CONTENTS

Vol 01 No 6 May 2018 Pages72 MARKET

Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka SCALABLE AUTOMATION

Sr Vice President - BPD

Neil Viegas
14 SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL
SIZE TO BIG SIZE
MUNICIPALITIES & PLANTS
Editor

Mayur Sharma*
16 WE FOLLOW THE MANTRA
OF ‘MAKE IN INDIA’
DESIGN

National Design Editor 18 AIMING TO SETUP 1,000

WATER ATMS BY THE END
Bivash Barua OF 2018-19
Assistant Art Director

Pravin Temble
Chief Designer

Prasad Tate
PROJECTS
Senior Designer
DEVELOPING RIVER BASIN
Rekha Bisht MODELS AND WATER
23 SHARING POLICY IN THE

CUTTING OUR LOSSES -

Graphic Designer

Gauri Deorukhkar UPPER GODAVARI

URBAN WATER
DIGITAL TEAM

Head of Internet

NRW
Viraj Mehta
Web Developer 100RC AND NIUA
Dhaval Das
Senior Executive - Online
48 ANNOUNCE NATIONAL
LEVEL EFFORT FOR URBAN
RESILIENCE IN INDIA
Pushkar Worlikar
Executive - Online

Salil Sule
Water must be managed efficiently since there are OUT OF THE BOX
already regions where water is a scarce resource. Water
SCHEDULING & COORDINATION

Santosh Lokare
experts join us to chalk out an effective NRW (non- 51 ADDRESSING INDIA’S
WATER PROBLEMS
Photo Editor revenue water) reduction plan.
Sandeep Patil

MARKETING

Kailash Shirodkar
19-26 KNOWLEDGE
CIRCULATION KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRIENTS
POLLUTION AMONGST
Mohan Varadakar

PRODUCTION
52 ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES
AND MUNICIPAL
INSTITUTIONS IS CRUCIAL
General Manager

B R Tipnis
Manager
TECH TALK GROUND REALITY
Bhadresh Valia
TM
Express Water GROUNDWATER
REGD. WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2017/74894.
13 ANGLIAN WATER
SUCCESSFULLY TRIALS
ARVIA TECHNOLOGY 54 DEPLETION IN FATEHGARH
SAHIB, PUNJAB: A CASE
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4 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 EDITOR’S NOTE

CUTTING OUR LOSSES

With more cities nearing "Day Zero," the world
may soon be looking at the grim picture of a drier fu-
ture. The available water must be managed efficiently
now since there are already many regions where wa-
ter is a scarce resource. This month’s Express Water
issue intends to present and discuss the latest strate-
gies, techniques, and applications of best practices in
the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) management.
A 2016 World Bank study puts the global estimate
of physical water losses at 32 billion cubic meters per
year, half of which occurs in developing countries. If
the water losses in developing countries could be
halved, the saved water would be enough to supply
around 90 million people.
According to the EPA, every year in the US up to
USD 1.41 billion is lost to inefficient energy practices in
the water and wastewater industries. And approxi-
mately USD 9 Billion worth of non-revenue water is
lost due to leaks or unbilled usage, of which up to 75%
is recoverable. India’s official non-revenue water rate
of 34% is slightly above the global average of 28% and
is deemed to be higher.
As per a new audit of water pipelines and findings
of an expert committee, the Brihanmumbai Munici-
pal Corporation (BMC) has been able to bring down
the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) in India’s economic
capital Mumbai by only 5% in the last five years
(down to 22 from 27 percentage NRW). However,
some of the recent initiatives by the stakeholders in-
volved seem to have brought on the silver lining.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board
(BWSSB) has been able to bring down its non-rev-
enue water by 12 percent, to 37%. This was achieved
with the help of new automated command center
which monitors city’s water distribution system us-
“Water is H2O,hydrogen
two parts,oxygen one,but
there is also a third thing,
that makes water and
nobody knows what that is.”
- D.H. Lawrence, Pansies,
1929
ing big data and predictive-analysis technology.
India’s capital, Delhi has an installed capacity for
the supply of 900 MGD (million gallons/day). As per
estimates, the water loss during transmission and
distribution is around 45%. The Delhi Jal Board
(DJB) has started installing flow meters on its pri-
mary and secondary underground reservoirs. The
state government has allocated INR 2,777.5 crore for
water supply & sewage treatment for 2018-19.
Around 3,000 bulk meters will be installed to check
the amount of water being supplied to residential ar-
eas. The use of these flow meters will make it possible
to track the actual losses. Accordingly, steps could
be taken to resolve the issue.
As per a BCC Research report, the efforts to re-
duce the amount of non-revenue water will be helping
the global water meter market to see 5.3% annual
growth through 2022. The Asia-Pacific region is ex-
pecting corresponding growth in the water mater
market for advanced meter reading, with a value of
USD 867 million. This shows a clear opportunity for
smart water network companies, suppliers, and wa-
ter utilities to come together and work towards re-
ducing NRW levels further.
In our next issue (June 2018), we will focus on
“Seawater Desalination” and “Pumping and Piping
Technologies”. I welcome editorial contributions on
these and all other topics which you find significant
for the water sector.
MAYUR SHARMA
Editor
mayur.sharma@expressindia.com
@TheExpressWater

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6 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 IN THE NEWS
SPMLInfra Among World’s Top
50 Private Water Companies
Subhash Sethi, Chairman, SPML
Infra Limited
Mayur Sharma
India
SPML INFRA LIMITED is
among the World’s Top 50
Private Water Companies as
per the latest research conduct-
ed by Global Water Intelligence,
London. SPML Infra has been
continuously featuring for the
past 6 years in the bi-annual
AquaVenture Holdings Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017
Earnings Results
EW Staff
USA
AQUAVENTURE HOLDINGS
Limited, a leader in Water-as-a-
Service™ (WAAS™) solutions,
has reported financial results
for the quarter and full year
ended December 31, 2017.
For the full year ended on
December 31, 2017, the total rev-
enues of $121.2 million reflected
a 6.2% increase over the prior
year, comprised of 7.8% and
4.5% increases in the Quench
and Seven Seas Water seg-
ments, respectively. The net
loss was $25.8 million, com-
8 May, 2018
survey of world water compa-
nies. In more than 3 decades,
SPML has executed over 600
water projects and has helped
water utilities to deliver safe
and clean drinking water to
about 40 million people of India.
Subhash Sethi, Chairman -
SPML Infra Limited, during a
conversation with Express
Water on being part of world’s
top 50 private water companies,
said, “SPML Infra has been pro-
moting sustainable water man-
agement for decades now and
has completed more than 600
water projects across the coun-
try. We are happy that our com-
pany is continuously featuring
among the global top private
management companies. As per
estimates, only 31 percent of
rural and 70 percent of urban
households are connected with
piped water supply. The huge
pared to a net loss of $20.5 mil-
lion in the prior year. Net loss
per share for 2017 was ($0.98).
There were no ordinary shares
outstanding prior to October 6,
2016, and, therefore, no loss per
share information has been pre-
sented for any period prior to
that date. The adjusted EBIT-
DA was $38.1 million, a 6.0%
increase over the prior year.
Adjusted EBITDA Margin of
31.5% was flat compared to the
prior year. The adjusted EBIT-
DA plus cash collected on the
Peru construction contract
increased 23.9% to $46.2 million
from $37.3 million in the prior
gap between water supply and
sewage treatment is another
area of great concern and we
are not treating more than 72
percent of used water before its
disposal to rivers and water
bodies causing contamination
in groundwater sources. Water
loss and non-revenue water
account for as much as 70 per-
cent of the total water supply at
many places and it needs an
urgent attention from all stake-
holders. For a diverse country
like India, the integrated water
management approach will be
better solutions to all water
woes. We are happy that SPML
Infra has contributed immense-
ly to India’s water infrastruc-
ture development and presently
we are executing about 32 such
projects to provide drinking
water facilities to millions of
people of our country.”
year period.
"We achieved strong growth in
both our fourth quarter and full
year 2017 financial results. We
continue to benefit from our
operational expertise and cus-
tomer-centric focus delivering
Adjusted EBITDA plus cash
collected on the Peru construc-
tion contract growth of 22.2% in
the fourth quarter and 23.9% for
the full year," said Doug Brown,
AquaVenture's Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer. "I am
pleased with the progress we
have made in our first full year
as a public company with posi-
tive developments in both
Citic Envirotech Won RMB
300 Million PPPProject in
Xiaogan City,China
EW Staff
China
THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS of CITIC
Envirotech Ltd has announced
that the Group was awarded a
Public-Private-Partnership
project in Xiaogan City, Hubei
Province, China. The PPP proj-
ect involves an investment of
RMB 300 million in a 40,000
m3/day Build-Operate-
Transfer wastewater treat-
ment facility.
The project involves the
design, construction and oper-
ation of the wastewater treat-
ment plant and piping work
stretching 12.2 kilometers. The
company will apply its propri-
etary Membrane Bioreactor
(MBR) technology for the
wastewater treatment plant to
treat 70% municipal waste-
Quench and Seven Seas Water.
On the Quench side of the busi-
ness, we completed three acqui-
sitions in 2017, and we have exe-
cuted agreements for three
more acquisitions already dur-
ing the first quarter of 2018,
with two of these closed in
January and the third anticipat-
ed to close later today. These
acquisitions will bring Quench's
total installed rental unit base
to over 100,000 units. In addi-
tion, we are excited about our
recently announced agreement
to purchase a majority interest
in a desalination plant in Accra,
Ghana. This will represent
water and 30% industrial
wastewater to grade 1A level.
A new subsidiary Novo
Envirotech (Xiaogan) Co., Ltd
with a registered capital of
RMB 99.66 million has been set
up and is 90% owned by CEL
and 10% owned by the local
municipal government.
Construction of the BOT proj-
ect will commence immediately
and is expected to be complet-
ed by 2018.
MBR is a very efficient technol-
ogy as it only requires 20-30%
of land area occupied by con-
ventional wastewater treat-
ment plant. CITIC is confident
that MBR technology will
become widely adopted across
China. As an integrated mem-
brane-based water solutions
provider with excellent track
record, CITIC is well poised to
benefit from this trend.
Seven Seas Water's first ven-
ture into Africa and we look for-
ward to working with the proj-
ect stakeholders in managing
through the various closing con-
ditions to bring this to comple-
tion. We believe 2018 is off to a
great start and we are well-
positioned to build upon our
2017 performance."
The impacts of the binding
agreement with Abengoa Water
to purchase a majority interest
in a desalination plant in Accra,
Ghana have been not been
included in the 2018 outlook due
to the pending conditions
precedent.
EXPRESS WATER
 IN THE NEWS

Consolidated Water Provides Update on Rosarito Project in Mexico

EW Staff
Cayman Islands
CONSOLIDATED WATER
CO. LTD., a leading developer
and operator of seawater
desalination plants, has report-
ed that its wholly-owned
Mexican subsidiary N.S.C.
Agua, S.A. de C.V. (NSC), has
executed a subscription agree-
ment for the equity funding
required to construct and
operate a desalination plant
and accompanying pipeline in
Rosarito, Baja California,
Mexico.
The agreement calls for NSC
to retain a minimum of 25% of
the equity in Aguas de Rosarito
S.A.P.I. de C.V. (AdR), the spe-
cial purpose company formed
to own the Project. One or
more affiliates of Greenfield
SPV VII, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
(Greenfield), a Mexico compa-
ny managed by an affiliate of a
leading U.S. asset manager, will
acquire a minimum of 55% of
AdR. The agreement also pro-
vides Suez Medio Ambiente
México, S.A. de C.V., (Suez) a
subsidiary of SUEZ
International, S.A.S. (SUEZ),
with the option to purchase
20% of the equity of AdR. If
Suez does not exercise this
option, NSC will retain 35% of
the equity of AdR and
Greenfield will acquire 65% of
the equity of AdR. The agree-
ment will become effective
when additional conditions
related to the Project are met,
including but not limited to
those conditions previously
discussed in CWCO's public fil-
ings.
Under the terms of the
Agreement, Suez will design
and construct the project,
while a joint venture company
between NSC and Suez will
operate the project.
"We are delighted that our two
partners, SUEZ, a global
leader in water treatment, and
Greenfield, an affiliate of a
leading U.S. asset management
firm, have joined us in the
Rosarito, Mexico project. This
equity partnership agreement
marks another major mile-
stone in the development of the
Project, which when completed
will be one of the largest seawa-
ter desalination facilities in the
Western Hemisphere. Our
focus now shifts to meeting the
various conditions precedent
for the effectiveness of the APP
Contract, which include among
other things, completing the
negotiation and execution of
the debt financing agreements,
as well as obtaining all out-
standing permits from the fed-
eral, state and municipal
authorities," said Rick
McTaggart, President & CEO.

Hyflux Awarded Contract for a Seawater Reverse Osmosis

Desalination Package in Bandar Abbas, Iran
EW Staff
Singapore
HYFLUX LTD HAS announced that
its wholly owned subsidiary, Hyflux
International Pte Ltd, has been award-
ed a contract by Asia Water
Development Engineering Company
(AWDEC) to design, manufacture and
supply a seawater reverse osmosis
desalination package in Iran. The proj-
ect excludes local marine, civil and
structural works, and is valued at
approximately EUR 68.7 million, with
an additional EUR 10.5 million for
optional add-ons.
The desalination plant is designed
to produce 200,000 cubic metres of
water per day, and will form one out of
five desalination plants which AWDEC
plans to build as part of the proposed
Saghi Kosar (SAKO) Desalination and
Power Plant in Bandar Abbas, Iran.
The SAKO Desalination and Power
Plant will feature five desalination
plants able to produce 1,000,000 cubic
metres of water per day, and a 300-400
MW power plant. When completed,
the SAKO Desalination and Power
Plant will address the growing domes-
tic water scarcity in Iran and serve
industries in the South East of Iran.
The contract is to be fulfilled over 2 to
3 years, and is expected to contribute
to the financials of Hyflux for the finan-
cial year ending 31 December 2018.

Aquarion Group Gets 15 Million Euro Convertible Loan Notes

from Sustainable Growth Fund
EW Staff
Switzerland
THE SUSTAINABLE
GROWTH Fund (SGF), a
Convertible Loan Note
provider, has signed a deal
with Aquarion AG (Aquarion
Group) in which Aquarion will
get funding of 15 million Euros
to accelerate its growth. The
funds will be used for project
financing and working capital
but predominantly to fund
acquisitions to increase
Aquarion Group’s revenues to
more than 100 million Euros
and achieve an EBITDA mar-
Karl Michael Millauer, CEO,
Aquarion Group
gin of more than 10%.
Aquarion Group’s immedi-
ate focus will be on procuring
ownership of a disruptive
technology for treatment of
heavily contaminated waste-
waters, for access to new geo-
graphic markets, and to
expand its products and sys-
tems portfolio in order to
increase the company’s recur-
ring revenue stream.
With this in place,
Aquarion Group then aims to
be in the position to complete
an IPO in 2019.
Karl Michael Millauer,
CEO of Aquarion AG, said,
“Securing this growth capital
is an important step in
advancing Aquarion’s plan to
become a bigger international
player in the industrial water
sector. I am extremely excited
and motivated by this devel-
opment and the new relation-
ship with SGF, a fund focused
on growth capital. With SGF,
Aquarion obtains a partner
who understands our business
very well. With a planned IPO
in 2019, we will have the
opportunity to get consider-
ably more equity capital,
which will enable us to contin-
ue to grow. I also highly appre-
ciate the support we have got-
ten from GGF and Green
Shoots to get the capital basis
for the scheduled expansion
and see this as trust and confi-
dence in our future success.”

10 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 IN THE NEWS
Biotech Pioneers, Bruce Rittmann and Mark Van
Loosdrecht,Win 2018 Stockholm Water Prize
(Left to Right) Bruce Rittmann and Mark Van Loosdrech
EW Staff
Sweden
PROFESSORS BRUCE
RITTMANN and Mark van
Loosdrecht, both prominent
members of the International
ABB Launches Collaborative
Operations for the Power Generation Southeast Asia with a New
and Water Industries
EW Staff
Denmark
ABB HAS LAUNCHED ABB
Ability™ Collaborative
Operations for Power
Generation & Water. Driven
from a new ABB Ability
Collaborative Operations
Center in Genoa, Italy, the
new operating model enables
leading power generation and
water companies to improve
operations and maintenance
using digital technologies to
collaborate with dedicated,
co-located operations experts.
The Collaborative Operations
Center delivers information
insights that can increase cus-
tomers’ profitability and pro-
ductivity through better asset
performance, higher safety
EXPRESS WATER
Water Association, have been
named the 2018 Stockholm
Water Prize Laureates for
revolutionizing water and
wastewater treatment.
In its citation, the
Stockholm Water Prize
SUEZ Expands its Activity in
Contract in Vietnam
and security, reduced risk and
lower costs.
The push toward digitali-
zation has increased the
amount of data available to
customers. ABB Ability
Collaborative Operations uses
this data to provide more
value to customers through
information analytics, making
this data more useful for driv-
ing decisions that optimize
plant and fleet performance.
“ABB Ability Collaborative
Operations will help us bring
the benefits of digitalization to
our customers in power gen-
eration and water by giving
them information insights
that lead to better business
decisions,” said Kevin Kosisko,
Managing Director of ABB’s
power generation and water
Nominating Committee rec-
ognizes Professors Rittmann
and van Loosdrecht for “pio-
neering and leading the
development of environmen-
tal biotechnology-based
processes for water and
wastewater treatment. They
have revolutionized treat-
ment of water for safe drink-
ing, and refined purification
of polluted water for release
or reuse - all while minimiz-
ing the energy footprint”.
Revolutionizing microbio-
logical-based technologies in
water and wastewater treat-
ment, Professors Mark van
Loosdrecht and Bruce
Rittmann have demonstrated
business. The collaborative
operations employs ABB tech-
nologies, software and servic-
es to automatically gather and
analyze information on assets,
processes and risks. Through
these analytics, performance
improvement areas are auto-
matically identified, catego-
rized and prioritized so that
customers at operating sites,
working with ABB experts in
Collaborative Operations
Centers, can take actions to
ensure that each plant is oper-
ating within regulatory, load,
environmental and cyber
security requirements.
Collaboration is scalable to
customer needs, capable of
being applied at a device or
process level, up to plant and
enterprise-wide operations.
the possibilities to remove
harmful contaminants from
water, cut wastewater treat-
ment costs, reduce energy
consumption, and even recov-
er chemicals and nutrients
for recycling.
Their pioneering research
and innovations have led to a
new generation of energy-
efficient water treatment
processes that can effectively
extract nutrients and other
chemicals - both valuable and
harmful - from wastewater.
Mark van Loosdrecht is
Professor in Environmental
Biotechnology at Delft
University of Technology,
The Netherlands. Bruce
EW Staff
Vietnam
SUEZ HAS BEEN AWARD-
ED a contract by the local
water authority HAWASUCO1
to supply sanitation services
to Vi Thanh, the capital of
Vietnam’s southern province
of Hau Giang.
This €9.5 million contract
includes the construction of a
wastewater treatment plant
and a sewerage network to
improve the living standards
of over 6,500 inhabitants.
Rapid population growth
has caused environmental
issues in the city of Vi Thanh,
located 200 km southwest of
Ho Chi Minh City. Currently,
Vi Thanh’s wastewater and
rainwater, collected by a com-
bined drainage system, are
Rittmann is Regents’
Professor of Environmental
Engineering and Director of
the Biodesign Swette Center
for Environmental
Biotechnology at the
Biodesign Institute, Arizona
State University, USA.
“Together, Professors
Rittmann and van
Loosdrecht are leading, illu-
minating and demonstrating
the path forward in one of the
most challenging human
enterprises on this planet –
that of providing clean and
safe water for humans, indus-
try, and ecosystems,” says
SIWI’s Executive Director
Torgny Holmgren.
discharged untreated into the
Xang Xa No canal, one of the
city’s drinking water supply
sources. This system leads to
environmental risks.
The contract covers the
construction of a 3,000
m3/day wastewater treatment
plant and a 41-km sewer net-
work with 1,400 household
connections. Works are
expected to start in late 2018
and will last for 30 months.
Financed by Danish
International Development
Agency (DANIDA Business
Finance), the project is a new
benchmark for SUEZ in
Vietnam, where the Group is
currently responsible for
building two 3,000 m3/day
wastewater treatment plants
and sanitation services in
cities of Ba Don and Ha Giang.
May, 2018 11
 IN THE NEWS

GUTERMANN and TaKaDu Combine Data-Driven

Technologies for Heightened Water Efficiency
TaKaDu’s Event Management platform is now integrated with GUTERMANN’s acoustic leak
detection system to provide a comprehensive solution for water loss reduction.

