Water is precious and non –substitutable natural resource. But, rapid urbanisation and untreated sewage disposal entering into the water sources is leading to the misuse and depletion of water across cities in India and globally. Hemalatha AG - SME - Water management, Embassy Services Pvt Ltd added, “We are in the era where there is a dire need to protect our water for ourselves and future generations. Water management should include storage supply infrastructure and efficient treatment of waste water to recycle for even drinking.”
Ashok Mehra, President Sales & Chief Marketing Officer, Prince Pipes and Fittings Ltd agreed, “There is no doubt, urbanisation is straining the urban infrastructure. "As per UN Report by the year 2030 India will have 60 Smart Cities with the population of over one million and six mega cities with the population of more than 10 million. Thus, to balance the demand and supply of water, we need sustainable water management for the cities. Cities like Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bengaluru have already reported a drastic dip in the water table."
Shama Chanekar, Vice President, Architecture, Bhartiya Urban expressed that sustainability starts with design. “In integrated townships, big tanks and reservoirs are constructed to store excess water to reuse it for irrigation. Water recharge pits, rainwater harvesting pits and recharge bore wells are provided across the site. In addition to that there are different areas like swales which help to percolate water. So, all these measures are incorporated during the project design. For construction also recycled water is used. Fly ash as against cement helps in reduction of water usage and drip curing method reduces water requirement.”
Shakuntala Ghosh, Principal Architect and Partner, Ghosh Bose and Associates & Immediate Past Chairperson, IGBC Kolkata Chapter cautioned, “The whole natural water cycle which has existed for millenniums, we have upset in the last 200 years. We have managed to completely pollute, deplete and abuse our sources of water. The mind-set towards loose attitude towards water has to change. Current development pattern is not sustainable. We really have to act at an international level, regional level, city level, building level and at the individual home level. Knowledge dissemination has to go across the board and stakeholders from the planners, professionals to homeowners and product suppliers.”
NEW TECHNOLOGIES & WATER SYSTEMS
Ashok Mehra- We are working on introducing new products which would help in siphonic drainage and harvesting water in a much more efficient manner. They are GRIHA Council Certified Products. We are also designing pipes that can work for low pressure flushing as well.
Shama Chanekar- IoT can monitor the usage of water across every level whether its indoor, outdoor, irrigation level or at cooling towers level. This will give visibility of different data points of water use across the property and help in terms of managing water and predictive maintenance of water systems.
Hemalatha AG - IoT based analytical systems are designed for flow rates monitoring and checking leakages. In residential, smart water metering monitors water consumption and charges accordingly to make residents sensitive of their water usage.
Shakuntala Ghosh- Every premises should be given a mandate to become a net zero user of water if not a net positive because all the technologies are available. For instance water based chillers in HVAC that are energy efficient but need huge amounts of water can use all the recycled water that can then be used for landscaping and furthermore gardening residual water can be left to percolate in the ground.
SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT COMPRISES EXPLORING ALTERNATE WAYS AND MEANS OF EFFICIENT CONSUMPTION OF WATER AND RECYCLING WASTEWATER. GOVERNMENT HAS COME UP WITH VARIOUS SCHEMES AND WE ARE CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THOSE SCHEMES. ASHOK MEHRA
ONE HAS TO BEGIN AT THE DESIGN STAGE, FOLLOWING UP WITH THE CORRECT EXECUTION AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED TO PLAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN ADVANCE DURING CONSTRUCTION PREPARATION. SHAMA CHANEKAR
THERE IS A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ABOUT VARIOUS WAYS OF SAVING WATER. AT THE CITY LEVEL THE DECISION MAKERS WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS IN TERMS OF WATER USAGE PER PERSON, PER BUILDING TYPE ETC. SHAKUNTALA GHOSH
AN IMPORTANT ASPECT IN WATER SAVING IS LEAKAGE DETECTION. MORE THAN 30 PERCENT OF OUR WATER GOES IN LEAKAGES. HEMALATHA AG