In India, recycle and reuse has been a focus at state as well as national level

- Rajneesh Chopra

Global Head, Business Development, VA Tech WABAG

What is the way forward for a country like India to provide clean drinking water to its population?

At the outset, I must appreciate the initiatives by Government of India like the Jal Jeevan Mission, which intend to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. The ambitious project is witnessing tremendous success in the process of realisation. Several states and union territories like Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Haryana have achieved 100% mark for providing functional household tap connection (FHTC) in every rural home.

India is the largest groundwater extractor in the world and 85% of drinking water supplies dependent on groundwater sources. Also, the consumption of freshwater by growing industrial and urban purposes adds further stress on the available water resources. Freshwater must be made available for human consumption only and for the other usages, we must look forward to the alternative and reliable resources of water. Here, companies like WABAG, play an important role in terms of state-of-the-art technologies like water recycle and reuse and desalination. Extraction of ground water has to be reduced and replenishment of ground water has to be focused with regular monitoring as also the immediate need to optimise the water usage in irrigation at every gram panchayat level.

In India, recycle and reuse has been a focus at state as well as national level. Five states in India - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Gujarat - have come up with a state level reuse policy aiming at 70% reuse of treated wastewater by 2030 and ultimately at 100% reuse. A national level policy for safe reuse of treated water is also under consideration, which sets out the guidelines for the adoption and implementation of recycle and reuse. Desalination has also emerged as a sustainable, reliable and affordable alternate source of water in coastal regions. Also, sea water being inexhaustible source, desalination emerges as an excellent alternative to supplement the freshwater source. Today, WABAG built plants are manufacturing 2.5 million cu m recycled water and 1.2 million cu m of portable water from seawater every day, which results in saving of 3.7 million cu m of freshwater for human consumption.

Can you give an overview of your company's business activities? Which are the major projects you have
worked on?

WABAG is a pure-play water technology multinational backed by 98 years of expertise in water and wastewater treatment. Being a complete lifecycle partner, WABAG not only undertakes execution but also supports efficient operation and maintenance for both municipal and industrial customers. WABAG's portfolio of services includes drinking water treatment, industrial and process water treatment, sea and brackish water desalination, municipal wastewater/used water treatment, industrial effluent treatment, sludge treatment and power generation and water reclamation systems (recycling and reuse).

With 125+ IP rights, we are one of the global leaders in providing technological solutions for advanced water treatment. Most of our R&D is happening at Chennai, Vienna and Switzerland. The technologies developed in developed economies make us future ready for developing and underdeveloped countries. We at WABAG have always believed and advocated two basic philosophies: “Water is too precious to be used just once” and “Waste water is a resource and not a liability” and our actions have always reflected our beliefs.

Pioneering the concept of Circular Economy more than 15 years ago, WABAG built and operated the Kodungaiyur Power-Neutral WWTP in Chennai, which holds the record of being the first WWTP in India to complete 110,000 hours on a single gas engine. Similarly, our Dinapur WWTP in Varanasi is the first and largest WWTP under the prestigious Namami Gange Programme, which was dedicated to the nation by PM Narendra Modi. The plant, based on the Resource Recovery based Circular Economy model, is a power neutral WWTP, treating wastewater to restore the Aviralta and Nirmalta of river Ganga. Some of our major ongoing projects in India are waste water treatment plants in Delhi, Kanpur, Patna and Kolkata under Namami Gange. We are also executing an industrial desalination project in Gujarat and have successfully commissioned another desalination plant in Karnataka recently. We also have ongoing projects of water treatment in Coimbatore, Barmer and Kolkata.

In desalination, our key reference is the 110 MLD Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai built by WABAG in 2013. Since then, the plant has become a reliable source of water for the city, quenching the thirst of over 10 lakh people of South Chennai. We have also built a desalination plant of almost double this size in Muscat Oman.

WABAG has built over 1,400 plants in the last 25 years in India and overseas and has been rated amongst the Top 10 desalination companies in the world, ranked No. 4 amongst private water operators and one of the Top 3 in the league of technology providers and system suppliers. WABAG also has the distinction of operating and maintaining large number of plants globally, be it water, waste water, recycle and reuse or desalination both in industrial as well as municipal sectors. WABAG has also re-established its credentials as a successful utility operator, in that it managed the entire wastewater assets of Istanbul city and is currently managing Agra and Ghaziabad zones for wastewater assets.

How big is the treatment of waste water business in India? What growth potential you see in the coming years?

As per the Market Sizing Report (by India Water Intelligence), the Municipal Wastewater Market in India is currently worth Rs 1,84,836 million and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% over the next 6-8 years, which substantiates that there is an immense growth potential in the wastewater segment. According to the “CPCB National Inventory of STPs 2021”, currently India has the capacity to treat approximately 43% of its wastewater i.e. 31,841 million litres per day (MLD), against a daily sewage generation of 72,368 MLD. The 57% gap between the sewage generation and treatment capacity highlights the immense growth potential in the wastewater treatment capacity.

Also, as mentioned earlier, with several states aiming to reuse 70% to 100% of treated wastewater and conceptualisation of national policy on safe reuse of treated water, 100% coverage of wastewater treatment becomes imperative.