EW Staff both systems. Receiving age a central theme for utility

Israel
TAKADU, A GLOBAL
leader in Integrated Event
Management solutions for
the water industry, and
GUTERMANN, a world
leader in acoustic leak detec-
tion technology, are teaming
up to deliver a comprehen-
sive data-driven solution for
improving efficiency.
TaKaDu’s platform is being
seamlessly integrated with
GUTERMANN’s fixed net-
work leak detection technolo-
gy, leveraging TaKaDu’s abili-
ty to integrate network
events from external systems
as well as from its own ana-
lytics engine.
For joint customers,
TaKaDu’s Integrated Event
Management platform can
act as the central layer for all
network events detected by
alerts from two different
sources will increase opera-
tional confidence about each
event, save time and provide
information for better deci-
sion making - enabling opera-
tional teams to validate and
find the location of leaks
more easily.
Uri Gutermann, Head of
Business Development &
CFO, GUTERMANN, said
“Our collaboration with
TaKaDu is another stepping
stone in GUTERMANN’s
strategy to make water leak-
managers and to facilitate a
more transparent and holistic
view on leaks and pipe bursts
and how they are handled.”
“We’re delighted to collabo-
rate with GUTERMANN,
which provides a critical data
source and event detection
for leakage events. Our com-
bined solution is showing
excellent results at Mei
Carmel in Haifa, Israel, and
we’re also seeing huge poten-
tial worldwide.” said Amir
Peleg, Founder & CEO,
TaKaDu.

WABAG Wins INR 773 Crores Worth of Orders Prime Minister of India Lays
Under Namami Gange Scheme and Repeat Foundation Stone for Four Sewerage
Order from KMDA and HMEL (Oil & Gas) Projects Worth INR 1111.56 Crore

Mayur Sharma
India
VA TECH WABAG Limited
has been awarded an order for
INR 147 crores by the Bihar
Urban Infrastructure
Development Corporation
Ltd, under the Namami Gange
scheme (National Mission for
Clean Ganga - NMCG)
towards design, build and
operate 60 MLD Sewage
Treatment Plant (STP) at
Pahari, Patna.
The company has been
awarded another order for
INR 253 crores by Bihar
Urban Infrastructure
Development Corporation Ltd
(BUIDCO), under the Namami
Gange scheme.
The scope includes survey,
review, redesign and build
new sewerage system along
with a pumping station and
operation and maintenance of
10 years at Karmalichak,
Patna.
Both projects will be jointly
financed by World Bank and
NMCG.
WABAG has also won a
repeat order for INR 83 crores
towards design, build and
operation of 124 MLD Water
Treatment Plant (WTP) at
Rajpur-Sonarpur in Kolkata
(West Bengal) from Kolkata
Metropolitan Development
Authority (KMDA).
The plant will be designed
using space-saving plate set-
tler technology with rapid
gravity filters. The project has
been awarded under the
AMRUT scheme and includes
operation & maintenance for
12 months.
WABAG has also secured
an order worth INR 290
crores from HPCL - Mittal
Energy Limited (HMEL),
towards design and build of
Effluent Treatment Plant
(ETP) at Guru Gobindh Singh
Refinery, Bathinda, Punjab.
Commenting on these
developments, Pankaj
Sachdeva, CEO - India Cluster
said, “I am very happy to note
that we are winning projects
under the prestigious
Namami Gange scheme and
from key clients in Oil & Gas
sector. These wins bear the
testimony of WABAG’s tech-
nological capabilities and con-
tinued customer confidence.”
EW Staff
India
PRIME MINISTER OF India
Mr. Narendra Modi has laid
the foundation stone for four
sewerage projects worth INR
1111.56 crore in Patna city.
These projects will create new
Sewage Treatment Plant
capacity of 60 MLD and lay
the sewer network of 376.12
km in Saidpur and Pahari
sewerage zones of Patna.
In addition to the above,
three more projects are
scheduled to start soon in
Patna to create a total of 150
MLD STP capacity and lay
534.54 km of sewerage net-
work. Two of these three proj-
ects are under Hybrid
Annuity-based PPP mode.
Earlier, on 14th October
2017, the Prime Minister Mr.
Modi had laid the foundation
stone for four projects in
Patna at Mokama in Bihar.
The total awarded cost of
these projects was Rs. 738.04
crore. They will create STP
capacity of 140 MLD and lay
422.88 km of sewerage net-
work.
The above 11 projects in
Patna worth Rs 3237.69 crore
will create total of 350 MLD
sewage treatment capacity
and lay down 1140.26 km of
sewerage lines. The expected
sewage load for the city by
2035 is 320 MLD. Besides
these, a total of 29 projects
worth Rs 5042.11 crore are
ongoing in Bihar under
Namami Gange programme.

12 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 TECH TALK
Anglian Water SuccessfullyTrials Arvia
Technology
• UK utility pilots tertiary treatment combining oxidation and adsorption
• Effective removal rates achieved for a number of substances investigated
• Opportunity to compare the Arvia process to others on the market
By Express Water Bureau
Internal View of the Full-Scale
Nyex 7-50a System
TRIALS OF AN ADVANCED
tertiary water and waste-
water treatment system have
proven its effectiveness in
removing several trace sub-
stances from wastewater final
effluent.
A laboratory-scale version
of Arvia Technology’s Nyex
treatment system was initially
tested in partnership with
Anglian Water at Arvia’s in-
house facility. The capabilities
proved by Arvia’s Nyex 1-20a
resulted in the project being
The Nyex Unit was Used to Test for 60 Priority Substances During the Trial
EXPRESS WATER
scaled-up, with the construc-
tion of a Nyex 7-50a pilot sys-
tem on the site of 16,000 popu-
lation equivalent wastewater
treatment plant owned and
operated by Anglian Water.
The onsite trial aimed to
assess the system’s perform-
ance in treating a side-stream
of real effluent containing a
range of 60 selected trace sub-
stances over a 12-month peri-
od in 2016-17. Anglian Water
carried out analysis on water
samples pre- and post- treat-
ment throughout the demon-
stration period.
As part of the UK water
industry’s undertaking to
achieve tighter water quality
targets, a UK Water Industry
Research (UKWIR) collabora-
tive programme of work is
underway. The Chemicals
Investigation Programme 2 is
being led by the water utilities
and environmental regulators
and seeks to investigate the
sources of trace substances,
where they occur and their
removal from final waste-
water effluents.
One part of the investiga-
tion was to assess - at the pilot
and full scale - technologies
capable of removing trace
substances such as pharma-
ceuticals and natural hor-
mones. Anglian Water took
the opportunity to trial Arvia’s
Nyex process alongside water
companies trialing a variety of
other technologies.
Targeted Solution
Arvia chief executive Mike
Lodge said: “Nyex treatment
offers a targeted and cost-
effective solution against per-
sistent micro-pollutants in
wastewater - which is an
increasingly important issue
for utilities.”
Arvia’s Nyex treatment
systems combine adsorption
with advanced oxidation in a
single, scalable unit. Trace
organics are concentrated on
the surface of Arvia’s propri-
etary media, which is non-
porous with high electrical
conductivity. This patented
adsorbent media allows for
targeted and continuous oxi-
dation.
Unlike granular activated
carbon, Nyex media is effec-
tively regenerated in situ and
the process can continue with-
out interruption or replace-
ment. Results are achieved
without chemical dosing or
the generation of sludge,
reducing costs in terms of
transport of chemicals and
specialist waste disposal.
Mike Lodge says, “Nyex
has fully demonstrated its
usefulness for the removal of
The Arvia Nyex Unit is Installed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for
the Technology’s Utility Demonstration Trial
micro-pollutants in tertiary
treatment.
“Results from the technol-
ogy trials have already been
used to cost a range of full-size
systems from 2,000 to
500,000 PE as part of the util-
ity’s preparations for PR19 -
the regulatory price controls
for water companies in
England and Wales which
come into play in 2020.”
Water Industry Partner-
ships
Arvia co-founder Nigel
Brown said: “Arvia is continu-
ing to build partnerships with
utilities and industrial compa-
nies and we are delighted with
the success of this project.
Our technology is practical,
cost-efficient and scientifical-
ly sound. There are no inter-
nal moving parts and although
electricity is part of the
process, it uses comparatively
little energy.”
Nyex™ Treatment Systems
provide a recognized solution
against micro-pollutants and
emerging contaminants. The
flexible, modular nature of the
systems allows them to be opti-
mized to treat water and waste-
water in changing volumes and
ensures treatment is future-
proof against tightening stan-
dards. Its patented Nyex™
media benefits from regenera-
tion in-situ which means the
avoidance of expensive off-site
trucking for regeneration or
incineration. The operational
costs are further reduced as
energy use for the removal of
micro-pollutants to below regu-
latory limits averages 0.1 to 0.3
kWh/m³. This is around half of
the energy required for compa-
rable advanced oxidation
processes such as ozone.
May, 2018 13
 MARKET

Scalable Automation Solutions for Small

Size to Big Size Municipalities & Plants
Sajiv Nath is the Managing Director of Yokogawa India Limited. Yokogawa provides control
solutions for sustainable water production. It supports water control applications in both the
municipal and industrial water markets. Mayur Sharma talked to him about his new role at
Yokogawa India, and their plans and strategies for the municipal and industrial water projects.

regions that will face water wastewater treatment plants.

How has been your journey
in the water sector so far?
Please shed some light on
your new role in Yokogawa
India.
Mr. Nath: Water assumes
a vital role in the human
framework, farming, and
industry. The twentieth centu-
ry saw an enormous rise in the
demand for fresh water due to
the expansion of population
along with the growth in
industries and urbanization.
This rising level of water
demand is directly impacting
the worldwide shortage of
water.
Global demand for water is
presently developing by 64 bil-
lion m3 (2.2 trillion ft3) per
annum, and yearly global
water withdrawal is relied
upon to develop by about 10-
12% at regular intervals and is
estimated to reach a whop-
ping 5,240 km3 (or an
increase of 1.38 times since
1995) by 2025.The World
Economic Forum gauges that
2.8 billion individuals effec-
tively live in zones of high
water pressure (i.e., the
shortage in future) and this is
set to rise to 3.9 billion by
2030. An investigation by
Asian Development Bank
(2007) finds that water defi-
ciencies in a few sections of
the world have as of now turn
out to be severe to the point
that city authorities are start-
ing to constrain new improve-
ment in zones lacking water
and have stressed upon activi-
ties, for example, utilising less
and reusing more as a way to
bail out Asia's water crisis.
The journey so far is good
as Yokogawa is pioneer in pro-
viding Industrial Water
Management solutions in
Process Plants including
WTP and STP. Yokogawa has
started looking into promising
sectors of water distribution
and District Water manage-
ment based on international
experiences. The company
has rich experience in these
sector(s). My thrust at
Yokogawa will be to cater to
these sectors with available /
existing product portfolio/
rich experience in these sec-
tor(s) internationally.
Can you give our readers a
primer on your product
portfolio? How are they
unique from their counter-
parts?
Mr. Nath: Yokogawa has
presence in implementing
water treatment plants,
wastewater treatment plants,
desalination plants, water dis-
tribution and pipeline man-
agement and industrial water/
The complete portfolio for giv-
ing a “one stop solution” for
these sectors are in house
available at Yokogawa. The
portfolio includes DCS,
RTU/PLC, SCADA, Field
instruments- Transmitters,
Flow meters, analyzers etc.
We feel that even after few
successful implementation of
water demand management
strategies in India, it is impor-
tant to balance rising demand
with limited supplies of water,
there are regions around the
world where water manage-
ment is required and we will
be able to cater to these
demands with our new-edge
technology.
Please share with our read-
ers some of the interna-
tional project success sto-
ries of Yokogawa in the
water management seg-
ment.
Mr. Nath: A 2016 World
Bank study claims physical
water loss to be around 32 bil-
lion cubic meters every year;
with nearly a half of it being
contributed by the developing
world. India’s official non-rev-
enue water rate of 34% is
slightly above the global aver-
age of 28% and is deemed to
be higher.
As a gist on international
success stories, need to be
shared that Yokogawa has
successfully automated
desalination plants in Middle
East, Water distribution and
management sector in South
East Asian countries,

14 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 MARKET
Australia and New Zealend
and water treatment plants
across the globe. It will be in
order to place that more than
400+ installation in this sector
are in Japan and 800+ instal-
lations across the globe are
automated by Yokogawa’s
solution(s).
For Yokogawa, the first or-
der from a water munici-
pality in India was for your
SCADA software and con-
trol system in Bangalore
city’s Centralized SCADA
Monitoring Center. Tell us
about that.
Mr. Nath: Our first experi-
ence in India as rightly placed
by you, was in Supplying
SCADA and telecom for water
pipeline project for Bangalore
city. Further we automated by
extending it to pumping sta-
tions, integrating same with
wastewater treatment plants
and provide Bangalore city
with integrated water man-
agement improvement sys-
tem.
What are your plans for
‘Smart City projects’ in In-
dia? What do you want
Smart City CEOs to know
about Yokogawa India?
Mr. Nath: As per recent
report by World Water
Council by 2030 more than
40% of the world’s population
will live in river basins under
severe water stress and 20%
of the population will be at
risk from floods. The Smart
City initiative by the
Government needs technolo-
gy advancements and we are
equipped to cater to the
demand.
Yokogawa has ambitious
plans looking into SMART
City projects being a reality.
These projects are looking at
integrated approach of water
management, water distribu-
tion, water leakage manage-
ment, Water hydraulics and
analyitics, Water meter read-
ing and billing coupled with
security solutions and axis
controls - on a single integrat-
ed platform. We can provide
“one stop solution” for all
these requirements to
SMART City project(s) and
EXPRESS WATER
can provide an integrated
water management platform
to operate and monitor the
plant from Smart Control
room including integration of
various water treatments
plants across cities.
Are there still gaps be-
tween what utilities need
and what current tech-
nologies are providing?
Mr. Nath: By 2030 there
will be a 50% increase in
demand for energy and water,
requiring a water infrastruc-
ture capital investment of
three times the current level
and these analysis by World
Water Council need to be
heeded seriously.
Normally, current technol-
ogy available can cater to the
needs of Utilities. However, as
technology is always innovat-
ing and smarter ideas come
through, Yokogawa has always
believed in “Co-innovating
Tomorrow” and Yokogawa’s
endeavor is to provide the lat-
est technology to their
esteemed customers devel-
oped across the globe based
on the requirement from any
part of world. This is so as
Yokogawa has always believed
in Co-innovating technology
with the needs and require-
ment of customers.
What do you plan to offer
to the Indian market in
terms of advanced tech-
nologies and solutions to
the ever-existing issue of
‘water loss and leakage’ to
reduce NRW (non revenue
water)?
Mr. Nath: Water Loss and
leakage is the prime reason
cited for any automation as
“Save Water” is the campaign
and need of an hour. Yokogawa
has water loss and leakage
management solution imple-
mented at the district level
water management. This can
ensure reduction in non-rev-
enue of water.
In your opinion, what are
India's water needs and
how much is currently be-
ing fulfilled in water treat-
ment, desalination, and
wastewater management?
Mr. Nath: At present as
exist, there is neither automa-
tion in this sector nor water
management being available
in any of the district(s). Water
being a precious commodity,
loss and leakage in water
result in non-revenue and is a
challenge. From Yokogawa’s
solution, same can be
addressed and in a better
fashion same can be adminis-
tered and monitored. Further,
we at Yokogawa feel that
Water treatment plants and
wastewater treatment plants
in any district need to be inte-
grated so that in a nutshell on
a dashboard in Control room,
availability and usage of water
can be monitored in real time
and/ or on a cumulative basis.
Numerous water utilities
in Asia practice aloof spillage
control, implying that they
repair just those leakages that
are obvious. This is obviously
insufficient since 90% of the
breaks are normally not
noticeable at first glance. This
implies it takes extremely
long, years, until the point
when the utility is even notic-
ing that there is a break. Since
the time taken to notice water
loss from pipe bursts, utilities
need to be more alert and
adopt technology that not only
reduces the volume of water
loss but also lessens the time
taken to notice such faults.
The most conventional and
fundamental strategy is to
have a group of leak identifica-
tion authorities who check all
channels all the time. Since the
sound of leaking can be recog-
nized, this work is finished
with an extensive variety of lis-
tening gadgets, going from
straightforward mechanical
listening sticks to electronic
ground amplifiers or even
break clamor correlators.
Spillage examiners utilize this
gear to tune in to the system
and distinguish issues, much
like specialists utilize stetho-
scopes. In order to measure
the amount of water loss there
should be automated system
installed at discrete zones that
will keep a tab on the volume of
spillage in each zone and aid
on-site engineers to check and
correct a possible leak.
Are you looking at both
government as well as the
private projects?
Mr. Nath: We at Yokogawa
look forward for providing
solution for requirements,
whether it comes from
Government or private play-
ers. In our opinion, we feel
that district level manage-
ment will be more of district
authorities/ State govt
requirements. We at
Yokogawa are, as solution
provider open for either case.
Will ‘automation’ really be
the ‘Future of the Indus-
try’? What is your opinion?
Mr. Nath: Water is a pre-
cious commodity of present
and future, any water loss
needs to be answered and
addressed as we cannot afford
further water losses. Without
automation, it will be near to
difficult to learn about the
losses and almost impossible
to find out the reason for the
losses and control the same.
Having said that automation
will also lead to billing to each
consumer automatically and
also have an insight plan on
consumption pattern and can
help plan better for water
needs in future as the dis-
trict/cities flourish.
The automation future in
Industry is very bright. As
rightly conveyed, considering
Water as precious commodity
of present and future, any
water loss need to be
answered and address as we
cannot afford to have water
losses. Without automation
neither we will be able to
know the reason of losses nor
we will be able to control
same. More so automation will
also lead to billing to each con-
sumer automatically and also
have an insight plan on con-
sumption pattern and can
plan for water needs in future
as district/ cities grow.
Automation is most likely
to impact the water industry
in the short term. In the
longer term, as the industry
moves away from enhanced
capital schemes, and pressure
to reduce customer bills
increases, automation will
become more prevalent.
There appears to be some
way to go before automation
starts to make a significant
impact in the water industry,
but the scope of work contin-
ues to change quickly.
Intriguingly, and perhaps
counter-intuitively, it seems
automation will impact posi-
tively in curtailing NRW.
The larger municipalities
have already stared adopt-
ing various control and au-
tomation solutions, and
are now reaping its bene-
fits as well. However, do
you think the automation
will really pay off in the
smaller municipalities as
well?
Mr. Nath: Reduction in the
NRW is the key to smart
water management in India.
We can learn from the success
of public utilities that have
drastically curtailed NRW
losses, achieved through the
right management and politi-
cal backing namely,
Cambodia’s Phnom Penh
Water Supply Authority that
managed to bring down its
NRW from about 73% in 1993
to 6% in 2010, and the Hai
Phong Water Supply
Company in Vietnam reduc-
ing waste from 73% in 1993 to
25% in 2008, with an eight-fold
increase in water connections
to the public.
Recently, water governing
bodies of various state govern-
ments like Rajasthan, are
implementing automation for
reduction of NRW under the
initiative of smart city. The
uniqueness in Yokogawa’s
solution is that the automa-
tion solution is scalable, that is
Yokogawa can provide solu-
tion for smaller to big require-
ment.
Depending on the require-
ment we can address the solu-
tion for small size municipali-
ty to a bigger size municipali-
ty. Our objective will be to be
part of “Save Water” cam-
paign and would like to associ-
ate for same in fashion of
automation solution provider.
In nutshell because of technol-
ogy benefits of automation
can be reaped by user irre-
spective of their size.
May, 2018 15
 MARKET

