CHENNAI: In an effort to kick-start its activities in India, the International Water Association, an NGO with a global network to improve and manage water resources, held a one-day conference here on Tuesday and interacted with all stakeholders who play a pivotal role in drinking water supply and distribution, wastewater treatment, solid waste management and sanitation from across India. Representatives from academic bodies, public and private utilities, engineering firms and industries took part in the event.
The association executive director, Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, said that IWA’s India chapter would broadly focus on two topics: Uses of recycled wastewater and methods to provide round-the-clock water supply. “Though we had a base in India before, it was largely inactive. But we have restarted our activities with increased participation from stakeholders. We will also be forming a special committee to look into problems specific to Chennai including water supply, sewerage disposal, recycling of wastewater for industrial use etc. in the coming months,” he said.
Academics from institutions such as IIT-Madras and Madras Institute of Development Studies shared their knowledge and touched upon topics relating to water loss management, water security, revival of polluted rivers and technicalities behind intermittent water supply.
“Only 35 per cent of total water procured from reservoirs and water table actually reaches the farmers for irrigation. The rest goes waste. Hence efficiency of water management must be increased as two-thirds of our resources are used for irrigation,” said S Mohan, Professor from environmental and water resources engineering wing of the IIT.
Additionally, engineering firms, who are well-versed in the technical issues behind water supply, such as Larsen and Toubro, Va Tech Wabag and Tamil Nadu Water Investment Corporation (TWIC) also shared their inputs.
“By decreasing water transmission losses, most areas, which only get water supply for an hour or two, can have a round-the-clock supply. Also due to the lack of water meters, consumption cannot be measured. Other problems such as unskilled labour force, bulk metering errors and distribution leaks will be addressed with the help of the IWA,” said Ashok Nataraj, TWIC executive officer.