The Central Government has also taken note of the increasing importance of sanitation and wastewater treatment, and the same is vindicated by the substantial outlay for the sector, which has never been witnessed in the history of Independent India. Key National level programmes like Namami Gange (to prevent wastewater discharge and rejuvenate River Ganga), AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0 (100% wastewater coverage in AMRUT cities), Swachh Bharat Mission (nationwide focus on public health and sanitation) are a few key initiatives of the Government which have been instrumental in scaling up the wastewater treatment infrastructure.

The aforementioned points, coupled with the implementation of United Nations SDGs for the municipal sector and focus on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) for the Industrial sector will drive the growth in the wastewater treatment sector, with a holistic approach that wastewater treated is equal to freshwater saved.

How Smart Cities concept has helped in the awareness of setting of STP and treatment of effluents?

Water - the essence of life is at the heart of Smart Cities concept, which has brought back the focus on total water management, right from supply of freshwater to collection, treatment and ultimately recycling and reuse of wastewater. A smart city is not just about IoT, internet connectivity, urban mobility or façade development. A city can be termed as a ‘Smart City' only when there is smart water management, which is based on a circular economy principle.

The foundation of the circular economy model is based on comprehensive treatment of wastewater (municipal) and effluent (industrial), which has prompted the ULBs and executing agencies to focus on the same and scale up the wastewater infrastructure. With Smart Cities focusing on the circular economy model, it helps them become self-sufficient by closing the loop of water lifecycle and thus becoming resilient, future-ready and “Smart” in the true sense.

Along with the Smart Cities, the implementation of AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0 which is defined as a step towards new Urban India, to make cities ‘Aatmanirbhar' and ‘Water-secure', has brought the focus on wastewater treatment to the fore. On similar lines as the Smart Cities, under AMRUT 2.0, provision of 100% coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities is envisaged. Further, the mission will promote a circular economy of water through formulation of the city water balance plan for each city, focusing on recycle/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation. Hence, the policy-level guidelines, national level programmes and support to the implementing authorities has played a key role in bringing awareness on the treatment of wastewater and effluents.

WABAG, through its sustainable water solutions, has been helping several cities in their efforts to transform into a smart city. As an example, in the city of Chennai, WABAG set the benchmark more than a decade ago, for the model to be adopted by the current Smart Cities for circular economy model, through its Kodungaiyur WWTP. The plant utilises the sludge generated to produce bio-gas, which in turn is used to produce Green Energy to power the plant, thus rendering it power neutral, i.e., independent of grid power. Our Nemmeli SWRO plant in Chennai desalinates the seawater to produce clean drinking water for over one million residents, setting precedent for desalination as a reliable, sustainable and affordable alternate source of water. The globally acclaimed Koyambedu TTRO marks a decisive step in municipal-industrial partnerships, with the treated water from the plant being sold to the industrial clusters, thereby, ensuring industrial water security as well as demonstrating a robust revenue generation model for the ULBs.

How has technology evolved in the treatment of wastewater?

Technology has always played a critical role for treating the municipal wastewater as well as industrial effluent. Today, we have innovative technologies, both for the municipal and industrial segment, to tackle all kinds of complex effluents and treat them as per the most stringent discharge norms.

In the municipal sector today, the focus for the most advanced economies has been on elimination of micro-pollutants which require extremely technology-intensive solutions and process design. Elimination of micro-pollutants from wastewater has been made mandatory in Switzerland, with several other European nations expected to follow suit. WABAG has emerged as a front-runner and global leader in the field of removal of micropollutants, having implemented seven plants, with 12 more plants under execution.

Also, as shared earlier, the technologies today have evolved from secondary treatment of wastewater to advanced treatment of wastewater, which enables reuse of wastewater for a host of purposes, ranging from aquifer recharge, horticulture, agriculture and even industrial use.

In densely populated urban cities, where land availability remains a big constraint, technologies like NEREDA with extremely compact footprint have emerged as a solution. WABAG has to its credit the first NEREDA based STP in India, located at Pahari in Bihar.

Industrial sector has always been the one which commands the most advanced, state-of-the-art technologies for treatment of extremely complex and toxic effluents, and the technologies here as well have evolved to adapt to the same. One key example of the same is our Integrated ETP for Petronas' RAPID Complex in Malaysia, which tackles seven different and varied streams of complex effluent emanating from the refinery complex. The advanced process design of the ETP enables it to tackle each effluent stream with the specific technology required, treating them in line with the most stringent discharge norms.

Similarly, our RIL Dahej ETP and recycle plant for Purified Terepthalic Acid (PTA) is the first and the largest PTA ETP in India, which not only treats the challenging PTA effluent but also enables its reuse as process water. It also holds the distinction of being the first plant to implement the resource-recovery model in the industrial segment, with the bio-gas generated being used as fuel for heating purposes in the plant.

Also, in the industrial segments, the technologies have evolved from effluent treatment and recycle to Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) where all the wastewater generated is completely recycled, leaving zero discharge at the end of the treatment process. WABAG is currently executing a ZLD plant for NMDC Integrated Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh, which ensures zero liquid discharge through state-of-the-art multi-effect evaporation system.

The water and wastewater treatment technologies are constantly evolving and innovating to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, regulatory changes and developments in the industry. WABAG, being a pure-play water technology MNC, is always striving to adapt to the changes and the latest developments, and support our clients in implementing state-of-the-art technologies, backed by technical expertise, technological knowhow and over 98 years of comprehensive experience.

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