We Follow the Mantra of ‘Make in India’

Abhijeet Puranik is a mechanical engineer with 25 years of experience in sales and
application engineering of various industrial products such as mechanical seals, pumps, and
advanced membrane products like UF, MBR and EDI. Currently, he is General Manager -
Global Sales & Marketing, QUA Group (a company headquartered in USA and engaged in the
development and manufacturing of advanced membrane products). In this conversation with
Mayur Sharma, he talks about QUA’s market performance, FEDI technology, and their recent
projects including a wastewater recycle plant at Mumbai International Airport in India.

treatment. Our very strong has been a major success in

Please shed some light on products that meet the most
the product and services demanding water purification
portfolio of your company. system requirements.
Which are the new Headquartered in the USA,
launches that you have QUA provides global cus-
come up with recently? tomers and OEM partners in
Mr. Puranik: QUA manu- industrial, manufacturing, and
factures superior membrane infrastructure markets with
best practices in R&D, innova-
tion, quality, and customer
service.
With our core value of
Pure Technology, QUA has
always been at the forefront in
introducing innovative prod-
ucts for water and wastewater
background and experience in
research and development
has meant that all of our prod-
ucts are the result of exten-
sive research for over a
decade at its R&D centre.
We currently have the fol-
lowing high performance
membrane products in the
global market: Polymeric (Q-
SEP) and ceramic (CeraQ)
ultrafiltration membranes,
electrodeionization (FEDI),
and submerged membranes
for MBR application (EnviQ) -
specifically designed for ultra-
pure process water, seawater
desalination, potable water
purification, and wastewater
recycle/reuse applications. We
also have FEDI-Rx specifically
for the high purity required by
the Pharmaceutical sector.
QUA’s innovative mem-
branes have been developed
by water treatment experts
who have extensive experi-
ence in engineering, con-
structing and operating com-
plex water treatment facili-
ties. This has resulted in cut-
ting edge products, which
make the water treatment
systems built around our
products easy to operate and
maintain peak performance.
Which are the three most
important target markets
for you currently (pharma,
chemicals etc)? What are
the unique requirements
and challenges of each of
them?
Mr. Puranik: Our FEDI-
Rx, the next generation EDI
for Pharmaceutical Industry,
Indian market. We have also
started making inroads in
China now. We will continue to
expand our footprint globally,
typically for this sector.
Our Q-SEP UF mem-
branes have been treating
water and wastewater in all
the challenging applications,
spanning the entire spectrum
of the industry, be it power, be
it refineries, textile industry,
pharmaceutical or infrastruc-
ture. We will continue to build
more success stories in all of
these industries.
EnviQ, with a very com-
pact and easy to maintain
design, has proven a sunrise
product for us. With our
installation base in USA grow-
ing, we expect a rapid growth
in this product all across the
globe.
What were the achieve-
ments of QUA in 2017-18?
How has the company
grown?
Mr. Puranik: 2017 has
been the most successful year
in QUA’s journey till date. We
have supplied our Q-SEP
membranes to a huge refinery
project in Kuwait, which is
expected to get commissioned
in 2018. Our FEDI installation
for 300 m³/hr, for a power
project in Oman is likely to go
live in May 2018. Our desalina-
tion installation, supplied in
2017, has been commissioned
and has already clocked 5
months of successful perform-
ance. The EnviQ installation
at a pharmaceutical facility in
Western India, treating sur-

16 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 MARKET
face water, has clocked almost
a year of successful operation.
Besides this, our footprint has
been growing globally. We
have posted a double digit
growth in our revenue and our
exports have grown by 30%.
In order to stay ahead of
the market curve, what are
the strategies and plans
that QUA is looking for-
ward to?
Mr. Puranik: QUA’s
strengths have been its inno-
vative solutions and products
which are always ahead of
other manufacturers. We will
continue to bring new state of
the art products to the mar-
ket, consolidating our current
product portfolio. Technical
support has been and will
remain our core focus activity.
We will continue to develop
and strengthen the partner-
ships with our valued OEMs
and our channel partners
across the world.
At QUA, innovation is a
journey. QUA owns the intel-
lectual property behind all its
products. It has a high level of
commitment to quality with
stringent quality controls, as
is evident with its various
awards and certifications. Our
products have US patents for
manufacturing. Getting
patents for manufacturing, in
spite of many players already
existing global market, itself is
the manifestation of the supe-
riority of our products and
technology. And we do follow
the mantra of make in India.
QUA® products are of truly
global quality. And our state-
of-the-art manufacturing
facility at Pune is the only
facility for manufacturing for
our global operations. This is
an added advantage to our
valued Indian customers. The
major projects that QUA has
executed within the short
span of few years is recogni-
tion of the superiority of our
products, accepted by cus-
tomers globally.
How have you developed
your R&D (research and
development) capabilities
in past few years?
Mr. Puranik: ‘Pure
EXPRESS WATER
Technology’, our tagline,
explains QUA’s DNA. Our
R&D has been the backbone
of all our products. The cut-
ting edge research over
decades has enabled us to
manufacture state of the art
products. The development of
R&D capabilities has been a
journey for us and not the des-
tination. We have and will con-
tinue to strengthen the same.
Tell us about your
patented Fractional Elec-
trodeionization (FEDI)
technology. How is it dif-
ferent from the conven-
tional EDI process?
Mr. Puranik: With its
patented dual voltage tech-
nology, QUA’s FEDI
(Fractional Electro-
Deionization) technology is
the next generation EDI tech-
nology for production of high
purity water. Developed tak-
ing into account the limita-
tions of conventional EDI,
FEDI improves the reliability
of EDI for the production of
high purity water for power
and semiconductor applica-
tions. Unlike conventional
EDI, FEDI stacks are able to
tolerate more hardness in the
feed water.
As a result, FEDI can be
used after single pass RO
without the need for soften-
ing, or second pass RO, on
most feed waters. FEDI elim-
inates the use of chemicals
and treatment of chemical
laden waste water, as
required by the conventional
process. Thus it is a green
technology which reduces the
environmental foot print.
Each FEDI stack is
equipped with two sets of
electrodes. FEDI’s dual volt-
age technology allows for a
higher flexibility to inlet water
conditions, thus lowering the
risk of scaling and improving
reliability. Hardness and the
majority of the other ions are
removed in the first stage of
the stack at low current densi-
ty and low scaling conditions,
while the final product water
polishing takes place in the
second stage of the stack, at
high current density.
In the FEDI® two-stage
separation, hardness is the
scaling component and the
main limiting factor for feed
conditions in a conventional
EDI. By incorporating a two-
stage separation process with
different voltages the FEDI®
process is able to achieve a
higher hardness tolerance by
having distinctly different
concentrate chambers with
separate reject streams and
thus reducing the potential of
hardness scaling. It optimizes
power consumption by using
higher electrical current only
where required. And it
ensures the best water quality,
continuously & consistently
by removing a major part of
the deionization load in the
'hardness removal zone',
while residual ionic impurities
are effectively removed in the
'silica removal zone', which
stays in a polishing mode.
What are some of QUA’s
major orders won in last
two years?
Mr. Puranik: As explained
earlier, we have implemented
a major desalination project in
India and a large refinery
effluent project in Kuwait for
our Q-SEP membranes. Our
FEDI project in Oman will be
at the top of the list of notable
achievements. Our three
FEDI projects in China are
more than 100 M³/Hr.
Besides this, we have had
phenomenal success in mid-
size projects. Q-SEP has been
the preferred choice of the
OEMs and end users, with
modules supplied for projects
in Russia, Romania, USA,
Middle East, Africa and India.
QUA’s EnviQ has been the
choice of the OEMs in USA,
and we have won a major
order for supplying more than
200 cartridges. We have also
won a major order for our
CeraQ membranes for a proj-
ect in USA.
Tell us about the various
projects of QUA which are
in the pipeline. What is
their individual progress?
Mr. Puranik: We have a
very healthy projects pipeline
for all the products. With
many important OEMs realiz-
ing the advantages of our
products and patronizing our
products for major projects,
we will take our project suc-
cess of the last two years to a
different level in the years to
come.
In an earlier project for a
Wastewater Recycle Plant
at Mumbai International
Airport, your Q-SEP mod-
ules were used. How has
been their performance?
Mr. Puranik: The
Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport,
Mumbai (CSIA) project is a
landmark project for QUA,
and a lighthouse reference.
QUA is very proud to be asso-
ciated with such a prominent
and respected end-user and
industry. With the successful
and reliable performance
demonstrated by our Q-SEP
membranes, we have subse-
quently won the expansion
project for the same site.
QUA’s Q-SEP system has
been running successfully for
more than 3 years now at
CSIA.
The CSIA has an on-site
wastewater and sewage treat-
ment plant (STP), to recycle
and reuses the treated water
for operations such as horti-
culture, HVAC cooling make-
up water, and flushing. QUA’s
UF membranes Q-SEP® suc-
cessfully provided the airport
STP with a robust RO pre-
treatment component to
ensure a long term solution
for their effluent recycling
system.
Since the feed to the RO
pre-treatment system was
sewage wastewater, it needed
to be designed to handle vari-
able water qualities and
extremely high turbidity lev-
els, the objective being to
reduce the silt density index
(SDI) and turbidity of the feed
water to a point where RO
cleaning would be minimized.
Q-SEP modules success-
fully fit the plant’s require-
ments due to their large sur-
face area and high operating
efficiency. The UF TMP has
been below 0.4 bar on average,
and the average product
water turbidity has been con-
sistently very low at less than
0.04 NTU. SDI has been less
than 3, and the Q-SEP mem-
brane cleaning is done by reg-
ular backwashes and CEBs.
CIP has not been required
since the start-up of the UF
membranes.
We have again supplied Q-
SEP modules to CSIA in 2017,
for their expansion project at
the same site.
Finally, what are your
growth and expansion
plans for the next 5 years?
And which factors do you
see as major drivers in the
industrial water & process
water market in the com-
ing years?
Mr. Puranik: Our growth
has been significant in last few
years, thanks to the confi-
dence shown and support
extended by our valued cus-
tomers and business partners.
While we do cherish these
moments of success, our
never dying hunger will lead
us to raise the bar. We would
like to expand our footprint in
the other regions of the world
and will continue to strength-
en our position in current
markets.
We expect an additional
manufacturing facility in next
couple of years. I am sure it
will be a challenge for us, but
taking up new challenges and
conquering those, has been
the reason for our success.
‘Pure Technology’ and the
conquering of seemingly
insurmountable challenges
have been the values which we
breathe and nurture.
With the water stress
increasing, leading to the
increased focus of end users
and governments on the
wastewater treatment around
the world, the focus on clean
and green technologies will be
the key market drivers. These
factors will be QUA’s growth
drivers.
Every user looks for a reli-
able, low cost of ownership
products, which augurs well
with our innovative designs.
The perfect synergy between
customer’s requirements and
our product features will be
the key to our success.
May, 2018 17
 MARKET

Aiming to Set-up 1,000 Water ATMs by the

End of 2018-19
Dr. Vibha Tripathi is the Managing Director & Founder at Swajal. She is a physicist and PhD
from IIT Kanpur and a social entrepreneur working in the energy/water segment. Swajal is an
award-winning IoT-enabled water purification solutions provider. The company offers
mineralized purified water with ultra-filtration and RO. It has diversified its solutions and
product offerings into RFID-based Water Purification Systems, Water ATM Machines, Solar
Powered Water Purification Systems, Water Huts, Solar Submersible Pumps, RO Systems,
and large Drinking Water Plants with tracked water bottles. She talks to Mayur Sharma about
her journey in the water sector, the much-talked about IoT-enabled Water ATMs, and the
community water market in India.

The most exciting

Tell us about yourself. How
did you enter the water in-
dustry? How did the idea
of Swajal come up?
Dr. Tripathi: I am a social
entrepreneur working in ener-
gy/water segment along with
my son Advait Kumar, an ex-
banker from J. P. Morgan and
also a Penn State University
graduate with specialization
in Electrical Engineering. The
idea of providing people with
clean drinking water came
across when Advait was
deeply moved by the plight of
workers that faced consider-
able challenge while collecting
drinkable water on a day-to-
day basis. We had earlier
installed a water purifier out-
side our home so that the
urban slum dwellers nearby
could collect the same. But the
queue at this water purifier
grew with every day that
passed and at times tensions
heightened, highlighting the
need of clean water in India.
One of my cousins had also
died due to Diarrhoea at a
very young age. These two
incidences had a lasting
projects for us have
been the CSR
projects for schools
and villages.
Schools used to
face the challenge
of absenteeism and
half-day leaves due
to wide-ranging
health problems.
Such cases had
been reduced by
about 90 percent
after the Swajal
purification
impact on us and in 2014 the machines were
idea of providing people with installed.
clean drinking water took off
the ground in the form of
Swajal. remotely-controlled drinking
Swajal works with commu- water stations. Constantly
nities where technological evolving from being a mere
intervention alleviates critical concept, Swajal is now active-
issues regarding water. Our ly providing clean drinking
machines, therefore, are solar- water to over 5 lakh people
powered, automated, and daily and is responsible for

18 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 MARKET

Nations Development ures specifically related to tle for filling water – prevent-
Key Highlights of Swajal Programme (UNDP) and community water market are ing about 5,000 tons of plastic
• In 2015, Swajal raised USD 1.2M from Abhishek Gupta and Renewable Energy and unavailable, the market at coming to street annually.
other investors. Energy Efficiency present is estimated to be This obviously is in addition to
• Swajal serves about 2,00,000 people across India daily. Partnership (REEEP). This around $1.5 billion. It is fur- 5 lakh lives that we touch
• Swajal Water ATMs have 9-stage cleaning process. helped the company in build- ther expected to become everyday by providing access
• The RFID enabled card can be pre-loaded for water payments ing prototypes and conduct- worth $4 billion by 2024 expe- to affordable and clean drink-
and coin acceptor in these Water ATMs. ing a pilot and market survey riencing a CAGR ing water.
• The company offers products like QR code tracked water bot- to develop the business model. (Compounded Annual Growth
tles and remote sensing water purification systems as well. The brand also raised an angel Rate) of 15.4 percent accord- Please tell us about some
investment of $1.2 million in ing to Transparency Market of your most exciting proj-
keeping more than 5,000 tons enabled us to use the power of 2015. In the following year, we Research. But we expect the ects? What were the chal-
of plastic off the streets every cloud to our advantage. Our setup our own in-house manu- market to be become greater lenges?
year. The social venture has Water ATMs feature an facturing unit and won several than that. Dr. Tripathi: The most
simultaneously generated award-winning IoT frame- awards and accolades includ- India, a country of 1.3 billion exciting projects for us have
employment for more than work that Swajal’s R&D team ing “Millennium Alliance people, is currently facing a been the CSR projects for
150 people at the grass-root has built from the ground up. Award 2016”. In 2017, Swajal looming water crisis. As per schools and villages. Schools
level. IoT-based monitoring on was yet again felicitated with the recent figures released by used to face the challenge of
We envision solving prob- cloud platform allows us to “IT Adoption and Innovation the World Bank, more than 75 absenteeism and half-day
lems for the marginalized sec- remotely manage, update, and percent of communicable dis- leaves due to wide-ranging
tion of our society using inno- repair each system. Our IoT eases in India are directly health problems. Such cases
vative technologies and hope framework can automatically related to water. Also, over 63 had been reduced by about 90
that through our initiative, we conduct a root cause analysis million of Indians across rural percent after the Swajal
will be able to inspire many and take the relevant actions areas don’t have access to purification machines were
others to join hands and if any machine faces an issue. clean drinking water. Urban installed in one of the schools
change the drinking water We, moreover, have systems IoT has enabled us cities, which are expected to be in Mewat, Haryana. Deploying
scenario in India. installed in remote areas, to use the power of home to 600 million people by clean drinking water systems
rural slums, and villages. The 2030, are not faring any better at schools and in villages have
Please explain to us the IoT technology has made us cloud to our either and this situation is only been the most satisfying expe-
technology used in Swajal capable of measuring the advantage. Our going to aggravate in the rience for us.
Water ATMs? impact even across remote future. Major metropolitan
Dr. Tripathi: Swajal Water areas in real-time. Water ATMs cities including Bangalore and What are your growth and
ATMs are solar-ready and Tell us about the costs feature an award- Chennai are already nearing a expansion plans for the
provide access to clean drink- involved in the installation of Day Zero situation and this next 5 years? Which fac-
ing water through the brand’s one water ATM. winning IoT water deficit in our country is tors do you see as major
state-of-the-art water purifi- The cost of one unit varies framework that expected to reach 50 percent drivers in the community
cation mechanism as well as from Rs. 4 to 10 lakhs. by 2030. If anything has to be water market in the com-
an array of technologies Swajal’s R&D team done, it has to be done right ing years?
including IoT, cloud, and How do you ensure that has built from the now, otherwise it will be too Dr. Tripathi: To accelerate
Artificial Intelligence. IoT and the water quality remains late to make any difference to the company’s growth, we are
cloud enable us to remotely the same? Is there a certi- ground up. IoT- the nation that houses more aiming to setup 1,000 water
anticipate maintenance fication or audit process based monitoring than a billion lives. ATMs by the end of 2018-19.
requirement, which essential- involved? Swajal operates on a fran-
ly ensures zero to minimal Dr. Tripathi: The alert is on cloud platform What is the social impact chisee-based business model.
downtime, and gather data for triggered based on multiple allows us to of Water ATMs in your The company works in part-
predictive analysis. On the predefined parameters. Even opinion? nership with local vendors
other hand, Artificial a slightest variation from the remotely manage, Dr. Tripathi: One of the and shop owners to promote
Intelligence and Machine expected normal gets docu- update, and repair biggest social impacts, apart local entrepreneurship and to
Learning are leveraged to run mented and relevant data is from providing clean RO- allow locally-generated rev-
predictive maintenance algo- sent across to the centre of each system. based water, is that these enue to be absorbed by the
rithms that enable us to fore- operations. Since each ATMs generate hundreds of local economy. We want to
cast system failure before it machine is remotely moni- for Spirit of Manufacturing livelihood by hiring local oper- grow and consolidate in India
occurs. Our award-winning tored, Swajal’s IoT (Industrial Award” by TiE as well as “IoT ators at the machine. This and also explore broader mar-
machines are based on our Internet of things) platform Startup Award” (2017) from employment gets simultane- ket opportunities, such as
proprietary design as well as constantly examines each sys- IoT India Congress for its pru- ously generated for techni- larger purification systems
in-house manufacturing and tem and the quality of water dent and cost-effective devel- cians and other individuals that can cater to a complete
are capable of dealing with the that gets dispensed every opment IoT (Industrial that contribute to the value town. Moving forward, we
widest range of ground water time. Internet of things). chain. A Life Cycle envision to generate 100s of
contaminants. Assessment (LCA) study livelihood and providing water
Please shed some light on What is the current size of shows that a two litre bottled to millions everyday through
What is the role of IoT in the milestones that Swajal the overall community wa- water creates a similar carbon our environment-friendly
your Water ATMs? And why has achieved. How has the ter market in India and footprint in a year as that of a approach. Innovation-driven
IoT? company grown recently? what are the forecasts? car driven for 500 miles. We, smart water initiatives are
Dr. Tripathi: At Swajal, we Dr. Tripathi: In 2014, Can you give us some fact therefore, discourage plastic going to evidently drive the
stay at the forefront of innova- Swajal was recognized and and figures? and ask people to get their community water market in
tion and technology. IoT has supported by the United Dr. Tripathi: Though fig- own utensils or reuse the bot- the years to come.

