16 Edition
Jan 2022
WOW LEADERS SPEAK
(Here are memorable excerpts from the meeting of Trichy #01)
SMALL STEPS THAT CAN GO A LONG WAY...
“There are certain really basic, simple things that can be done without a lot of groundwork. We don't realise how much water our RO systems waste due to leaking taps, for example. If the leaky taps are corrected, we can save hundreds of thousands of litres. Rainwater collecting is a crucial component that everybody and everyone should use in their little settings. Simple actions like turning off the tap when brushing our teeth are e xamples of how we may purposefully not waste water. When we're talking about a community level, there are certain really fundamental behavioural changes we may consider. Then there's the issue of consumption and the kind of items individuals utilise. For example, if we use products and produce that are high water-use in their manufacture, we should be aware of it and check whether they can be replaced with products that do not have such high ‘embodied water use’.”
- Lakshmi Ananthamurthy. Member, WOW Group.
THE BIG INSTITIONS IN TRICHY HAVE A VITAL ROLE
Large institutions and the government, in my opinion, must be targets. I believe that reusing water is more vital than rainwater gathering. The government promises 100 litres of water to each person and somehow manages to provide it. So, when it comes to larger institutions with a higher number of individuals, this is most often the case. Water reuse is one solution to the problem. As a result, I believe that after the larger institutions have brought such savings in their freshwater demand, the government will be in a better position to provide for the less fortunate members of society. It is the responsibility of major institutions to take the initiative; let us begin with them in Trichy. Let us work to overcome mindsets and preconceptions at the bottom level that it will take time, money, and effort. We had Kaveri’s waters meeting our needs up until now, and we weren't in too bad a shape. The future is not as reassuring.”
- Ar. Vijaykumar Sengottuvelan. WOW Trichy Core.
TREATING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE SCABLE FROM SMALL TO BIG......
“In contrast to Bangalore, I am yet to encounter a crisis scenario in which we must pay for the amount of water used by a person, apartment, house, or institution. A fixed water cess must be paid for a slab of water use. Yes, there are areas in Trichy where people buy water from tanks, but it's not terribly expensive. It's not like Trichy is experiencing a severe water shortage. Due to initiatives to create a water channel in Trichy, there is a growing level of awareness. The issue we have is that we need to understand how to treat our wastewater, which is the primary source of contamination in Trichy's largest freshwater lake, the Uyyakondan. Individual homes as well as bulk water-users discharge waste water into this channel. Question is : how do we handle sewage on a small scale as well as large scale? Individuals who are interested should be offered solutions on a scale that they can adapt to, while institutions ready to do their part on a larger scale, such as Holy Cross College, should be offered solutions on a larger scale. They are ready and willing–if the solution directions are guided. This is where WOW professionals can step in and guide the city’s challenge.”
- Narasimha Rao, Mission Director, WOW Trichy, and Trustee, Bridge Foundation
HEALING TRICHY'S UYYAKONDAN CANAL
“The 1000-year old Uyyakondan Canal which once was a life-support for Trichy’s water needs, has suffered the last 3 decades, massive abuse from water-users. Sewage enters the canal at several points with really no check or monitor. Officers in the administration say that installing water treatment systems before the waste water enters the Canal is not viable. “We cannot maintain and operate it in numerous locations,” is the refrain.
“There's also a general debate over whether the solution should be central or localised to the point of water-discharge or source at which the waste water is generated. At the organisational or corporate level, they must install such water treatment systems, and assign individuals to manage maintenance.
“We seek decentralisation, while bureaucrats want it to be more centralised. There are some inspiring examples. Railways, for example, do an excellent job of recycling water. They are major landowners in Trichy. Their example needs to be recognised by others and emulated by more bulk water-users in Trichy.
“Yes, we need decentralised treatment of waste water in homes and offices, hospitals and hotels… This will ensure discharge into the Uyyakondan canal – of about half the water so treated and reused by the buildings. Such post STP treated water can be used to irrigate agricultural lands on the outskirts of the city if the drainage of the canal gains good treated water. Such treated wastewater need not be potable, drinking grade water is well known. It should be good enough for agricultural purposes.”
- Ar. Vijaykumar Sengottuvelan. WOW Trichy Core.
WOW MEMBERS SPEAK
The Zero Water Bill Story of Neel Mathews Continues for Another Month
Once more Neel Mathews, a Bengaluru resident, achieves a Rs. 0 bill – in succession for the fourth month. His house has over a third of an entire year’s water requirement can be met with just one solution – harvesting rainwater from the skies… Connect with Neel Mathews at digpcb@gmail.com if you want to learn more…
These are extracts of conversations of WOW members in the Core Executive Group. Add your comments, views
40 percent of Bengaluru sewage flows into Tamil Nadu
Sewage-contaminated water pollutes the ground water resources at places along the course of the river - Ganesh Shanbhag
And the sewage from Chennai may be flowing into the Bay of Bengal affecting marine life!!! And people forget that Environmental pollution has no Country barriers too.
- U V Sitapati Rao
- U V Sitapati Rao, WOW Core Member
O R E G A N & P U N J A B - A G R I M W A T E R B O D Y
“A tale of how the rich profit from the water challenge.”
More and more regions around the world are running out of water. At the same time, companies and their investors are getting richer the drier it gets. Can we fix this?
We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
3 O U T O F 4 J O B S D E P E N D O N W A T E R
Water is predicted to be strongly or moderately reliant on three out of every four occupations in the global workforce. According to a UN research issued on World Water Day, this implies that water shortages and challenges with access to water and sanitation might impede economic growth and job creation in the future decades. According to a separate research issued yesterday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), if present levels of water use and pollution are not reduced, over half of the world's population would face severe water stress by 2030, affecting the well-being of millions of people.
This may sound startling but a quick reflection will tell you that this is obvious. Check this…
L O W C A R B O N W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T
“Leading water utilities are decoupling water consumption from energy usage in the pursuit of a low-carbon water future.”
Drinking water abstraction, treatment, and conveyance, as well as wastewater treatment, use a lot of energy. The majority of the energy consumed comes from traditional fossil fuel sources including coal, oil, and natural gas. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are all produced as a result of energy generation from these sources.
Sanjay Gupta, WOW leader from Indore,shares this report that is relevant to every Global WOW Partner City. WOW has consistently maintained that the “water sector contributes a great deal to carbon emissions locally from its energy consumption” as this report says.
Key is how every city acts to reduce it with solutions that are localised without pursuing the centralised solutions of the past. Read on …
COMMENDATION AWARDS
The WOW Action Forum hosts Commendation Awards every quarter and bestows the on all Big Water-Savers who save and so ‘donate’ water to the city by consuming less fresh water in the interest of making water-positive cities.
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.