It is very much important to create awareness at large and work towards 3Rs concept.

Gopal Madabhushi
Senior Vice President & Business Leader - South Asia, Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions

How do you view the current demand-supply scenario of water in India?

India faces a serious water crisis owing to the growing imbalance of supply and demand. From the demand side, Indians are the largest users of fresh water than any other country. Agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water use. Almost two-third of India's irrigation needs and 80% of domestic water needs are met using ground water which has resulted in significant groundwater depletion rate.

On the supply side of water, although India receives an average of 4,000 billion cubic meters of rainfall every year, unfortunately only ~50% of water ends up in India's rivers due to lack of infrastructure. Out of this, over 1,047 billion cubic meters of water is lost due to evaporation, transpiration and runoff, reducing the available water to 1,953 billion cubic meters and the usable water to 1,123 billion cubic meters only. Pollution of water resources is another major concern which is affecting the water supply as well as human health conditions. With total water demand in India expected to rise by ~70-75% owing to increasing population, growing urbanisation and rapid industrialization, a huge demand-supply gap is expected in near future.

How is the concept of water sustainability gaining traction in the country? What is its importance?

In the rapid growth of industrialisation followed by urbanisation, the water requirement in India has been increasing substantially. We are seeing an increasing concern about the widening demand-supply situation and awareness about water as a precious resource. The government is also putting efforts to curb fresh water usage in industries and stringent norms are being enforced to treat industrial effluent and municipal sewage.

As the water demand is increasing day by day, it is very much important to create awareness at large and work towards 3Rs (Reduce - Recycle - Reuse) concept.

Recycling of used water/wastewater is of utmost importance in the scenario of water scarcity. What is your view on this?

The current pace by which industrialisation is growing, recycling of wastewater is the most reliable option to meet the water needs of the industry and reduce dependency on fresh water. Wastewater, if not treated and recycled, pollutes the nearby water bodies like oceans, lakes and rivers, thereby deteriorating the quality of water and destroying the ecosystem.

Recycling wastewater is much more affordable than using freshwater. So, if we don't start actively treating our wastewater, there won't be any freshwater sources as they will be obsolete or heavily polluted.

How is the company supporting the cause of recycling and reusing of wastewater in India?

Veolia which has its footmark in India for more than four decades now, has been actively providing cost effective solution and advanced technologies to the industries and municipal corporations when it comes to recycling & reusing wastewater. We have also been actively participating in seminars, conferences and exhibitions across the country highlighting the need for treating wastewater and effectively manage the water needs of the industry.

Hits: 51