EXPRESS WATER May, 2018 19

 MARKET
Thermosift Successfully Completes Test
Run of TS-30™ System
“With positive
outcome, we hope
to commercialize
our TS-30™ system
in the near future.”
The TS-30™ System Illustration
DISCHARGING THE MIN-
ING industry wastewater
with high salinity into the
sewer or sea is prohibited to
prevent overloading at the
treatment plant or destruc-
tion to the marine lives
respectively.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is
one of the major technology,
which has been used to treat
saline water.
However, the drawback of
20 May, 2018
this technology is that the lim-
itation of recovery due to con-
centration polarization or
higher osmotic strength (the
limitation in recovery is also
due to the mechanical
strength of polymeric RO
membranes and the high cost
of energy used for the highly
pressurized system).
Disposing the brine to the
sea or sewer is another envi-
ronmental issue that needs to
Dr. J Antony Prince
be addressed.
Zero liquid discharge
(ZLD) will be a potential solu-
tion for this issue.
In general, conventional
thermal separation processes
such as, mechanical vapour
recompression (MVR) evapo-
rator and crystallizer are
being used as a post RO
process to recover more
water and to reach ZLD.
It should be pointed out
that the current evaporation
methods are highly energy
intensive.
Membrane Distillation is a
fairly new process which may
address this issue as it is being
considered worldwide as a low
cost, energy-saving alterna-
tive to conventional separa-
tion processes such as distilla-
tion and multi stage evapora-
tion.
However, it has limitation
to treat industrial wastewater
containing high organic con-
tent.
Moreover, membrane dis-
tillation membranes are very
The Indian start-up, Thermosift
Engineering Private Limited, is
ambitious to get its first commercial
pilot project. A technology-based
company registered in India,
Thermosift is in the process of
setting up its subsidiary in
Singapore. It is the developer and
manufacturer of innovative Joule
Thompson Effect (JTE) based
thermal membrane process,
separation system TS-30™, and
vapour transfer membrane
STOMATE™.
sensitive to acid and organic
that will alter the membrane
surface that could be easily
wetted.
If the membrane under-
goes wetting, it will allow the
salt to pass through the mem-
brane and hence this process
has operational limitation in
the field especially to treat
industrial wastewater.
In order to address the
above issues, Thermosift has
developed a patented Joule
Thompson Effect (JTE) based
thermal membrane process
(TS-30™) which is capable of
producing up to 30 liters of
water per meter square mem-
brane.
The TS-30™ system is a
perfect option to treat the
wastewater containing high
salinity or inorganic contents.
The main advantage of the
system is that it operates at
relatively low pressure and
temperature compared to the
conventional thermal based
separation process.
Moreover, the highly scala-
ble TS-30™ system has many
other advantages such as very
high water recovery at a mini-
mum energy consumption,
small footprint and minimum
capital cost compared to the
conventional thermal separa-
tion systems.
Recently, Thermosift
Engineering Private Limited
has successfully completed
the test run of their TS-30™
system for the hydrometallur-
gical process wastewater with
an European partner for the
salty effluent treatment.
It has been proved that the
innovative Joule Thompson
Effect (JTE) based TS-30™
system helps to treat the high
saline (TDS: 35,000ppm to
350,000ppm) water and
recover the valuable inorganic
salt from the hydro-metallur-
gical process.
With the positive outcome,
Thermosift hopes to commer-
cialize their TS-30™ system in
the near future. The Indian
start-up is ambitious to get its
first commercial pilot project.
EXPRESS WATER
 MARKET
Express Water Exclusive
Mayur Sharma interacted with Dr. J Antony Prince, Non-Executive Director at Thermosift
Engineering Private Limited about their new start-up.
Please tell us about the
idea behind your technol-
ogy-based start-up.
Dr. Prince: Studies shows
that the industries are the
major user of fresh water and
they are recycling only <20%
of the used water and the
remaining >80% of the indus-
trial wastewater are dumped
into the sewer which pollute
the water bodies and create
huge environmental impact
which affect the aquatic ani-
mals and human food chain.
Even though, some of the
industries are trying to treat
their wastewater to meet the
stringent legislation, they are
facing challenges in getting
right solution. It is mainly
because of lack in awareness
of available technologies or its
high cost. Most of the indus-
tries like Power Plants, textile,
Pharma, Tanneries Pulp &
Paper, Food, Chemicals etc.,
generate wastewater with
high salinity which includes
heavy metals and valuable
resources. Conventional treat-
ment processes (chemical and
biological) does not remove
salinity and the pressure driv-
en membrane process
(Reverse Osmosis - RO) has
its own limitation on the
recovery (RO is limited in
recovery due to osmotic
strength) and some time it
makes the scenario even
worse due to the discharge of
brine (Concentrated RO
reject) to the sewer.
Conventional evaporation and
crystallization technologies
are the right solution in treat-
ing high strength industrial
effluent. However, it is not
economically viable for many
small companies. This
gap/challenge in the industry
is the reason and inception of
Thermosift to develop eco-
nomically viable sustainable
technologies to address the
EXPRESS WATER
brine issues to protect the
environment, save water for
reuse & recycling and recover
valuable resources.
Nowadays, everyone
knows about the climate
change, water demand and
the importance of water.
However, many of us do not do
the necessary things to pro-
tect the environment and save
water. Studies shows that the
industries are the major user
of fresh water and they are
recycling only <20% of the
used water and the remaining
>80% of the industrial waste-
water are dumped into the
sewer which pollute the water
bodies and create huge envi-
ronmental impact which
affect the aquatic animals and
human food chain. Even
though, some of the industries
are trying to treat their waste-
water to meet the stringent
legislation, they are facing
challenges in getting right
solution. It is mainly because
of lack in awareness of avail-
able technologies or its high
cost. Most of the industries
like Power Plants, textile,
Pharma, Tanneries Pulp &
Paper, Food, Chemicals etc.,
generate wastewater with
high salinity which includes
heavy metals and valuable
resources. Conventional treat-
ment processes (chemical and
biological) does not remove
salinity and the pressure driv-
en membrane process
(reverse osmosis -RO) has its
own limitation on the recovery
(RO is limited in recovery due
to osmotic strength) and some
time it makes the scenario
even worse due to the dis-
charge of brine (Concentrated
RO reject) to the sewer.
Conventional evaporation and
crystallization technologies
are the right solution in treat-
ing high strength industrial
effluent. However, it is not
economically viable for many
small companies. This
gap/challenge in the industry
is the reason and inception of
Thermosift to develop eco-
nomically viable sustainable
technologies to address the
brine issues to protect the
environment, save water for
reuse & recycling and recover
valuable resources. This
gap/challenge in the industry
is the reason and inception of
Thermosift to develop eco-
nomically viable sustainable
technologies to address the
brine issues to protect the
environment, save water for
reuse & recycling and recover
valuable resources.
What is the Joule Thomp-
son Effect (JTE)?
Dr. Prince: The Joule
Thompson Effect (JTE) is the
change in temperature of a
fluid upon expansion (i.e.,
pressure decrease) in a steady
flow process involving no heat
transfer nor work or must not
be expanded through a tur-
bine (i.e., at constant
enthalpy). This occurs in
"throttling" type processes
such as adiabatic flow through
a porous plug or an expansion
valve. In our TS-30™ system,
we are using our propitiatory
microporous membrane
STOMAT™ as a ‘throttling
device’ that will work as the
porous plug or the expansion
valve. This JTE process helps
to increase the mass transfer
due to heat loss and our prod-
uct design helps to recover
the heat, which in turn
improves the thermal efficien-
cy of the entire TS-30™ sys-
tem and reduce the desalina-
tion energy by up to 50%. To
the best of our knowledge, this
is the first thermal membrane
process based on JTE and
Thermosift has own the
Patent on this technology.
There are several thermal dis-
tillation, membrane distilla-
tion, evaporation and crystal-
lization technologies are avail-
able but none of them is based
on this concept.
In terms of energy-effi-
ciency and cost-savings
(on the basis of test-runs),
how do see your products'
performance?
Dr. Prince: Based on the
preliminary study, the system
consume only 50% of the ener-
gy compared to conventional
thermal desalination systems.
In addition, the innovative TS-
30™ system is capable of
recovering >95% water at 50%
less footprint (STOMATE™
capillaries help to increase
surface area per unit volume).
As the system is made up of
plastic materials, the capital
cost can be reduced signifi-
cantly. Moreover, the highly
scalable JTE based process is
independent of salt concentra-
tion in the feed water and it
required very less pre-treat-
ment.
Tell us more about the ap-
plication areas of your
products?
Dr. Prince: We are fore-
seeing several applications for
this novel JTE based TS-30™
system. However, our primary
focus will be on the brine (RO
reject) treatment and zero liq-
uid discharge (ZLD) to treat
the industrial wastewater and
recover precious metal and
valuable resource from indus-
trial wastewater. We believe,
this will help to solve the envi-
ronmental issues arising from
the industrial wastewater dis-
charge. We are planning to do
this through decentralized
TS-30™ systems with the
capacity of 1m3/day to
500m3/day. Perhaps, current-
ly, we are in discussion with an
Indian University to set up a
joint research facility and to
explore possible applications
for this novel JTE based TS-
30™ system.
We are foreseeing several
applications for this novel
JTE based TS-30™ system.
However, our primary focus
will be on the brine (RO
reject) treatment and zero liq-
uid discharge (ZLD) to treat
the industrial wastewater and
recover precious metal and
valuable resource from indus-
trial wastewater. We believe,
this will help to solve the envi-
ronmental issues arising from
the industrial wastewater dis-
charge. We are planning to do
this through decentralized
TS-30™ systems with the
capacity of 1m3/day to
500m3/day. Perhaps, current-
ly, we are in discussion with an
Indian University to set up a
joint research facility and to
explore possible applications
for this novel JTE based TS-
30™ system.
Recently, we have complet-
ed a test run on the hydromet-
allurgical process wastewater
with an European partner and
hope to do a commercial pilot
with them for the field trial.
After the completion of the
field trial, we will commercial-
ize the TS-30 system for the
high saline waste water treat-
ment for hydrometallurgical
and mining industries.
On the other hand, we are
in discussion with a Saudi
Arabian company and explor-
ing partnership agreement to
represent the TS-30™ system
in the GCC region.
Apart from these, we are
also in discussion with an
Indian University to set up a
joint research facility at the
University campus to further
develop our products and
explore possible applications
for our products.
May, 2018 21
 MARKET
Gradiant Corporation Establishes Indian Subsidiary
(From Left to Right) Prakash
Govindan, CTO and Anurag
Bajpayee, CEO - Gradiant
Corporation
Express Water Exclusive
Mayur Sharma interacted with the Gradiant team (Anurag Bajpayee, CEO and Prakash
Govindan, CTO - Gradiant Corporation; and Ravi Selvaraj, MD - Gradiant India) about the
establishment of their Indian subsidiary.
Ravi Selvaraj, MD - Gradiant India
Can you first give our read-
ers a primer on your prod-
uct portfolio?
Gradiant Team: Gradiant
offers a broad portfolio of
solutions for water reuse and
zero liquid discharge (ZLD).
Our flagship product, which
was developed at the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), is an evap-
orator-alternative called
22 May, 2018
G R A D I A N T
CORPORATION, A leader in
innovative solutions for indus-
trial wastewater treatment
and desalination, has
announced the establishment
of its Indian subsidiary follow-
ing the successful commer-
cialization of products in the
region. The division, called
Gradiant India Pvt. Ltd., will
provide zero liquid discharge
(ZLD) and water footprint
reduction solutions for textile
processors, dye stuff manu-
factures, pharmaceutical
companies, and other indus-
trial facilities.
Gradiant India will provide
local leadership, sales and
service personnel, while prod-
uct development and engi-
Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE).
The system employs humidifi-
cation-dehumidification to
reduce the total cost to recov-
er high salinity feeds. This
breakthrough technology
mimics nature’s hydrologic
cycle, much like how a cloud is
formed and releases fresh
water back to earth, eliminat-
ing many of the concerns
associated with thermal evap-
orators while increasing over-
all reliability.
Gradiant also offers per-
manent and mobile clarifica-
tion units, called Selective
Chemical Extraction (SCE),
designed to remove solids,
grease, heavy metals and
harmful contaminants.
Additional technologies for
biological treatment, disinfec-
neering support will remain
within the parent, Gradiant
Corporation. Leading the local
team as managing director
will be Ravi Selvaraj. He has
more than 30 years of experi-
ence in water and wastewater
treatment having worked at
major corporations in India
and the Asia Pacific Region.
“With ZLD requirements
in place for wastewater pro-
ducers across India, innova-
tive solutions have gained in
popularity as facilities
throughout the country seek
cost-effective options,” said
Selvaraj. “We are excited to
help solve these issues using
Gradiant’s technologies,
which reduce the life-cycle
cost to treat and recover
tion, desalination, and crystal-
lization are incorporated into
full solutions as per applica-
tion and customer need.
How do you see the growth
prospects of Grandiant's
business in the coming
year?
Gradiant Team: There is
significant opportunity for
ZLD due to increasingly strin-
gent regulations for industrial
discharge. Gradiant offers
solutions that are simple to
operate and achieve a lower
total cost of ownership in
comparison to conventional
technologies. In addition,
there is a general shortage of
fresh water in many locations,
driving higher cost of this
resource. Combined, regula-
water for many industries.”
Gradiant Corporation
began commercialization
efforts in India in 2017 provid-
ing end-to-end water solu-
tions, including its flagship
humidification-dehumidifica-
tion system known as Carrier
Gas Extraction (CGE). This
evaporator alternative, which
mimics nature’s rain cycle to
reduce the cost of treatment
while increasing reliability, is
designed to transform the
most challenging industrial
waste streams into valuable
water resources. Most recent-
ly, the technology was select-
ed over conventional evapora-
tive technologies for textile
manufacturing wastewater
treatment in Tamil Nadu
tions and increased cost for
fresh water have resulted in a
greater focus on the use of
alternative resources and to
reduce water footprint. These
dynamics created an opportu-
nity for Gradaint to bring its
technologically advanced
solutions to the Indian mar-
ketplace.
What markets do you see
most important in the
coming years for Gradiant,
and why?
Gradiant Team: The ini-
tial markets for Gradiant’s
ZLD and water reuse solu-
tions are textile processing,
pharmaceuticals and primary
metals. Projects in these
industries are often similar
scale and have similar
based on life-cycle cost and
simplicity of operation.
“We are proud to partner
with customers in India to
treat complex industrial
wastewaters in an increasing-
ly stringent regulatory envi-
ronment,” stated Anurag
Bajpayee, CEO of Gradiant
Corporation. “Our recent suc-
cess in this market was a
major catalyst in our decision
to invest more in our growth
by following a similar model
as our oilfield services sub-
sidiary”, he concludes.
Gradiant Corporation has
invested in the establishment
of Gradiant India and will
finalize an initial round of
funding with local and strate-
gic partners in May 2018.
requirements for discharge.
We are also participating in
wastewater treatment proj-
ects in the food and beverage
industry. This industry is
increasingly focused on reduc-
ing their water footprint.
Please tell us in brief about
your recent successful in-
ternational projects.
Gradiant Team: GES
operates dozens of mobile
assets treating produced
water in the Permian Basin.
Gradiant has also commis-
sioned the CGE system for
coal-fired power flue gas
desulfurization wastewater
treatment in China. In total,
Gradiant has treated more
than 5 billion gallons of indus-
trial wastewater.
EXPRESS WATER
 PROJECTS
Developing River Basin Models and Water
Sharing Policyin the Upper Godavari
Dr. Carl Daamen is the Principal Hydrologist at eWater. In this interview, he discusses
Maharashtra and the work eWater has engaged in the Upper Godavari River.
By Shaleen Chinenere, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)
Talking about the develop-
ment of a science to policy
modelling framework to
support the development
of an integrated Water Re-
source Management Plan
for the Upper Godavari sur-
face, how did the project
come about?
Mr. Daamen: Well, the
project came about partly
EXPRESS WATER
through an MOU between the
Government of New South
Wales and the Government of
Maharashtra. They signed this
MOU in 2012, and following on
from that, there was a water
crisis in Maharashtra, so the
basin that we ended up work-
ing in is the Upper Godavari.
Godavari River is one of the
larger rivers in India, I think
it’s the second largest basin,
second only to the Ganga and
we are working in the head
waters of the Upper Godavari.
So, the reason approaching
came about was because the
sharing of water between
upstream water users and
downstream water users with-
in this sub-basin was not hap-
pening in a way that was
acceptable to all of the people
in the basin.
In 2012, it reached crisis
point because a lot of the dams
and the upstream of the catch-
ment had a lot of water in
them and the large dam at the
base of the catchment had
nothing in it and the, obvious-
ly, the downstream people
we’re not happy and they said,
we would like you to release
some water so that we have at
least a small amount in our
lower dam; and the upstream
people said, but we don’t have
a lot of water this year we
need it all, sort of thing. There
was a bit of a conversation and
in India that usually results in
when it gets… when the dis-
cussions get tough, it ends up
in court and this is what hap-
pened in this case, there was a
big court case and eventually
the High Court, eventually,
well one of the management
agencies made a decision to
release water and that was
challenged, but the High Court
upheld the decision of this
management, this manage-
ment of authority, the
Maharashtra Water
Resources Regulatory
Authority maintained their
right to order the release of
water and the water was
released.
But out of all of that
process came this need to
understand the catchment
better and to manage it better
and that’s really what sparked
the project. In the middle of
this crisis or towards the end
of this crisis the project speci-
fication was written and
agreed and then eWater was
engaged by New South Wales
to assist with the execution of
the project.
What were the deep-de-
sired outcomes of the proj-
ect?
Mr. Daamen: The desired
outcomes were to use the
tools, the eWater Source River
Basin Modelling Tool to sup-
port decision making with
regards to the sharing of
water. We used the scientific
method to evaluate what the
options were for sharing water
between the upstream reser-
voirs and the downstream
reservoir, basically.
With any project there are
challenges that come
about, so were there any
challenges that came from
figuring this out and bring-
ing the whole project to-
gether?
Mr. Daamen: Yeah, defi-
nitely. I think it was a big
change in perspective for the
Department of Water
Resources in Maharashtra,
they hadn’t done this sort of
work before, and mostly, the
reservoirs are managed on a
reservoir-by-reservoir basis,
not at a basin scale. That was a
big challenge just to, I guess,
and one of the obvious things
that have been difficult is the
gathering of data in one cen-
tral location to build a model,
we had a lot of administrative
challenges as well because
there hadn’t been a lot of pre-
vious projects within the
Water Resources Department
May, 2018 23
 PROJECTS

