Recycling of used water is the single biggest contributor to sustainability initiatives.

- Ajay Hans

MD & CEO, Welspun Enterprises

How do you view the water infrastructure developments in India?

Water infrastructure business offers opportunities in multiple segments. Bulk water transmission projects, water & sewage treatment projects, water distribution projects, lift irrigation projects, micro irrigation projects, water storage projects (dams & barrages) are some of these segments.

With depleting surface water and underground water sources, assured availability of and access to clean drinking water continues to remain a challenge in most parts of India. The Central Government has embarked on two major Missions each focused on rural and urban areas to provide these basic facilities on a war footing, viz, Jal Jeevan Mission & AMRUT 2.0.

How is Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) leading the water pipeline infrastructure across the country?

Out of a total of 19.32 crore rural households only 3.24 crore households or 16.75 per cent had access to tap water as recently as August 15, 2019 when the Prime Minister announced his Jal Jeevan Programme with its motto as 'Har Ghar Jal' (water in every household) by 2024.

Rapid strides have been witnessed in the implementation despite Covid-19 waves across the country. As of May 2022, nearly 9.51 crore households (~50 per cent) now have functional house tap connections.

The above programme is a key driver of the water business in India with UP alone implementing rural water supply schemes across all its districts in more than 65,000 villages. Other states viz. Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu too are following  the path.

Which are the key water projects the company is involved in?

The company is currently executing two major projects.

UP JJM Project: We are executing this project across five districts of UP viz. Sant Ravidas Nagar, Jaunpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi and Bulandshahar for the State Water and Sanitation Mission of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. In this project, we shall be providing more than 6 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to nearly 2,500 villages in the above districts. This project is being executed on EPC basis wherein we are responsible right from concept, ie. preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), supply and installation of tube wells, pumping stations, overhead storage reservoirs, distribution pipeline networks, tap connections up to each household of respective villages and its  testing and commissioning. We estimate the contract value of this project to exceed Rs 2,500 crore. The project is expected to be completed in the next two years. We shall also be required to undertake Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of these water supply schemes for 10 years post commissioning.

Dharavi Wastewater Treatment Facility (WwTF): We have very recently bagged this project from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a price of Rs 4,636 crore. This involves design and construction of a state-of-the-art 418 MLD waste water treatment facility at Dharavi, Mumbai in Maharashtra on EPC basis and maintaining it thereafter for the next 15 years. It is one of the largest such facilities in India. This waste water treatment facility shall be commissioned in a period of 60 months.

Besides the above, we have two operational projects in the water sector as under:

Dewas industrial water  supply project: This project is located at Dewas near Indore and here we have developed and commissioned a water supply project on a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis wherein we draw water from the Kshipra River, treat the same and supply to industrial consumers across Dewas. As part of this project, we have built a 29 MLD water treatment plant. This project is operational since April 2019 and we are supplying water to nearly 400 industrial consumers including the likes of Sun Pharma, Tata International, John Deere, IPCA Labs to name a few.

Mohali water supply project: This EPC project executed for Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) was commissioned in October 2019 and is currently under O&M with us till October 2024. We  have laid a MS cross country pipeline as part of this project.

What kind of opportunities do you visualize from Jal Jeevan Mission and similar programs on water infra projects?

Government has recently launched AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) which is focused on betterment of access to water, volume of water supplied and the quality of water to urban areas. Moreover, Sewerage and Septage Management in all urban areas is also a key area to be addressed.

The Mission envisages providing water tap connections to households in all statutory towns through 2.68 crore new household tap connections and providing universal household coverage of sewerage services in 500 AMRUT cities through 2.64 crore new sewer connections.

How important is water sustainability in the country in the coming years? What kind of projects will help in the sustainable use of water?

Water sustainability is imperative for any country globally. For India, it has to be accorded the highest priority given our increasing population and corresponding demand. As discussed above, thus far only 50% of our rural households have access to tap water. We clearly have a long way to go and we are happy to see that the government has ensured that creation of water infrastructure is put on MISSION MODE to achieve time-bound results.

One way of achieving sustainability is reducing freshwater consumption. Today's sewage treatment technologies enable us to treat sewage to potable water standards. This water can definitely cater to the requirement of non-drinking purposes such as industrial use, gardening, flushing, washing etc. If made mandatory, this will reduce the demand for freshwater for non-drinking purposes to a great extent. Recycling of used water is the single biggest contributor to sustainability initiatives. The other initiatives are conservation of water, reduction in evaporation losses, reduction in water system leakages, and drip irrigation (Government Initiative, 'MORE CROP PER DROP').

What are the company's future plans for water infra projects?

The company shall continue to selectively bid at large opportunities across different sub-segments of the water infrastructure business where it can offer a differentiated proposition to its clients. We keep a close track of developments and opportunities across the sector and are well placed to bid for large to very large projects.

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