact Mary Conley Eggert, the founder of Global Water Works in the United States. We talked about how we needed to find a means to interact with people in India. And this is a programme that not only gives participants confidence, but also goes on YouTube and may be viewed by a large number of people. The intent is to examine how such organisations, corporations, technologists, research institutes, and NGOs in the United States may collaborate with other water entrepreneurs and technologists in India to address the tremendous water crisis that India faces. With such widespread enthusiasm in collaborating with India, Denmark took the lead and stated that water is their focus for such partnerships. They had a national online discussion two weeks ago with Indian leaders. Only earlier today, Australia had a conference to discuss how the two nations might together construct sustainable futures. Another example is the United States of America. South Africa is in discussions with India on how they may partner with us. We are witnessing a significant surge in interest in working in India. India is a massive market. We're talking about 30 billion dollars per year in water solutions, with the potential to double in the next decade or so. Water discussion is also a component of energy conservation and water management, thus another significant sum of Rs 150 crores [[or another USD 30 billion] will be spent on energy conservation.”
- Hari Haran, founder of AltTech Foundation
“We have 130 technical businesses working on solutions for water shortages and crises. These are all tried-and-true solutions and technologies that have been documented and deployed all over the world. These technological leaders are clearly eager to do whatever it takes to supply their solutions in nations, including establishing manufacturing operations for solutions in India, which would be a long-term and far more comprehensive answer all the way through. So we have the technology, the specialists, and the process since each solution has been implemented several times and people are ready to go. ”
- David Shackleton, GWW, South Africa.
“There are two worlds of people -- this world of governments and policymakers at COP 26's series of talks and other such forums. All those faceless people who drove for hours to bring the world to a conclusion on the way forward. And they came to no definitive conclusion. It will take a long time to understand what these practises and pledges imply in 2050, 60, or 2070. There is then the second world of unlucky citizens like all of us who, like many of the young people who spoke at COP 26, are at the receiving end of the stick.”
- Hari Haran, founder of AltTech Foundation
“We have 5500 devoted and motivated members at the Indian Plumbing Association which is headquartered in Delhi. We are attempting to make a change where we can make India net zero on water. We've now partnered with the IGBC, the world's second-largest green building organisation after only the United States. We have 1300 green certified projects totaling 8 billion square feet. For new buildings, the IGBC has committed to being net zero on energy, waste, carbon, and water by 2050, and for existing buildings by 2030. We have till 2070, according to the prime minister’s declaration at COP26. I believe we do not have enough time till then, thus we must do this before 2050. ”
- Gurmeet Singh, President, Indian Plumbing Association
“The materials used in construction, such as cement, steel, and glass, account for 9-10% of the total use of resources in buildings. As a result, it accounts for more than a third of the carbon input from buildings. As a result, making structures net zero is a tall order. Of course, people are working on electric vehicles, metres, and other ways to reduce energy usage and move toward renewable energy sources. “India has already committed to 500 gigawatts of renewable power generation with new Solar PV Infrastructure. The issue to be concerned about is that under 40% of India's population is urbanised. What happens when the remaining 60 percent of the population becomes urbanised, and water usage rises from the current per capita of 30 litres to 130 litres per person per day? We are about to enter a major catastrophe.”
- Gurmeet Singh, President, Indian Plumbing Association
WOW MEMBERS SPEAK
Saras Apartments, Yelahanka, fully benefited from RWH this year. Our total realisation of rain water was more than 10 lakhs due to heavy rains . Today’s rain our sump level became 90% of 1.25 lakh litres in one hour necessitating diversion of rain water to recharge well. We monitor our water levels online by IOT based tracking system
- Suresh Pai, Chairman, WOW Apartments Action Group
Techniques of removing cadmium in groundwater
Our recent publication to produce safe groundwater (capture chemical miles), provide with your feed back if any. Thanks to all for their motivation. He is my co-member from the Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats GIST group.
- B S Mamatha, WOW Executive Group
Valleys are important to understand and reduce flood damage in cities
Very insightful tweets on how water bodies in and around Bengaluru can be managed better. Technology can be used better by Govt agencies to act as per the latest info/status. Most often attemptsare made to work on solutions based on old maps/topography which would have changed over years.