Management across the state one optimum and outcome Australia, I’d like to see in
of Maharashtra. downstream stakeholders Maharashtra, a regular cycle
have another optimum out- of planning and as well as that
What role does modelling come, so the model helps the use of the model for opera-
play in the development of stakeholders talk to each tional decisions. Maharashtra
the Upper Godavari? other and also helps us come is very dominated by a single
Mr. Daamen: Modelling is up with a scientifically based season of rainfall, the Kharif
very important because one of solution that will help the leg- season, the monsoon season is
the big issues in any River islators put in a policy or a the only season when there’s
Basin Management Study is guideline that will come up any rainfall or any significant
having all of your stakeholders with a fairer way of sharing rainfall, and what happens
agree, and if they don’t agree the resource. that towards the end of that
(Left to Right) Meryl McKerrow, Partnerships Manager, eWater; VM then at least to be able to season in the middle of
Kulkarni, Member (Engineering), Maharashtra Water Resources understand why a particular Modelling is important for October they quite often make
Regulatory Authority; Amit Patjoshi, KPMG, Mumbai; RB Shukla, Deputy decision is being made. River robust decision making, decisions about how they’re
Secretary and Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Department, basin modelling is very good to what could be the long- going to share that water
Govt. of Maharashtra; Dr. Carl Daamen, Principal Hydrologist, eWater; assist with that, to a large term strategy for integrat- resource.
KP Bakshi, Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory degree, if you build your model ing modelling into decision In October, we could apply
Authority; IS Chahal, Principal Secretary (Water Resources), Water well it can be an objective support systems for Maha- the model or run the model
Resources Department; Karina Redpath, Senior Hydrologist, eWater; assessment of different man- rashtra? under a range of different con-
Avinash Surve, Executive Director, Vidarbha Irrigation Development agement options. Mr. Daamen: Well the ditions… well under a range of
Corporation, Nagpur; Prasad Narvekar, Superintending Engineer, The Maharashtra team has long-term strategy, I guess, if different water release strate-
Gosikhurd Lift Irrigation Project Division, Bhandara already come up with a set of we follow the example that’s gies should I say we could look
options for sharing water been said in Australia there at the effects of those different
with an international input to Excellence for Integrated between the upstream reser- might be a management cycle, release strategies under fol-
those projects, so the adminis- Water Resource Management voirs and the downstream so we might, in Australia quite lowing conditions of climate
trative details of how an inter- and we’re hoping we ‘ll be able reservoir, they’re quite a com- often we might have a and under different scenarios
national project would be run to support Maharashtra in the plicated set of rules that we’ve Catchment Management Plan within each part of the catch-
were also one of the challenges establishment of that center put into our river basin model. or a River Basin Management ment.
that the project was presented and potentially have the We’re now looking at those Plan that is renewed every ten So they’re the two ways;
with. opportunity to take groups of results and we’re seeing that years or so. Every ten years river basin modelling is a part
But we worked through all experts from New South in some cases it seems that you go back and you have a of a long-term planning strate-
of that, it’s taken a bit longer Wales or from Australia more perhaps they’re releasing too look, and you see the set of gy and it’s updated and
than we wanted but we’re in a broadly to share their under- much water, and in other water sharing rules…are they renewed and also using the
very good position now and standing and also share the cases, it’s looking like the rules working OK or are there con- river basin model for opera-
we’re actually hosting a group troubles they’ve had in manag- are going well. We can use the ditions under which they are tional use in the sense of test-
of Maharashtra officials. ing their water resources so model to test different options, not working or perhaps the ing different release scenarios
As we speak they are in that Maharashtra can learn to adjust the rules so that we irrigators are growing a new in reservoirs from reservoirs.
Australia and I’m going to join form those experiences and can optimise the outcomes; crop that wasn’t previously The Australian Water
them in Sydney tonight and through this center of excel- and the optimum outcome is considered in the model. Partnership (AWP) is an
we’re going to tour some of lence then there’ll be a focus not, obviously, is not some- There are always things to Australian Government develop-
Australia’s sort of Irrigation group, if you like, that will thing you can just assume any- change in a model and there ment initiative enhancing the
Management Agencies but know what the best practice is body knows because the are always improvements to sustainable management of
also go to an irrigation area for Water Resource upstream stakeholders have make. So, as we do in water across the Indo-Pacific.
and show them how it’s done
in Australia, or how we’d like
things to be done in Australia. The Background empty) and this resulted in legal action. professional capability.
eWater has been working with the Around this time, the Government of eWater is working with NSW to
What do you see for the fu- Water Resources Department of State Maharashtra, India, established a progress these outcomes. It has sup-
ture of Maharashtra and Government of Maharashtra in India to Sister State relationship through a ported the establishment of long-term
eWater? build capacity in the use of tools to Memorandum of Understanding with modelling capability in Maharashtra
Mr. Daamen: Well, we are improve water management in the the Government of New South Wales using Source (Australia’s National
very keen to maintain our rela- Upper Godavari basin. The Godavari (NSW), Australia. NSW (and Australia Hydrological Modelling Platform) as
tionship with the government river basin is the second largest in more generally) is in a unique position the river basin modelling tool. eWater
of Maharashtra, we think India and is a key area for irrigated to help Maharashtra drawing on its helped to navigate data collection,
we’ve made some good strides agriculture in Maharashtra. Recently experience of the water reform administration, and model building
forward in terms of developing in Maharashtra, the total rainfall and process. This includes helping capacity during the establishment of
some understanding and good the timing of Kharif rainfall are becom- Maharashtra: the Government of Maharashtra
personal relationships, but ing more variable and this is causing • Develop a better understanding of IWRM modelling team and were on
also a change in attitude distress in the catchment. their water resource base, hand to lead model conceptualization,
towards management in the A recent water shortage in the • Implement robust basin-scale plan- calibration and scenario studies using
basin, at basin level really. Upper Godavari basin increased pres- ning, the Source river basin model. These
We’re coming to the end of our sure on the sharing of water between • Enact governance reforms support- models are now being used to support
current project but there’s the upstream water users (with reser- ed by innovative policy and legal the development of water sharing poli-
been a lot of discussion of per- voirs nearly full) and downstream frameworks, cy for upstream and downstream
haps formation of a Center of water users (with reservoirs nearly • Strengthen institutions and build reservoirs.

24 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 COVER STORY CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW

Water must be managed efficiently since there are already many regions
where water is a scarce resource. Water experts join us to chalk out an effective
NRW (non-revenue water) reduction plan.

EXPRESS WATER May, 2018 25

 COVER STORY
Water Loss Management -
Necessityof Time
Water has become a serious economic, social and political issue with increased importance.
Every day, this new oil of future is on the headlines amongst the biggest stories of our era. We
need to think deeply about the challenges and work towards enduring solutions.
By Subhash Sethi
lated and it is projected to very
soon overtake the availability of
water. The water demand will
continue to grow and by the
year 2025, it is expected to
increase by over 20 percent,
fueled by the industrial require-
ments which are projected to
double from 23.2 trillion liters at
present to 47 trillion liters.
Domestic demand is expected
to grow by around 40 percent
from 41 to 55 trillion liters while
irrigation will require 14 per-
cent more to 592 trillion liters
up from 517 trillion liters cur-
rently. The water ministry pre-
dicts that per capita water
availability will reduce by 36
percent in 2025 and by about 60
percent in 2050 from the level
of 2001. While agriculture will
remain to be the major water
user in India, the challenges
posed by growing urbanization
on water requirement calls for a
monumental shift in response
from all stakeholders.
Non-Revenue Water
One of the major issues
affecting water utilities in India
Subhash Sethi, Chairman, SPML Infra Limited is the considerable loss of water
from the amount of water put
into the distribution system and
IN INDIA, ALMOST one-third treatment, water quality and the actual water billed to con-
of the population lives in cities public health. sumers. A phenomenon called
and this is set to grow to half of With increasing population as non-revenue water (NRW), a
the population in the decades to and rising consumption level, well-known issue that results in
come. With economic growth, India is sooner than later going large volumes of water being
the urbanization is happening to be confronted with a serious lost through leaks in the supply
rapidly and resulting in major resource challenge. The avail- system and not being invoiced
pressure on water supplies, able resource has reduced over to customers. It is a very real
wastewater collection and the years but the demand esca- challenge faced by the majority
26 May, 2018
of water utilities as a conse-
quence of increased urbaniza-
tion, higher demand, increased
prices and ageing and dilapidat-
ed distribution networks. In
India, the non-revenue water
level is quite high which results
in huge volumes of treated
water being lost during trans-
mission and distribution that
affects the financial capability
of water utilities through lost
revenues and increased opera-
tional costs. A high level of
NRW indicates that our water
utilities are poorly managed
with governance issues, lacks in
accountability and technical
and managerial skills necessary
to provide reliable service to
their citizens.
In western countries, urban-
ization took place when their
economic conditions were
improving steadily, and over a
significantly longer period. The
cities were planned with ade-
quate funds and expertise to
develop required infrastructure
to manage their water and
wastewater properly. In con-
trast, the magnitude of India’s
increasing population and lev-
els of urbanization simply over-
whelmed the financial and man-
agement capacities of the cities,
including their water supply
and wastewater management
systems. The problems have
been further aggravated
because the policymakers have
been interested in water-relat-
ed issues only when droughts
and floods occur. Once these
natural disasters were over, the
interest in water basically evap-
orated and plans made during
the challenging times put to
rest.
Water Loss Management
The water utilities in India
are struggling to provide clean
drinking water due to ever-
increasing populations, expand-
ing service areas and high level
of water loss. Reducing water
losses is critical to efficient
resource utilization, efficient
utility management, enhanced
consumer satisfaction, and
reduction in capital-intensive
capacity addition. The costs of
water service are much lower
when undertaken through
investments in reducing water
losses rather than through
investments in capital projects
to augment supply capacities.
The utility, which has initiated
and sustained water loss man-
agement programs, has signifi-
cantly gained in terms of finan-
cial returns and better con-
sumer services.
An example is Bangalore
water loss management project
Damaged Supply Line in
Bengaluru
EXPRESS WATER

