– By Anuj Bhagwati, Director, A.T.E. Group
One of the biggest problems India is facing today is poor availability of clean water. A recent study points out that by 2030 water supply in India will be just half of its demand, enough to significantly hamper the social and economic development of the country. At the same time, the rapid expansion of cities and industries has raised the amount of wastewater. Adequate wastewater disposal and sanitation facilities have thus become very crucial.
India’s water situation, primarily depending on fickle rainfall with much variability, is quite serious. Our aquifers are mostly in poor condition, with deficient safeguards to prevent “water mining” and growing contamination due to industrial pollution and human runoff. Our growing population and climate change have started exerting pressure on water supplies. We know that water is critical for life, but there is growing evidence that the water quality is even more important than we imagined. The effects of polluted water cannot be overemphasized.
It is a known fact that chemicals in water can affect our hormonal system and cause cancer. Unclean water leads to an increase in the number of infectious diseases. And recent studies strongly suggest that faecal contamination of water is leading to malnutrition in children who are drinking such water even where they are consuming enough nutritious food.
So it is interesting to note that the government is creating a lot of buzz about the environment and seems intent on improving the water quality by strongly promoting sanitation and sewage treatment. It is critical that these initiatives are taken up seriously and speedily implemented. Earlier efforts in this direction have been poorly planned or just left halfway. Implementation of environmental rules has often been lax and uneven.
Legislation on a comprehensive approach to water pricing is also needed to allow “water for life” to be free or very cheap. Integration of laws and projects and continuous monitoring of air and water quality are perhaps as important as defence to ensure a secure future for the country. For better public health and economic development, it is essential to deploy adequate technology, infrastructure and stringent environmental policies. Such efforts need to be undertaken worldwide to combat climate change and water scarcity.
At A.T.E., efforts are focused on developing world-class solutions for different aspects of the water problem. Its smoothly running installations are backed with green technology that saves money. For example, the group’s AAA process generates gas, saves energy, cuts chemical consumption and greatly reduces sludge. The screening grit and sludge management solutions from Huber enable sewage treatment plants to work optimally and ensure clean and safe working conditions for workers at these plants. The SUPERAxis framework can be deployed for monitoring air and water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plant, giving top information that helps us act in the right way with less resources used, and in time.
Environment management is a massive task and is of top priority. Only joint efforts by the government, corporates and the citizens can make a positive impact in conservation, to ensure sustainable growth.