- Satish Mallya, WOW Exec Group
Wettest years in Bangalore
Many more years to go and many floods and disasters, before government servants go building after building to ensure rain water seeps to earth…
- Neel Mathews, WOW Executive Group
These are extracts of conversations of WOW members in the Core Executive Group. Add your comments, views
W A T E R C O N S E R V A T I V E T E C H N I Q U E S
Bangalore’s water demand set to rise to 400 crore litres by 2051
Despite the lack of additional water sources, the city's water consumption is predicted to rise to 2900 MLD [or 300 crore litres] by 2031, according to BWSSB forecasts. Demand is expected to reach 4,100 MLD [or 410 crore -- double the current figures] by 2051. "There are no additional sources. We'll have to make do with the water that's accessible in the city," Rajiv said.
K O C H I D E B A T E S T H E W A S T E W A T E R C H A L L E N G E S
Many concerned individuals discussed the issue of wastewater in Kochi, a metropolis of 3 million people and 100 square kilometres, at another discerning professional meeting of green leaders from Kerala last week...Here are a few of the Voices of concerned Kochi citizens.
The awkward question: Will high-rise development be the primary form of infrastructure development? This will surely entail sewage treatment....
What is the status of Sewage Treatment for the High Rise Development at Marine Drive so far?
When High Rise Development is chosen as the primary method of infrastructure construction, you have to make environmental conservation a key component. Sewage Treatment capacity built in the past has been terribly insufficient. The proposed new development must address the current sewage treatment system's inadequacy.
We have the funds to invest in ultrafast train lines, which might have disastrous environmental implications. We haven't even considered putting in place a mechanism to prevent untreated sewage from spilling into our backwaters.
- Jose Dominic
It is necessary to ensure that sewage and solid waste treatment systems are designed to serve as captive facilities, ensuring that not a single drop of sewage or gramme of trash escapes from multi-story and gated communities.
- K J Ramesh
Simply stating that the project will be ecologically friendly does not imply that it will be. How long will such "growth" along the backwaters continue given the catastrophic predictions of rising sea levels and increased hydro-climatic hazards?
- S P Ravi
Resident organisations in multi-story/gated developments will be responsible for managing captive STPs. In and near Bengaluru’s Yelahanka, such a system has been in place since 2001 at Kendriya Vihar Apartments and Saras Apartments. Many similar flats exist in Bangalore, and they may and should motivate Kochi residents and water consumers to take action instead of waiting for the city administration, municipal governments, or the state government to do so.
- K J Ramesh
Most private high-rise complexes have captive STPs that are maintained by resident groups. The GCDA [Greater Cochin Development Authority] is the one that sticks out like a sore thumb. When sites were auctioned, the FAR was greater and the STP was centralised. The centralised system for sewage treatment that was built was woefully insufficient. When the regulator - the Development Authority - takes on the role of Developer, this is what occurs. Kochi, which bills itself as a megacity, has failed to build the necessary sewage treatment facilities. The Backwaters have, unfortunately, become the city's sewage system. Also included is the state's sewage system. Cities, municipalities, and panchayats all pour their sewage into the backwaters without treatment. As a result, our water table has been severely contaminated. Likewise, the food chain is based on the backwaters. The backwaters are in desperate need of rescue. Making the backwaters swimmable once more must become a top goal.
- Jose Dominic
W A T E R F I R S T
The inspiring storey of Charles Banda, a local fireman turned waterman who has drilled over 800 wells for impoverished communities in Malawi, demonstrates why clean water should be prioritised if we are serious about achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and alleviating poverty and suffering in developing countries. The Millennium Development Targets (MDGs) are a set of goals that the United Nations agreed upon in 2000. The aims focus on reducing poverty and hunger, achieving universal education, empowering women, combating HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, and forming development partnerships. As Charles Banda points out, none of these objectives can be met without first putting water first.
COMMENDATION AWARDS
Alt. Tech Foundation is a not-for-profit, for-industry Foundation for
(i) producing sustainability managers and leaders,
(ii) providing green management skill sets,
(iii) hosting city-wide campaigns for citizen collective action to save water & energy,
(iv) purposing research for city infrastructure.
WOW Action Forum is a globally pioneering effort for bringing collective private action to save very large quantities of water at apartments, at Industry, at tech parks, or hotels and hospitals or malls and other such buildings. The 2021 mission is set to save 1000 Cr lites with community-led action. This alone will bring a saving of 236 Cr in electricity bills for the city, and a reduction in carbon emission of nearly 300,000 tonnes equivalent.