13 Edition
Dec 2021
WOW LEADERS SPEAK
(Here are memorable excerpts from the meeting of TechTalk #7)
“Seven years ago, when I was working on an assignment in my hometown, Singapore, I reflected on how fortunate we are to live in urban areas where we have access to pure drinking water from a tap. Frequently, the government takes care of issues of getting drinking water from taps. I recall during my undergraduate days, I was involved in a lot of community development initiatives, and we would have the opportunity to go all over Asia, particularly to remote communities. Many elderly and children drink directly from pipelines or dirty rivers, or just collect water from cliff runoffs in the mountains. Many times, the water in these situations is extremely polluted. They don't have municipal water since they live in rural locations, and sewage treatment facilities that we enjoy on a city grid. It took me no time to realise as a young man that this is a worldwide issue. Over a billion people - every sixth or seventh human being – still do not have access to safe drinking water. This is a really difficult condition in the twenty-first century. This is something that my team and I are continually concerned about, and it is one of the most heartbreaking situations we face.”
- David Pong
“Here in Pakistan, we assist with Nadi filters for safe drinking water. Mud pots are used to make these globally awarded Nadi filters. We normally utilise native mud from the village we work in, and the pots are made by local potters. Pakistan's drinking water is extremely alarming. Pakistan is in the midst of a major crisis. Even in metropolitan areas where the government distributes water, the water is not pure and contains too many contaminants. According to a PCRT study issued in 2019-20, every fourth Pakistani has access only to contaminated water. People drink water from canals and open water bodies, which is quite dangerous. People in rural regions do the same thing. We began working on this project in 2006. We started the Nadi filter here in Hyderabad in Sind province of Pakistan, and it has now grown to provide 3000 households which secure access to pure water.”
- Abdul Khurshid Bhatti, CEO, Association for Humanitarian Development
“A series of hollow fibre membranes enters from the bottom, which is one of the reasons for the technology and how it works. When the gun is pushed up, a vacuum is formed in the centre of the pipe, and water is drawn in through a pipe and hose. It'll get stuck in the centre column every time you pull it up. There is a valve that keeps the water from going back into the river or a dug well, once you have pushed it. It passes through a series of membranes at the centre of the system. It travels through the membranes, and as it goes laterally, it is compelled to cross the membrane, allowing only clean water to pass through. As a result, germs and viruses are kept out and washed out. This flushing mechanism helps extend the system's lifetime, allowing the complete system to last for two years before the unit needs a replacement.”
- David Pong
“What we must remember is that we must first determine the source and quality of water before settling on a system. Many times, even when the TDS is minimal, people consider RO when it isn't required. Understanding each filter and the quality requirements it necessitates is crucial, and this mindset must be instilled in all users and communities. Carbonation has a lot of potential, and they need to figure out how to bring in new suppliers that can lower costs and give alternative solutions, as David does. David's degree of thoroughness and his abilities as a young entrepreneur are exceptional. I hope that more people like him take up the world's water challenge.”
- V Rajaram, Global Water Works, and India Development Coalition of America, Chicago
WOW MEMBERS SPEAK
40% non-fossil fuel capacity reached
India achieved its target of achieving 40% of its installed capacity from non-fossil energy sources in November this year against 2030 as committed in CoP21, an official statement said. The target was committed at CoP21, as part of the country’s National Determined Contributions. The country’s installed renewable energy capacity stands at 150.05 Gw while its nuclear energy-based installed capacity stands at 6.78 Gw. This brings the total non-fossil based installed electricity capacity to 156.83 Gw, which is 40.1% of the total installed electricity capacity of 390.8 Gw, the statement said.
- Vinodkumar N Saxena, WOW Core Member
Addressing urban challenges
As part of the celebrations, we are calling upon all storytellers, innovators, and disruptors to propose innovative solutions that address pressing urban challenges faced by Indian cities.
Collaborate and co-create ingenious geospatial data stories powered by open data. These data stories can include interactive visualizations, informative story maps and dashboards that provide valuable insights to reimagine the developing needs of Indian cities.
WOW is most suited to participate in this competition with so many experts bringing change together. Would be happy to help if the team is interested.
Grey Water Reuse Systems
Rainwater harvesting can work for about 3-4 months whereas grey water reuse systems for flushing toilets work 24hrs/365 days. Grey water needn't be treated before flushing toilets. Rainwater harvesting, if done for directly recharging the groundwater tables, does not require a filtration system. The earth itself serves as a big filter before Rainwater percolation to groundwater tables. We must have our own home-grown solutions. There is no point in having a complicated technology solution which is difficult to manage. That is one of the reasons why STPs have failed in many of the apartment complexes and gated communities. We require systems to work with minimal monitoring that will minimise usage of water with minimum costs (including cost of installing and of running). There are people like Gasnesh Shanbag who are doing it very well. I have also been doing the same for the last 15 years without any problem.
- Vinodkumar N Saxena, WOW Core Member
These are extracts of conversations of WOW members in the Core Executive Group. Add your comments, views
N E E L M A T H E W S R S. 0 W A T E R B I L L O N C E A G A I N
Water shortage is imminent. Do rainwater harvesting. Make your own family water-positive. Let the remaining water flow into the ground. Let us bring ground water up. Let us stop the groundwater depletion.
- Neel Mathews
C A R B O N F O R W A T E R
"We cannot afford to wait. Climate policymakers must put water at the heart of action plans."
The majority of drinking water in Kenya's Western Province is polluted. The wood that many Kenyans need to boil this water in order to make it safe is becoming increasingly scarce. Women and girls, who are responsible for finding water and fuel, frequently miss school or work in order to find both. Some are even subjected to sexual assault. Yet, for them and their families, waterborne disease is an everyday occurrence that may be fatal. Carbon For Water introduces viewers to the remarkable people who are dealing with these challenges, as well as one company's unique solution for improving the health of millions of Kenyans and the environment in which they live.
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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.