Mechanical Joint in Supply
Pipeline in Bengaluru NRW Project
which was initiated by the
Bangalore Water Supply and
Sewerage Board. This JICA
funded project was awarded to
SPML Infra in consortium with
Suez. By using innovative tech-
nology of helium leak detection
to accurately identify and locate
hidden leaks in large and small
pipes, the NRW reduced signifi-
cantly from 61 percent at the
beginning of the project to 33
percent thus saving 16.5 MLD of
drinking water. In a busy city
like Bangalore, executing water
loss management project in
central part was an engineering
challenge due to very high traf-
fic volume combined with nar-
row streets of thickly populated
areas and business hubs. The
works also executed in areas
with the maximum number of
slums posing as a tough chal-
lenge to bring down the water
loss from the existing levels to
the present levels. The project
has already covered major
areas where 50-60-year-old
pipes are replaced with new
pipes, leakage has been sealed
and electronic district meters
suitable for GSM/GPRS com-
munication for measuring flow
and pressure control are
installed. The project is under
execution and we envisage that
water loss level will be further
reduced to get a standard city
level by the time project is com-
pleted. From the 16.5 million
liters of water saved by this
water loss management project,
the government of Karnataka
has implemented a scheme to
provide 10,000 liters free water
each month to every household
with the regularized connection
to the economically poor, SC
and ST families.
The need for water loss
management is so important to
the operational and financial
EXPRESS WATER
feasibility of our water utilities
but it is hard to understand why
efforts to improve the situation
have been so limited. Cities like
Singapore, Manila and Phnom
Penh have successfully imple-
mented water loss management
programs to reduce NRW to
below 20 percent levels. In India
a few successful examples of
utilities (e.g. BWSSB) and some
places where serious actions for
water loss management have at
least started. For all water utili-
ties in India, reducing NRW
should be the top priority to fol-
low when addressing the
increased demand for piped
water supply. Expanding water
networks without addressing
water losses will only lead to a
cycle of waste and inefficiency.
The high rate of NRW is also
related to poor energy efficien-
cy since water transported in
the distribution system is
loaded with energy through the
distribution and treatment
processes. Thus, energy is lost
along with the water. Therefore,
reducing NRW is important to
overall efficiency and financial
sustainability of the utilities,
since it provides additional rev-
Split Collar to Repair Barrel Crack
in Bengaluru NRW Project
enues and reduces costs.
Although it is not feasible for
water utilities to eliminate the
NRW completely, even reducing
it by half the current level of
losses in cities appears a realis-
tic target. If we can achieve this
much reduction, the utilities
can save a good amount of
money every year from both
increased revenues and
reduced costs and can service
additional population without
any new investments in produc-
tion facilities nor drawing fur-
ther on scarce water resources.
In more and more states in
India, the unthinkable is hap-
pening. Water scarcity has
become real, the long dry spell
that has sent farm production
plummeting, depleted and dried
ground wells, dams, reservoirs,
and several rivers are dying and
trickling into the sand. The
water distribution is also not
even across the country.
Gujarat and Rajasthan are
among the most water-deprived
states with respect to rainfall
and per capita water availabili-
ty. They face acute water scarci-
ty challenges as rainfall pat-
terns are impacted by climate
change. Increasing agricultural
and industrial demand is plac-
ing additional pressure on
dwindling water resources.
Over the years, the unrestricted
exploitation of groundwater
across the country has led to
aquifers no longer being able to
naturally replenish themselves.
In the absence of surface water
resources in major parts of the
country, drinking water is
drawn either from underground
sources or physically transport-
ed over long distances. For such
areas, water is not free and
maybe even more precious than
oil due to huge challenges in
getting it.
SPML Infra has contributed
immensely in developing robust
and sustainable water infra-
structure in Gujarat,
Karnataka, Rajasthan and
other states over the last three
decades which has helped in
providing clean drinking water
facilities to millions of people
across the country. The number
of projects executed by SPML
Infra has also helped the water
utilities in saving on cost in
terms of water loss manage-
ment and better supply services
and connecting new areas with
piped water supply.
Some of the key drinking
water projects executed by
SPML Infra in the country are:
• Phase 2 of Saurashtra-
Narmada Avtaran Irrigation
(SAUNI) Yojana that envis-
ages to irrigate 1.8 million
hectares of land in
Saurashtra, Kutch, and north
Gujarat; benefiting millions of
farmers and supplying
potable water to 39 million
people across 132 towns and
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
11,456 villages in Gujarat to
address the scarcity of drink-
ing water.
• SPML Infra is executing
urban water supply projects
for improvement in water dis-
tribution network in Delhi for
Mehrauli & Vasant Vihar and
adjoining areas covering
around 50,000 house service
connections, non-revenue
water management, installa-
tion of AMR & Non AMR
water meters, 24x7 consumer
care centre, metering, and
billing including operations &
maintenance for 10 years.
• SPML Infra is also executing
6 important ADB funded
24X7 urban water supply
projects in Karnataka in the
cities: Bellary, Raichur,
Haveri, Hospet, Gadag-
Betageri, and Sindhanur to
serve a combined population
of about 1.3 million. The work
involves rehabilitation and
development of water distri-
bution network; over 2500
km of water supply pipelines,
rehabilitation, and replace-
ment of 2,50,000 house serv-
ice connections with installa-
tion of advanced water
meters, non-revenue water
management, 24x7 consumer
care center, metering, billing
including operations & main-
tenance in all cities for 5
years.
• SPML Infra has earlier com-
pleted Cauvery Water Supply
Scheme for Bengaluru City
with 500 MLD modern
pumping station that has
helped the water utility to
provide drinking water facili-
ties to over two million resi-
dents of new Bengaluru
areas.
• Pokhran Water Supply
Project is executed to provide
a sustainable source of clean
drinking water to over 12 lac
populations residing in 580
villages of Jaisalmer and
Barmer districts and nearby
towns of Pokaran, Falsoond,
Balotra and Siwana and
along with bulk water
demands of industries and
defence forces.
• SPML Infra has executed the
water supply project in the
drought-prone south-east
region of Rajasthan to cater
to the complete water
requirement of Sawai
Madhopur and Karauli.
• The 108 kilometers water
pipeline linkage project in
Pali, Rajasthan has resolved
the water crisis of Pali city,
benefiting 531 villages and 10
towns having over 8 lac popu-
lations.
• Bisalpur-Jaipur water supply
project with additional 200
MLD water treatment plant
at Surajpura is constructed
to augment water supply
services to Jaipur city and
other areas to reduce the
city’s dependence on existing
groundwater sources.
• Ramganjmandi Pachpahar
water supply project is
designed to provide drinking
water facilities to 220 villages
of and 4 towns catering to
water needs of lacs of people
of the area.
• The Gagreen water supply
project is designed to provide
drinking water facilities to
more than 6 lac populations
residing in 315 villages and 36
dhanies of Jhalawar district.
• Chambal-Sawaimadhopur-
Nadauti water supply project
is being executed to provide
drinking water facilities to
926 villages and 3 towns of
Gangapur, Karauli, and
Sawaimadhopur for the bene-
fit of several lac residents of
the area.
• Integrated water supply proj-
ect for Laxmangarh-
Fatehpur & Ratangarh-
Sujangarh is designed for the
extension of existing water
infrastructure to augment
the drinking water supply to
Ratangarh-Sujangarh &
Fatehpur-Laxmangarh towns
in Churu district. This proj-
ect envisaged to provide
drinking water to 6 towns &
431 villages of Churu district
and 13 villages of Jhunjhunu
district. These districts are
well known for ground brack-
ish water which was the only
source of water for them
which has also affected the
health of a large number of
residents.
• Bharatpur water supply proj-
ect envisages to develop a
May, 2018 27
 COVER STORY
regional water supply infra-
structure for the 246 villages
(and their NRVs and dhanies
of Kaman and Pahari tehsils
and 63 villages), and other
habitant of Nadouti tehsil
(and 46 en-route villages of
Gangapur and Karouli towns)
in Rajasthan.
Water being a common
resource is not properly regu-
lated and hence subject to sev-
eral market and system fail-
ures, both from the supply and
user sides. With a target to pro-
vide access to sustainable water
supply to the people, the water
utilities can consider the follow-
ing very important aspects to
mitigate their water losses and
manage the vital resources in a
much better way.
Equitable Water Distribution
The World Bank report
found that up to 80 percent of
subsidies in the country went to
medium and large farmers
whereas the most affected by
falling water tables are the
rural poor and marginal farm-
ers who lack the means to deep-
en their wells and install more
powerful pumps. Make regula-
tion to delinking water rights
from land rights and treat
groundwater a common
resource so that the overex-
ploitation can be controlled. At
the same time, start the process
of recharging aquifers through
both natural processes and
human efforts.
Demand Management and
Tariff Reform
With ever-growing demand
and widening gap in supply can
only be controlled with an
appropriate pricing of water
backed by legislation and insti-
tutional support. The tariff
reform must be combined with
water delivery mechanism that
consistently works and elimi-
nates inefficiencies such as
transmission losses and theft of
water. For agriculture, the ideal
policy is to promote water-sav-
ing crop and adoption of new
irrigation technologies. The tar-
iff structure that truly works
for domestic, agricultural, and
industrial users needs to be
considered
28 May, 2018
Delivery Efficiency with
Technology
Water delivery mechanism
should be accurate as a fully
functional consumer metering
system can limit drinking water
wastage and enforce conserva-
tion. Bulk metering for all water
sources should go with con-
sumer metering for domestic,
industrial, and agricultural use.
In the absence of a well-planned
and rigorous framework,
despite government’s good
intentions by way of policy doc-
uments, annual plans, and
heavy central and state subsi-
dies, adoption of relevant tech-
nologies by consumers and
farmers are inadequate. The
stringent legislation can help
streamline equipment supply
by discouraging production of
inefficient conventional devices.
Groundwater Management
In many states of India, the
groundwater withdrawal has
surpassed recharge capabili-
ties. In a state like Rajasthan
with 90 percent dependence on
groundwater, the water situa-
tion will soon become dis-
tressed. In many parts of the
state physical transportation of
water is the only solution to
meet drinking water needs, an
unsustainable practice. Every
effort to help recharge under-
ground aquifers across the
country needs to be made,
including micro watershed
planning and restoration of tra-
ditional water bodies.
Water Harvesting
Rainfall during the monsoon
is very limited in several parts
of the country. Groundwater is
not an option due to depletion
or high total dissolved solids
(TDS). With surface water also
not available, rainwater har-
vesting is the most viable solu-
tion to meet drinking water
needs. Rainwater harvesting
must be a part of the micro-
watershed planning and under-
taken in all rural and urban set-
tings to meet the demand for
drinking, domestic, agriculture,
and industrial water.
Improving Affordability
Improving affordability of
service would require cost opti-
mization together with cost
recovery strategies. This can be
done through transparent, well-
targeted subsidies for the poor,
both to help obtain proper con-
nections to service and to
encourage the consumption of a
minimum quantity of water.
Capacity Building
Capacity building in urban
water supply and sanitation
sector is an important step. A
professional association of serv-
ice providers could play a key
role in disseminating best prac-
tices, implementing full scale
benchmarking, and providing
training and certification for
sector professionals. Training
institutions would need to
adapt their programs, currently
focused mainly on technical
design issues, to the new needs
of the urban sector. Special
information programs would
need to be developed for key
stakeholders including local
politicians, consumers, decision
makers, engineers and the non-
government organizations with
a special interest in water sup-
ply and sanitation. In the rural
sector, special training pro-
grams would also need to be
developed to build the capacity The water utilities in India are
of local municipalities and pan-
chayats. struggling to provide us clean
Way Forward
drinking water due to ever-
Water is paramount to a increasing populations, tha
city’s sustainability, but too
often it is being wasted, pollut-
expanding service areas and high
ed and taken for granted. levels of water loss.
Utilities which carefully and
creatively use their water
assets for strategic urban competitive over the coming three decades, he worked relent-
advantage will ultimately be decades. lessly with his mission to create
more sustainable and competi- sThe good news is there are enduring value and wealth for the
tive. To succeed in an increas- inspirational efforts currently country and the organization.
ingly complex water situation, in place in many of our cities to Under his leadership, SPML Infra
the utilities need to focus on an improve the provision of water. went on to establish itself as a
alternative way for a more effi- We need to prioritize greater leading Engineering and
cient water management and investment and move faster Infrastructure Development
the opportunities new technolo- from the strategizing and goal organization in India with over
gy is offering in maintaining setting into actions that 600 completed projects in the
municipal water systems. improve the availability of domains of Water, Power,
A strategic and pragmatic water with quality. Sanitation, Environment, and
approach, based on real-time Civil Infrastructure. The sustain-
data and business processes About the Author able infrastructure created by
analysis has to be implemented Subhash Sethi is Chairman SPML Infra helps water utilities
in order to address properly of SPML Infra Limited, a listed to deliver safe and clean drinking
some of the key challenges if infrastructure development com- water to about 40 million people
they are to thrive and remain pany in India. In the past over of India.
EXPRESS WATER

Water Loss: Tuning in on a Vital Resource
Problem
By AVK Holding A/S
ONLY ONE PERCENT of the world’s
freshwater is readily accessible for our
use. A scarcity in itself, but by adding
inadequate water distribution, we are
faced with a more invisible, yet critical
matter: water loss. An issue only con-
tributing to the situation of one-third
of the world’s population living in so-
called “water-stressed” countries,
where the water consumption ratio
surpasses the actual supply. But what
is actually meant by water loss, and
why does it occur?
Lost Somewhere in the System
Water loss, often referred to as
NRW (Non-Revenue Water), is water
that is lost somewhere in the distribu-
tion system, before it reaches its final
customer. This means clean water that
is produced but never finally used or
paid for, affecting both local economies
and the resources available.
This is a universal problem, ranging
from an NRW level of 5% to as much as
80% in specific areas. The reasons to
water losses are many, but can, in gen-
eral, be summed up in two main cate-
gories; apparent losses, caused by
metering inaccuracies or illegal con-
nections (theft), or by physical losses,
such as outflows through leaking
valves or cracks in pipes.
Physical losses are primarily
caused by bad quality equipment, poor
workmanship, system deterioration or
corrosion of materials, or from poor
water pressure management.
A World Bank study puts the global
estimate of physical water losses at 32
billion cubic meters each year, half of
EXPRESS WATER
which occurs in developing countries.
Could these water losses be halved, it
would be enough to supply around 90
million people.
The aspiration should be to reduce
NRW to the economic level of leakage,
an ideal level defined by the
International Water Association
(IWA), with a view to maximizing ben-
efits. Not only is it good for the envi-
ronment, it is a simply good business.
In the long run, a sustainable approach
to clean water distribution does not
cost money - it saves money, for utili-
ties as well as for consumers.
Strategic Planning and Advanced
Technology Saves Time, Money -
and Water
Handling NRW in an open system
would be working in a reactive, passive
manner, where activities are initiated
only when the loss becomes visible or
is reported. Therefore, dividing the
distribution network into smaller sec-
tions called district metering areas
(DMA) is a more efficient technique, as
it is possible to calculate the losses
individually. It can be precisely deter-
mined how much water goes into the
DMA (using a water meter), and too
measured how much is sold. As these
are small manageable areas, the rea-
sons for the loss can easily be traced
and resolved, enabling network opera-
tors to manage the total system more
effectively and to better prioritize
their efforts.
By using DMAs, it is also possible to
manage zone pressure. Here, the aim
should be to reduce pressure to a min-
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
imum without affecting the consumers
and then to keep this pressure as sta-
ble as possible. Also, there is simply no
point in keeping the same high water
pressure in the network during night-
time as has been defined for daytime,
so this is an intelligent way of cutting
off unnecessary efforts.
Why Aim for a Low, Stable Pres-
sure?
Pressure management is consid-
ered the single most beneficial, impor-
tant and cost-effective leakage man-
agement activity. Most pipe bursts
occur not only because of high pres-
sure but rather due to ongoing pres-
sure fluctuations that force the pipe to
continually expand and contract,
resulting in stress fractures. There is a
physical relationship between leakage
flow rate and pressure, and the fre-
quency of new bursts is also a result of
pressure: the higher or lower the pres-
sure, the higher or lower the leakage.
The relationship is complex, but
utility managers should initially
assume a linear relationship;
• 10 % less pressure = 10 % less leak-
age.
Additionally, stable pressure
increases the lifetime of the entire
pipeline system.
There are various methods of
reducing and managing pressure, but
the most common and cost-effective is
by the use of pressure reducing valves.
A pressure reducing valve reduces a
higher inlet pressure to a lower outlet
pressure regardless of changes in flow
rate or inlet pressure, and should then
be installed at strategic points in the
network. By adding intelligence to
valve, the pressure in the zone can be
adjusted according to real-time data
collected at the critical points, thus
adjusting to the demand from the con-
sumers. In this way the pipe network is
protected from pressure fluctuation,
overload, and stress, resulting in less
pipe burst.
By using noise loggers, integrated
into ground-level surface boxes, it is
possible to detect leaks more efficient-
ly. The loggers pick up on noise creat-
ed from leaks, enabling operators to
set in exactly when and where needed.
This, together with speedy repair, can
limit the total volume of water loss to a
minimum. For pipe bursts, repair
clamps can be installed outside the
broken pipe, securing quick repair and
a minimum disturbance of the network
customers. By investing in a targeted
leak detection program, it is in most
places possible to reduce the overall
leakage in the distribution system by
at least 40-50%.
Additional Benefits
Reduced stress on the area’s water
resources will allow more people to be
served by the same water source, and
the more stable supply will secure con-
tinuity of distribution - 24 hours a day,
7 days a week. Additionally, the quality
of the water will be improved, as chlo-
rine content can be better controlled,
and risks of pollution due to bursts will
be reduced.
The AVK Group is a privately owned
industrial group that comprises 90+ com-
panies. Its core business is the production
of valves, hydrants, and accessories for
the water & gas distribution networks,
sewage treatment, and fire protection.
May, 2018 29
 COVER STORY

Fixing Leaks and Preventing Systemic Water

Loss Should Be ACompulsoryActivity!
Uri Gutermann is CFO and Head of Business Development at Gutermann AG, a leading
manufacturer of acoustic leak detection technology and intelligent water loss solutions,
based in Switzerland. Uri holds a Masters degree in international business from the
University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
Established in 1948, GUTERMANN is a recognized global technology leader and innovator in
intelligent water loss management technologies. He talks to Mayur Sharma about the water
loss scenario, network asset management, new projects of leak detection, and viability of
smart cities.

Water Loss/NRW is an im-
portant issue throughout
the global water sector.
What are your views on it?
Give us some facts and fig-
ures to support it.
Mr. Gutermann: We see the
water loss and NRW gaining
importance for sure.
Unfortunately, we can’t put this
in facts and figures. In fact,
existing market studies trying
to assess the size and the
growth rate of our small sector
are usually not well researched
and only based on information
found in the public domain.
From Gutermann’s perspective
though we get clear signals
from the marketplace that utili-
ties are more and more aware
of the issue and also willing to
put some serious money behind
solving their problems with
ageing infrastructure and insuf-
ficient water efficiency. In some
countries, this development will
be driven by the regulator (eg.
France, UK, USA) and in other
countries simply out of necessi-
ty or pressure by the con-
sumers. In California and
Spain, there is increasing water
scarcity, Cape Town is sched-
uled to run out of water in the
coming weeks. In the UK, water
leakage is the number one issue
for consumers.
Please shed some light on
the product and services
portfolio of your company
which helps fixing the water
losses.
Mr. Gutermann:
Gutermann is one of the only
companies worldwide left that
is entirely focussed on water
leak detection. Everything we
do is with a view to help utili-
ties, contractors, and even
plumbers identify and pinpoint
leaks in pressurized water
pipes and we do so in all parts of
the world. Traditionally, we
started with measuring instru-
ments that will help a utility
worker find a suspected leak
using acoustic microphones
and sensors. In the early 2000s,
the company started focusing
on developing technologies for
the permanent monitoring of
water pipes and networks. The
idea behind that was to enable
utilities to get ahead of their
leakage problems and alert
them of new leaks as soon as
they emerge. Unidentified leaks
and long leak run rates of
known and unknown leaks are
the largest part of a network’s
non-revenue water percentage.
Automatic leak identification
and localization also reduces
human intervention and there-
fore costs and room for inter-
pretation or human error. Our
fixed network system ZONES-
CAN ALPHA has probably
established itself as the leading
product in this segment.
More recently, we have
launched products in the areas
of a) permanent trunk main
leak detection and pinpointing
with hydrophones, b) all-in-one
leak locator with correlation
and listening functions run with
an Android app, and c) the joint
cloud platform for various
stand-alone and permanently
installed leak detection prod-
ucts.
What were the achieve-
ments of Gutermann in
2017-18? How has the com-
pany grown?
Mr. Gutermann: We have
won a few more awards in the
past 18 months, amongst them a
commendation as “Smart
Water Company of the Year”
and - of particular interest for
you, maybe - Water Digest
India’s award as “Best
Innovative Solution Provider in
Leak Detection & to Reduce
Water Loss”. Since the start of
2017, we have grown in double-
digit percentage points both in
staff numbers and in sales
turnover.
What are some of Guter-
mann’s major orders won in
last two years?
Mr. Gutermann: We usually
don’t talk too openly about spe-
cific customers. Several areas
are probably noteworthy: our
UK team has won several larger
orders for correlators and cor-
relating loggers. We have won
several very nice permanent
leak monitoring system proj-
ects, many of them in France,
UK, Switzerland, and Germany.
Thanks to a close relationship
with Veolia in France we contin-
ue to equip sizeable towns with
permanent leak detection sys-
tems. Also, North America is
developing nicely. We recently
won ZONESCAN ALPHA proj-
ects both in Canada (Toronto)
and in the USA.
What other innovations
have you introduced to im-
prove network asset man-
agement?
Mr. Gutermann: We have a
team of dedicated software
engineers in Stuttgart working
full-time on the improvement
and further development of our
cloud platform GUTERMANN
CLOUD where several of our
products upload measurement
data to. Customers are able to
display and store their leakage
data and view it on a Google
Maps (and Street View) inter-
face, giving them a neat tool to
manage their assets and take
informed leakage intervention
and asset replacement deci-
sions. Our cloud solution now
offers a simple event manage-
ment tool, allowing users to iso-
late different types of events
(correlations or noisy pipe sec-
tions) and follow their own
workflow steps until the events
can be classified as resolved or
fixed.
We have also recently

30 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER


entered an agreement with
TaKaDu, an Event
Management Cloud provider
for water utilities. For joint cus-
tomers, our leakage events can
be fed into TaKaDu’s cloud plat-
form and displayed on their
event management dashboard
along with other events from
third-party sensors and SCADA
systems.
Any suggestions to help wa-
ter utilities and municipal
agencies address non-rev-
enue-water effectively and
at relatively low cost?
Mr. Gutermann: “Low cost”
is relative. The cheapest is
always to do nothing. But the
real value of water which is lost
through leaky pipes is not
determined properly in our
view. Fixing leaks and prevent-
ing systemic water loss to us
should be a compulsory activity
for any water company. Fresh,
potable water is a limited good
which people should have the
right to have access to as much
as they need. So, the significant
physical water loss in the distri-
bution network should not be
tolerated as a matter of princi-
ple. It’s clear though that
municipalities and utilities want
to see a return on their invest-
ments in leakage reduction ini-
tiatives and equipment.
The answer to your very
valid question depends on so
many factors though. The one
thing I would say is that I
wouldn’t go for half-baked solu-
tions. Any approach to NRW
has to take a long-term view
and be sustainable. The key, in
the context, is that a municipal-
ity or utility build up in-house
capabilities and create special-
ists for the subject in order to
choose and implement the right
strategy that works best for any
given water distribution net-
work. Technology can assist in
the process, but methodology
and skill are still the foundation
of a successful non-revenue
water strategy.
Having said this, GUTER-
MANN has developed and is
marketing a product that would
actually suit the more cost-
aware countries and municipal-
ities quite well, the
EXPRESS WATER
EASYSCAN. It’s a compact
device that consists of two
acoustic sensors that can be
used for correlation and there-
fore pinpointing leaks on specif-
ic pipe segments. Any of those
two sensors can then be also
used as an electronic listening
stick or small ground micro-
phone to validate the exact
position of that leak using
acoustic amplification. The
device is controlled using an
Android phone or tablet and a
very easy-to-use app which
guides the user through the
process. Free offline mapping
material assists the operator in
the correlation process and the
visual representation of the
results. Those results can then
also be uploaded to a personal-
ized cloud account so that the
operators or their managers
can later review the measure-
ments or print off reports. The
device is priced at a very low
price level and it appeals to
individuals or teams who need
one device for most of the leak
detection activities.
Could you tell us about
some of the most interest-
ing water loss related proj-
ects that you participated
in? What conditions and
challenges did you en-
counter?
Mr. Gutermann: There are
plenty of interesting cases, but I
wouldn’t want to name singular
customers or cities. Generally,
our monitoring technology
excels in the most difficult envi-
ronments which can be any
combination of the following:
24/7 traffic noise, deep valve
chambers, intermittent supply,
low water pressure, significant
electric interference and noise
(such as from air conditioners)
on the pipe network etc. What
we have been preaching for
many years already is that any
permanently installed system
of sensors can only overcome
those issues if the collected data
can be correlated automatically.
Noise loggers which can either
not correlate at all or which can
only correlate when manually
triggered will not be able to iso-
late the leak noise within the
“sea of noises” in a city environ-
ment. The result is plenty of
false positives (i.e. the noise log-
gers generate an alarm even
though there is no leak any-
where near) and even more
false negatives (i.e. leaks that
won’t be identified by the log-
gers due to ambient noise
around the logger). The auto-
matic correlation function
allows a central processing unit
(such as our cloud servers) to
compare time-synchronized
sound recordings, thereby fil-
tering out any noise that does
not make it to both loggers on
either side. The longer you can
correlate and the more data you
have, the better the correlation
result. This is why in our cloud
solution an operator can accu-
mulate measurements from
many consecutive nights in
order to increase the ability of
the system to detect even the
quietest leaks in the network.
The other benefit of correlation,
of course, is the accurate pin-
pointing of the noise source.
In the past, leakages were
discovered by direct listen-
ing to the pipes, and now
there are technologies that
can “discover” these leak-
ages using the drones and
the satellites. What do you
think is the direction for the
future? Will we be able to
accurately locate leakages
solely using computer soft-
ware?
Mr. Gutermann: I think
those upcoming big-data-only
and leak-detection-from-space
start-ups and technologies have
their merits, absolutely. We
closely follow their progress
and think about how we can
work together (as exemplified
by our collaboration with
TaKaDu). Having said this, we
are believers that you can never
quite beat the quality of data
gathered directly at the source,
i.e., in close intervals directly on
the pipe. We have looked at
drone technologies and we
think that their application for
our purposes (eg. collecting
sensor data) is complicated and
will probably be obsolete when
data transmission technologies
are advanced enough. The issue
with satellite imaging is that the
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
resolution of these images is too
small (50m per pixel) and there-
fore not accurate enough. Also,
the failure rate (false positives
and negatives) is too high and
the used satellite images often a
few months old. Having said
this, the right approach to
urban leak detection could well
be a combination of different
methods and technologies,
depending on specific situations
and needs. This can include
satellite images and drones, as
well as acoustic leak detection
methods and sensors. And it
can also include combining
acoustic data with non-acoustic
data, such as pressure and flow
data if it is available in a dense
enough granularity.
Many countries (including
India) are spending a lot on
‘Smart Cities’ projects.
What would you like the
Heads and CEOs of these
smart cities projects to
know about you?
Mr. Gutermann: The
“Smart Cities” concept is a
much talked about but little-
implemented concept of the
past years. What makes a city
smart? I believe that the funda-
mental idea of a smart city is to
collect as much relevant data
from a variety of public depart-
ments as possible, combine it
with data from other sources
(eg. weather forecasts, traffic
information, etc.) and create a
platform on which special algo-
rithms create new information
for city managers that will
increase the efficiency of public
services and the public infra-
structure, and improve the
quality of life and the security
for the population.
In the context of smart
water management and partic-
ularly smart water loss man-
agement Achim Hugger, our
CTO, has recently published a
white paper on where we see
the technology going so that we
meet the criteria of Smart City.
GUTERMANN has long been a
pioneer in developing technolo-
gy that is future oriented. For
us, leak detection technology
has to be as automatic and real-
time as possible and remove
human error and ambiguity in
judging the results as much as
possible. Our ZONESCAN
ALPHA permanent leak moni-
toring system has been the first
fully automatic and fully corre-
lating leak monitoring system
and today there are over 200
installations all over the world.
HISCAN now emulates the
same benefits for trunk main
systems and transportation
pipelines. We are believers of
converging the data on the
same cloud platform and have
implemented this now for sev-
eral of our fixed and mobile
products. This facilitates cen-
tral management of the data
and of the assets and thus
allows taking better decisions
about infrastructure mainte-
nance and investments.
Finally, what are your
growth and expansion plans
for the next 5 years?
Mr. Gutermann: We are a
third-generation family busi-
ness. We want to continue
growing, but not at all costs. We
aspire to remain technological
leaders and pioneers and we
value our long-term staff mem-
bers, some of whom have been
with us for more than 20 years.
We will continue to improve our
fixed network monitoring offer-
ing, both for the distribution
and the trunk main networks,
with a focus on increasing the
functionality of the cloud soft-
ware and the value to the cus-
tomers. We also plan to over-
haul our range of correlators to
increase the functionality and
make them fit into our strategy
of “convergence”, ie., connectiv-
ity and big data. Another big
step will be the onset of
“Internet of Things” platforms
that will be suitable for the data
acquired underground to be
directly sent to cloud process-
ing facilities. We are working on
a next-generation correlating
noise sensor that will be more
easily and universally deploy-
able, collect more data and be
much cheaper to source than
today’s generation. The result
will be that a broad roll-out of
the technology will appeal to a
much wider group of utilities,
both in terms of size and in
terms of geographic location.
May, 2018 31
 COVER STORY

Successful Water Loss Projects Using

Hydraulic Modeling Technology
Even though there are many benefits to reducing Non-Revenue Water (NRW), water loss
reduction is not a simple task.
By Bentley Systems

model was used to prepare Despite two inflows with high

pipe quantities and cost esti-
mates for tender. Pre-con-
struction, scenario modeling
helped to optimize the pipe
diameters and associated
costs. Post-construction,
model calibration helped to
monitor pressure and flow in
the field. Water hammer was
also analyzed.
pressure, network piping
couldn’t deliver enough water
or pressure to meet customer
demands. Maynilad needed to
identify leaks and head losses
throughout the piping net-
work. Various approaches to
identify them had failed, so
they needed to take a fresh
approach.

Project: Remote Leak De- Solution

Network Analysis of DMAs
EVEN THOUGH THERE are
many benefits to reducing
non-revenue water (NRW),
water loss reduction is not a
simple task.
This article reviews how
projects have successfully
used a calibrated hydraulic
model in various ways, includ-
ing active leakage identifica-
tion, pressure management,
and district metered areas
(DMAs) management.
Project: Establishment of
District Metered Area to
Improve Water Supply Sys-
tem
The 50-year-old Dhaka
Water Supply and Sewerage
Authority (DWASA) serves a
population of 12.5 million and
manages 3,000 kilometers of
network services in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. The region’s 80
percent dependency on
groundwater has been deplet-
ing the water table by 2 to 3
meters per year. The objective
of this USD 212 million project
was to reduce NRW by estab-
lishing hydraulic models with
DMAs to better monitor con-
ditions.
Solution
DWASA used Bentley’s
WaterGEMS to model the
water distribution system,
resulting in the construction
of an optimized pipe network
based on three future supply
scenarios: surface water only,
groundwater only, and con-
junctive use of two sources.
The two-source option would
reduce operating costs while
maintaining water pressure
and reducing water loss to
less than 15 percent.
tection through Hy- Maynilad deployed
draulic Modeling WaterGEMS to build a
Maynilad, the Philippines’ hydraulic model of the area
water service company for and calibrate it according to
western Manila, needed to the existing condition of the
improve service levels in a dis- network.
trict metered area of The model showed man-
Tinajeros in Malabon City. agement where leaks would
This area, which had long most likely be located
been tagged as a problem throughout the piping net-
Outcome area, serves 2,183 water serv- work, saving the maintenance
Installation of a bulk meter ice connections to primarily and repair team a great deal
and pressure gauge has residential customers. of time and effort – and
enabled DWASA to remotely
monitor pressure and flow
within the DMAs. Field data is
now transferred via SCADA
and GIS, both of which are
integrated with WaterGEMS
to identify water loss. With a
goal of reducing dependency
on groundwater by 70 percent
and NRW by 20 percent, the
DMA implementation contin-
ues to reduce overall opera-
tional costs. Leakages and
fraudulent connections are
quickly identified and
resolved.
Software
Direct import of the GIS
database saved time in the
creation of the digitized water
network. The WaterGEMS The Cause of the Leak

32 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER


The WaterGEMS Model is Shown from Within ArcGIS
enabling them to focus on
repairs that will significantly
improve customer service lev-
els.
Outcome
Using WaterGEMS, the
calibration and simulation of
the water model to identify
hotspots or probable leak
locations, took just three days
- and when staff investigated,
they found that the entire 6
linear meter area of the 200-
millimeter pipe was busted
longitudinally, causing the
huge pressure drop. Once
repaired, pressures signifi-
cantly improved, eliminating
need for an immediate, costly
and time-consuming total
pipe replacement. The leak
repair cost just USD 1,160,
mitigated the costly alterna-
tives.
This success resulted in
new best practice: using a cal-
ibrated hydraulic model to
find hard-to-detect leaks in
areas with very deep
pipelines.
Software
The Darwin Calibrator
capability of WaterGEMS
played a key role in identifying
potential locations of leakages
in the water model. This made
leak detection easier and
enabled staff to prioritize
locations for further, on-site
investigation.
Project: Non-Revenue Wa-
ter Reduction Project for
Colombo Municipal Area
In this USD 400 million
project for the National Water
Supply and Drainage Board
(NWSDB) in Colombo, Sri
Lanka, Ceywater Consultants
EXPRESS WATER
teamed with Nihon Suido
Consultants Co. and NJS
Consultants Co. to introduce
DMA sectorization into the
existing water distribution
network. The project team
modeled and analyzed net-
work hydraulics, and identi-
fied opportunities to reduce
NRW to 18 percent from the
prevailing rate of 40 to 50 per-
cent.
Solution
Ceywater’s team used
WaterGEMS in conjunction
with the NWSDB’s GIS to
model the existing network,
identify optimal zones for the
DMAs, and pinpoint suitable
locations for new valves. GIS
integration with WaterGEMS
eliminated the need to feed
data into the network models.
It also allowed hydraulic mod-
eling specialists and GIS pro-
fessionals to work on models
simultaneously, saving consid-
erable time and reduced pos-
sible errors.
Outcome
Demand allocation among
the DMAs was based on pre-
vailing water consumption
rates. Low-pressure zones
prone to water intrusion were
recommended for pipe
replacement or rehabilitation.
The reduction of NRW will
eventually improve the
NWSDB’s revenue, reduce the
waste of potable water, and
conserve Sri Lanka’s valued
water resources. The savings
realized as a result of this
project will enable the
NWSDB to address the
demand for water among pop-
ulations that have not been
served previously.
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
Billed water exported
Billed authorized Billed metered consumption Revenue
consumption water
Authorized Billed unmetered consumption
consumption
Unbilled metered consumption
Unbilled authorized
consumption Unbilled
System unmetered consumption
input
volume Unauthorized consumption
Apparent losses Non-revenue
Customer meter inaccuracies water
Leakage on transmission and
Water distribution mains
losses
Leakage and overflows at
storage tanks
Real losses
Leakage on service
connections up to point of
customer meter
Source: International Water Association (IWA) “Best Practice” Standard Water Balance
Software to WaterGEMS and similarly Bentley Systems is a soft-
The interoperability capa- from ArcGIS to WaterGEMS. ware development company
bilities of WaterGEMS The integration of that supports the professional
enabled the integration of the WaterGEMS and GIS also needs of those responsible for
hydraulic model with an enabled the use of existing creating and managing the
ArcGIS database. satellite images and other GIS world’s infrastructure, includ-
This seamless information data for modeling purposes, ing roadways, bridges, airports,
mobility and interoperability by minimizing the need for the skyscrapers, industrial and
allowed modelers to extract costly and time-consuming power plants as well as utility
data from AutoCAD drawings manual site surveys. networks.
Reducing Real Water Losses Rejuvenating Aging Infrastructure
One-off investments in fixing leaks and Bentley’s water applications address
replacing meters are not enough; being reac- many elements of a proactive water loss plan
tive (when a leak is reported) is much less and help you accomplish the following:
efficient than being proactive - such as con- • Develop a District Metered Area (DMA)
tinuously identifying hidden leaks, optimiz- strategy
ing repair functions, and upgrading distribu- • Locate any type of water loss (leaks, water
tion infrastructure before its useful life ends theft, etc.), save water, and increase rev-
- where all the components of a water loss enues
program are coordinated to reduce overall • Design surge protection devices and
losses. reduce pipe breakages caused by high-
Once utilities have conducted a water pressure transients
audit by applying the IWA Best Practice • Reduce and stabilize pressures to
Water Balance Accounting System, they can decrease leakage volume
start planning for the best ways to reduce • Evaluate the consequence of failure across
real losses (or water leakage) to an accept- your entire system
able level called the “unavoidable annual real • Select the pipe break response that will
loss”. ensure minimal impact on your system
Engineers can improve customer service, • Identify areas to be shut down to repair
reduce non-revenue water, and generate a leaks, areas that will be affected if leaks
comprehensive and proactive plan to manage are not repaired, and areas that will be
water leakage strategically. offline during repairs
Bentley’s water applications can be • Plan capital investment strategically
applied to the IWA Best Practices, which • Make long-term plans for repair, renewal,
combine four strategies to address the prob- and rehabilitation
lem and challnges of water leakage: Active • Report on leaks for an area or the entire
Leakage Control, Pressure Management, network
Speed and Quality of Repairs, and • Manage assets using historical data for
Infrastructure Management. water leakage
May, 2018 33
 COVER STORY
Leakage Detection Under Intermittent
Water Supply Conditions
There are many difficulties when conducting active leakage control in areas of intermittent
supply and many parameters that ought to be considered prior to starting any leakage
activities.
By Stuart Hamilton
Intermittent Water Supply
Intermittent Water Supply
is a piped water supply serv-
ice delivering water to users
for less than 24 hours in one
day, and is used when the
available supply or the
hydraulic capacities of the
water supply system are not
sufficient to keep the system
pressurized, Intermittent
drinking water supply is com-
mon in low and middle-
income countries throughout
the world and can cause water
quality to degrade within the
distribution system making it
non-potable for human con-
sumption without causing
some illnesses.
There are many difficulties
when conducting active leak-
age control in areas of inter-
mittent supply and many
parameters that ought to be
considered prior to starting
any leakage activities. To illus-
trate this set out below are
some simple case studies
highlighting issues that could
be experienced and should be
34 May, 2018
considered when dealing with
leakage under IWS.
Case Study - I
An area in this city was on
intermittent supply and there
was a plan to move the area to
24x7 supply and to conduct
leakage detection. The area
was supplied with water for 4
hrs per day every 3 days. The
consumers used roof tanks to
store water, as is the case in
most intermittent supply situ-
ations. Since the supply was
erratic the consumers had no
control valves in their roof
tanks in order to ensure that
they had their water tanks full
and had a visual indication of
that by observing that the roof
tank was overflowing.
As part of transitioning to
24x7, it was decided that as a
first step it would be appropri-
ate to install ball valves in all
customer roof tanks in order
to control overflows and
wastage. A team of plumbers
was sent into the area to
install ball valves and taps to
the roof tanks. The process of
ball valve installation was in
full swing, however, by the end
of the day the street was lit-
tered with taps and ball valves
as the customers had
removed them. The customer
protested that for many years
they were accustomed to the
tanks overflowing and that
was a sound indication and
they knew that the tanks were
full ensuring that they had
water. To install ball valves,
the customers felt that they
wouldn’t have the usual visual
indication that their tanks
were full and this made them
nervous, disgruntled and
wanted to go back to the old
ways. After this leakage
detection was postponed until
a consumer awareness and
educational campaign pro-
gram was introduced showing
the benefits of controlling
water losses and the type of
control devices used to do this
as well as the benefits of tran-
sitioning from IWS to 24x7
supply and the project contin-
ued some months later allow-
ing a leakage detection to take
place. It is strongly recom-
mended that communication
with consumers is of the
utmost importance and must
take place early on in the proj-
ect informing the consumers
of the changes that will take
place in the water supply
regime and the benefits that
these changes will bring.
Case Study - II
This case study had a very
similar water supply situation
as in Case Study - I but in this
instance, a different approach
was adopted for moving for-
ward with an Active Leakage
Control (ALC) program.
Instead of installing ball
valves to customer roof tanks
it was decided to manage the
situation in a much different
way and to temporarily isolate
the supply to customers in
order to deal with leakage in
the mains and service connec-
tions. To do this all customer
service connections were
located and turned off on a
day that the consumers were
not to be supplied with water.
The mains distribution sys-
tem was pressurized allowing
mains side leakage activities
to take place and to locate
Leak on a Service Connection Identified Through a Visual Inspection of
the System
leaks adopting a traditional
approach for repair by the
maintenance crews. The steps
followed are set out below and
should be adopted when work-
ing in a system that was on
IWS and moved to 24x7:
Conduct walk route of
mains to look for any obvious
leaks from fittings, connec-
tions or leaks that are now
showing on the surface,
Conduct an acoustic sur-
vey preferably with an elec-
tronic listening device but can
be completed with a tradition-
al listening stick and record
areas of interest for follow up.
Conduct a correlation sur-
vey to check areas of interest
and to narrow down to small-
er areas to use the listening
device to pinpoint the position
of leaks. If a correlator is not
available then the surface
above the pipe should be lis-
tened on every 1 meter listen-
ing for the sound that would
be transferred to the surface
from the leak.
Case Study - III
In this case study, the city
was located in an extremely
hot geographical area and
water was scarce with inter-
mittent regime being the nor-
mal supply situation. The
EXPRESS WATER

mains and service connec-
tions were in relatively good
condition and customer serv-
ice connection to each proper-
ty was fitted with a working
isolating valve.
Despite the network being
in a good condition conduct-
ing an acoustic leakage survey
was deemed to be impossible
under the intermittent supply
regime so the alternative of
gas injection was used into the
dry (empty) water mains. The
process was such that all
property connections were
turned off and areas of the
system under test were
enclosed to control the area of
the network worked in. Gas
with a very low level of
Hydrogen (welding gas could
be used) was injected along
with air from a compressor
and the process to find leaks
using this method was con-
ducted. The methodology
used as follows:
• The area to check for leaks
was isolated to a length of
pipe that could be managed.
• The service connections
were isolated.
• The gas was injected into
the main via an existing
connection such as a fire
hydrant or through a serv-
ice connection.
• A fitting at the end of the
pipe was opened and a ‘gas
sniffer’ device was held over
the opened fitting to regis-
ter gas presence.
• The fitting was closed when
gas presence was registered
by the “gas sniffer” device
indicating that the main
was full of gas.
• The ‘sniffer’ was placed on
the ground every 1-meter
EXPRESS WATER
maximum apart and wait
for 10 seconds.
• If gas was present an alarm
was activated and the only
way it made its way to the
surface was via a hole or
crack of some sort in the
water main.
• Gas will permeate through
all materials including con-
crete.
• Gas is expensive so it needs
to be controlled entering
the pipe and only uses the
smallest amount necessary.
• Gas can be injected into a
wet main and use the water
as the carrier of the gas to
the leak or if in a dry main
then a compressor can be
used to mix the gas with air
- using gas alone would take
large quantities.
• There is no restriction on
the size of the pipe or mate-
rial when using gas.
• The process was successful
in finding several leaks how-
ever it was not suggested
that this would find every
leak. This is a successful
method of finding leaks in a
dry system.
Case Study - IV
The city was supplied by a
very low-pressure system, less
than 5m pressure, and it was
practically impossible to
locate leaks with acoustic
methods. What was tried with
success in these areas was to
locate areas of leakage using a
step test locating the street
that had the problem and then
isolate the street from the sys-
tem. With the use of a tanker
lorry pump water into the
street via a fire hydrant to
pressurize the street to enable
Walking the Planned Walk Route
the leak to be located via
acoustic methods. This was an
extreme and difficult exercise
but did allow the leak to be
located with success. In areas
of the system that has not
been moved to 24x7, this
approach can be used if there
is not sufficient water for
ALC. The main priority is to
control the area, bring it down
to a street level if possible, and
not to try to use this approach
in an open system.
Case Study - V
The pressure in this city
was low and the system was
relatively old with very few
house connections visible. It
was decided that a visual leak-
age survey should be conduct-
ed in the first instance. The
visual survey was conducted
during the time that the net-
work was supplied with water
and relatively pressurized.
This simple method identified
numerous leaks from mains
and service connections as
well as leakage from open pipe
ends. On average it was calcu-
lated that a leak was located
at every 100m of main pipes.
It is highly recommended that
this procedure, visual survey
of the network, is adopted in
most cases as a first step
before climbing the ladder of
leakage identification and
location prior to the introduc-
tion of any technology.
This procedure is simple,
inexpensive and can be con-
ducted with limited training
and will identify many leaks.
The process of work is:
• Identify area that has water
and is pressurized
• Identify a map and plan a
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
walk-route
• Walk the main checking for
any visual leaks
• Check all household con-
nections checking for leaks
up to the meter of boundary
• Check the household for
any internal leaks present
• Record all findings on a
sheet and present for repair
or to be dealt with using the
company procedure
Conclusion
It should be understood
that when conducting leakage
activities in intermittent sup-
plies using acoustic methods
it is imperative that the sys-
tem must have some pressure
and the higher the better. For
mains that are shallow, a
lower pressure of 5 meters
will be sufficient to show
water on the surface in many
instances but on mains that
are deep and are buried at
least 1 meter deep then a pres-
sure of at leaks 10 meters is
desirable. This pressure will
let the energy from the leak
point along the pipeline trans-
mit to the receiving acoustic
equipment. All property serv-
ice connections must be
turned off or stop drawing
water into the property other-
wise it would interfere with
the acoustic process indica-
tion showing that each prop-
erty has a potential leak on it
and would have to be investi-
gated hence causing ‘Active
Leakage Control’ to be a long
and non-productive process.
The water supply has to be in
the system long enough to fill
all customers tanks and each
tank has to be controlled via a
ball valve or other mechanism
so that when full there is no
flow through the customer
service connection.
The method of gas injec-
tion is an alternative to the
acoustic methods but it is
more costly, requires a signifi-
cant amount of gas to cover a
system, is not readily available
and requires experienced
operators. Usually, this serv-
ice is provided by specialized
contractors who have the
appropriate equipment, tech-
nology, and know-how.
The alternative of visual
leakage activity requires no
experience and no technology
and is probably always the
first approach to be adopted
and should only be carried out
when the water is turned on
as described in Case Study - V
above.
About the Author
Stuart Hamilton has over
35 years of experience in water
loss control and water manage-
ment. Stuart is the Managing
Director of Hydro Tec, a leading
water management organiza-
tion providing consultancy serv-
ices to water utilities and pri-
vate business sectors globally.
He is an expert in advanced
water management control
approaches and specialist tech-
niques in acoustic technology.
Stuart has managed large water
loss management projects and
resources throughout the world
in 30 different countries.
May, 2018 35
 COVER STORY

We Are Busy Creating The Future Of Digital

Water Supply
Suneel Bhambere is the Director, Kamstrup - India Operations. He has over 24 years of
experience heading various business functions of sales, marketing, and operations of several
companies in automation and instrumentation industry. He has been the country manager of
Kamstrup Indian operations for seven years. Here, he discusses the problems of non-revenue
water, solutions for water loss, and their recent big-ticket projects with Mayur Sharma.

results in large volumes of a potential need for expanding

Water Loss/NRW is an im-
portant issue throughout
the global water sector.
What are your views on it?
Mr. Bhambere: Non-
Revenue Water is a well-
known global problem that
According to the World Bank, Globally, the Level of Non-Revenue Water is Between 30 and 35%. In Some
Areas, it is As High As 50-60% (Image Source: IBNET, GWI, Frost & Sullivan)
water being lost. It is a chal-
lenge faced by the majority of
water utilities because of
increased urbanization, high-
er demand, increased prices
and ageing distribution net-
works. India records one of
the highest percentage of non-
revenue water across the
globe. The most common rea-
sons observed for such high
levels of water loss are bursts
due to pressure surges, inac-
curate meter readings, and
leaks or burst resulting from a
high pressure, ageing infra-
structure, illegal connections
to the network, theft, etc. This
can lead to larger impact like
loss of earnings and higher
operational costs, leaks neces-
sitate expensive reparations
of the infrastructure as well as
the capacity.
A key challenge in water
delivery is the high rate of
Non-Revenue Water (NRW)
among utilities across the
world. Approximately 28 per
cent of water is lost to unde-
tected leaks in water infra-
structure, failure to accurate-
ly meter usage and in some
cases theft. Hence, it is neces-
sary to prioritize the work in
preventing water loss. This
can be done by categorizing
the losses in the distribution
mains so that municipalities
can assess the methods that
can be used, and determine
which initiatives can be put
into place to fight water loss
as effectively as possible.
Please shed some light on
the product and services
portfolio of your company
which help fixing the water
losses. Which are the new
launches that you have
come up with recently?
Mr. Bhambere: Kamstrup
offers a full product portfolio
enabling water utility’s core
tasks in fighting water loss
while securing the highest
level of control, efficiency, and
flexibility on the ground. We
consistently create innovative
solutions encompassing of
product ranges of hardware,
software, and services, includ-
ing; consumption meters,
communication infrastruc-
ture, meter data management
systems, smart grid applica-
tions, hosted solutions and
tools for data analysis.
Combining newest ultra-
sonic technology with remote
reading, FlowIQ®2101 our
household water meter allows
measurement for precise
accuracy, flow monitoring and
smart alarms for the leak,
burst, reverse flow detection
and tamper notification.
Longevity of the meter (up to
16 years battery life) along
with minimum operating
costs ensures the most cost-
effective solution as compared
to any other metering solution
in the market. Furthermore,
our meter reading system,
READy - a unique solution for
utilities for reading meters
remotely can easily be adjust-
ed to meet different needs and
expand with the change in
need. Regardless of whether
you choose a solution for read-
ing via mobile or network, the
handling of your meters and
meter data takes place in the
PC program, READy
Manager.
Kamstrup has recently
launched a new analysis plat-
form that will assist the water
utility sector to better control
their distribution network and
effectively intervene to stop
water loss and unforeseen
incidents in their supply

36 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER


processes. The first two prod-
ucts targeting water works
are called Incidents and
Water Intelligence. The
municipal administration will
now be able to substantially
increase the value of collected
meter data, as the data will
now be automatically organ-
ized, visualized and analyzed -
with only a few clicks. Hence,
giving a precise overview of
water waste and leaks in the
grid system. The engineers
and technicians will be able to
monitor developments in their
pipelines zone-wise and auto-
matically receive alarms
about technical incidents or
irregularities for timely trou-
bleshooting.
Kamstrup is known around
the world for its auto-
mated production
processes. Tell us more
about it. How does it re-
flect in high precision
rates of meters?
Mr. Bhambere: To main-
tain quality throughout our
delivery process, we have a
state-of-the-art fully automat-
ic production unit at our
Headquarter in Denmark.
Robots operate the modern
factory and human effort is
limited to administration and
management only. This helps
minimize any faults and offers
precision and consistency in
our production. Hence, we can
be sure that the Kamstrup
meter anywhere in the world
is of the same quality and
offers utmost reliability. All
Kamstrup meters come with
EXPRESS WATER
MID approval. The factory
has the highest certification
within the environmental
safety and quality like ISO
9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS
18001, Information Security
certification: ISO/IEC 27001
and Accredited calibration
laboratories: ISO 17025.
What were the achieve-
ments of Kamstrup in
2017-18? How has the com-
pany grown?
Mr. Bhambere: Kamstrup
is the pioneer to bring static
metering technology in the
water sector in India for mass
application. We started our
journey in the market domi-
nated by mechanical meters
and least consideration for
water loss at domestic level.
There has been a recent
development in the demand
for digital solutions that can
help municipalities manage
the water loss to the last mile
and improve their operations
and maintenance. With an
installed base of over 20,000
meters in cities, metros,
towns, and villages, we proud-
ly take credit for generating
awareness on the importance
of smart water metering in
revenue management and
reducing non-revenue water.
A remarkable example of
Kamstrup’ s smart metering
application is Kapil Gram
Panchayat, near Kolhapur in
Maharashtra where installa-
tion of around 450 ultrasonic
AMR meters is helping the
consumers of entire village
experience tangible improve-
ments in their daily life.
“During bulk supply, con-
sumers had to wait from 6 AM
till night, not knowing when
the water will come or how
much there will be. This has
been always unknown. Now
consumers don’t need to store
their water and don’t need to
waste water,’’ says Mr. K. R.
Otari, Sub Div. Engineer at
Maharashtra state water sup-
ply. The water meters log
daily consumption data and
events such as leak, tamper
and reverse flow for 460 days
and monthly data for 36
months. Kapil is one of its
kind 24X7 water supply
scheme in India running from
last 4 year and has set exam-
ples for sustainable develop-
ment not only for villages but
for cities too.
What are some of Kam-
strup’s major orders won
in last two years?
Mr. Bhambere: In the past
2 years, we have seen a surge
in the tenders released on
Static metering and
Ultrasonic water meters.
Though it does not account for
any wins, we definitely consid-
er it as a success in shaping
the market and its evolution
for digital and smart solu-
tions.
One of the feathers in our
cap has been the Shirpur
Warwade municipal council in
Maharashtra where 12000
flowIQ® 2101 meters are being
installed in the entire city. The
council opted for a drive-by
meter reading system with 10
years of Operations &
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
Maintenance. Kamstrup’s
smart meters have vastly
aided the council to under-
stand the difference in water
consumption of residential
and commercial consumers
and highlight stark variations
in consumption during peak
and non-peak hours. This will
help municipality bill their
consumers suitably without
compromising on its revenue
and reduce any water loss.
The benefits of minimal oper-
ations and maintenance are
anticipated once their billing
system is up and running in
April 2018.
Tell us about some of the
most interesting water
loss related projects that
you have participated in.
What conditions and chal-
lenges did you encounter?
Mr. Bhambere: This one is
very interesting and close to
our heart as it was one of the
first projects we did for any
Smart Cities. Last year, we
were invited to assess NRW in
Udaipur walled city where we
conducted a comparison
study between the perform-
ance of existing mechanical
meters for commercial con-
nections against Kamstrup’ s
ultrasonic smart water
meters. The study identified
many of the existing meters
(mechanical) that were in
non-working conditions and
an average NRW of 31% was
observed in the connections
with working meters.
Erroneous meter readings
were recorded in mechanical
meters due to low-pressure
flow and no flow durations. On
the contrary, Kamstrup
meters presented pinpoint
accuracy and delivered
insights into untapped and
inequitable consumption in
Non-Revenue
Water is the
difference between
produced water
and billed water.
For utilities, finding
the source of water
loss can be like
looking for a needle
in a haystack due to
the limited
knowledge of what
is actually going on
in the distribution
network.
the area. The flexible mount-
ing of our smart meters was a
game changer since mechani-
cal meters can only be
installed horizontally.
May, 2018 37
 COVER STORY
Furthermore, the remote
reading system with a drive-
by solution (AMR) provided
data from inaccessible meter
sites. Since manual readings
were not possible to conduct,
it was always marked as lost
revenue earlier.
As a result, Udaipur Smart
City included the report in
their DPR and released a ten-
der requesting proposal for
installation of ultrasonic
smart water meters for the
commercial connections in
the walled city.
Any suggestions to help
water utilities and munici-
pal agencies address non-
revenue-water effectively
and at relatively low cost?
Mr. Bhambere: Non-
Revenue Water is the differ-
ence between produced water
and billed water. For utilities,
finding the source of water
loss can be like looking for a
needle in a haystack due to
the limited knowledge of what
is actually going on in the dis-
tribution network.
With smart metering, it
becomes so much easier and
efficient for them to get access
to the right knowledge at the
right time. The utilities not
only get information about the
operational status of the
mains, but it lights up the dis-
tribution network making it
transparent, allowing them to
localize different kinds of non-
revenue water and reduce
water loss. They can optimize
their leakage localization and
prioritize where to take action
based on knowledge instead of
theoretical models and
assumptions. The savings
come in the form of identify-
ing leakages inside homes,
incorrect manual meter read-
ings, theft, inaccurate
mechanical meters and
unmetered water use.
Kamstrup smart meters
accurately measure consump-
tion along with the notifica-
tions for any unforeseen
events like leak or burst,
thereby enabling water supply
departments to be proactive
before any damage occurs and
quickly identify, troubleshoot
38 May, 2018
and resolve field issues. Data
is delivered automatically or
via drive-by reading and pro-
vides the necessary overview
to find unexpected sources of
water loss.
It is essential for water
utilities and municipal agen-
cies to perceive smart meter-
ing as the futuristic invest-
ment in helping them improve
revenue management,
increase operational efficien-
cy and asset management,
thereby reaping benefits in
the long run in terms of cost
reduction and better service
quality.
How do you see the future
of smart metering solu-
tions in India?
Mr. Bhambere: In a report
released by Northeast Group,
the global water metering
market is expected to grow
from $3.7 bn in 2016 to $7.5 bn
by 2026. The research firm
notes that through modern-
ization efforts, including the
deployment of smart water
metering, communications
and software can reduce the
amount of water lost. In India,
we have seen mechanical
meters used in households for
a very long time, which have
many shortcomings like, inac-
curacy, early wear & tear, air
measurement, tampering,
maintenance issues etc. There
is a need for smart solutions
and intelligent water net-
works to manage water con-
sumption.
The adaptation of static
metering is gaining momen-
tum and we are seeing more
and more utilities accepting
the outcomes of using ultra-
sonic technology. It is expect-
ed that smart metering will
become an integral part of
water management system
and Kamstrup will be at the
forefront in delivering innova-
tive and intelligent solutions.
Kamstrup was a part of the
Danish Business Delega-
tion last year, to support
the agenda of building
smart and liveable cities in
India. What would you like
the Heads and CEOs of
Smart Cities Projects to
know about Kamstrup?
Mr. Bhambere: India is
the biggest consumption mar-
ket where energy conserva-
tion and water management
are the key challenges for the
government. Accounting for
over 18 percent of world popu-
lation, India seems to be on
the verge of a serious water
crisis in the coming years, as
too much water is lost to
leaks. Managing consumption
requires effective methodolo-
gies and accuracy. Most of the
Smart Cities have put the
impetus on water conserva-
tion and NRW reduction.
Metering itself does not
resolve the NRW issue, but
smart metering provides the
municipalities with a real-
time view of their mains,
enabling them to make well-
informed decisions about the
most efficient way of working.
At Kamstrup, we define
success by the progress we
create for others. Our indus-
try knowledge and holistic
approach to working with
multiple stakeholders not only
brings in a larger perspective
but also enables us to serve
utilities with innovative and
long-lasting solutions. We are
seen as a trusted partner with
contractors and project man-
agement consultants and are
always eager to offer support
and expertise in smart water
management. Kamstrup con-
tinues to invest heavily in
product development and
innovation and we are proud
of being the only smart meter-
ing company producing digital
solutions exclusively for more
than 25 years. Therefore,
smart cities can trust our
deep customer understanding
across the globe, superior
quality and reliability in our
solutions.
Finally, what are your
growth and expansion
plans for the next 5 years?
Mr. Bhambere: Our vision
is to be the world’s leading
supplier of intelligent meter-
ing solutions for energy and
water consumption. In our
endeavor of developing and
delivering more intelligent,
reliable and cost-effective
ways to measure and manage
the supply of energy and
water, we will continue invest-
ing in research and develop-
ment and innovation. Our
approach to cultivating holis-
tic solutions in smart water
management has enabled us
to launch our own analytics
platform that provides water
intelligence and incident man-
agement. We plan to build on
this portfolio with avenues
like pressure management,
temperature sensors, smart
valves etc.
Software as a service
(SaaS) is already an integral
part of Kamstrup’s offerings.
Data hosting, server mainte-
nance, system updates, and
back-ups etc. do not necessar-
ily need to be part of a munic-
ipality’s key competencies. If
necessary, data is made avail-
able in a cloud-based environ-
ment, the municipality can
focus on what they do best:
ensuring that their customers
have access to safe and clean
water and that they are fairly
billed based on their con-
sumption. We can make life
easier for the water supply
departments by safely hosting
data in our cloud. Our cus-
tomers who use this option
have yearly subscriptions to
software for meter data man-
agement, data analytics, and
end-user (consumer) tools.
In the past 2 years, we have
been actively engaged with
various smart cities in devel-
oping best practices and gain-
ing insights into their water
management. We continue to
do so in a phased manner and
aim to be their partner for
intelligent water delivery solu-
tions. At Kamstrup, we do not
just talk about the future of
digital water supply. We are
busy creating it.
EXPRESS WATER

Water Loss: Smart Water Network Case Studies
By converting raw data into knowledge, TaKaDu provides visibility and actionable insights for
increased operational efficiency and water loss reduction.
By TaKaDu
Case: Unitywater’s
Journey to Become a
Smart Water Network
Unitywater and TaKaDu
have been working together
since June 2013 when
Unitywater commenced a
long-term engagement with
TaKaDu to improve network
visibility and efficiency, reduc-
ing costs and water losses,
and improving customer serv-
ice.
Since then, Unitywater has
been recognized as an indus-
try leader in innovation and
technology. This case study
discusses the PPT (People,
Processes, and Technology)
strategy involved in the
TaKaDu implementation and
the resulting benefits to
Unitywater’s network per-
formance and operations.
Business Need
In 2013, Unitywater was
recording significant non-rev-
enue water (NRW) loss.
The manual process of
identifying leaks using
acoustic sounding systems
was proving slow and ineffi-
cient. The compounding
issues were that the areas
covered were too large, there
were not enough district
metered areas (DMAs) and
there were too few meters
monitoring the system. Faulty
asset repairs were also taking
too long and it was hard for
maintenance teams to locate
hidden leaks.
Unitywater identified a
business need for a compre-
hensive technological solution
and consequently evaluated
TaKaDu’s Integrated Event
Management system, an IoT
cloud-based software solution
using big data analytics.
With aims to improve over-
EXPRESS WATER
all network visibility and effi-
ciency, reduce water loss and
save energy costs, Unitywater
established a dedicated team
to manage a 12-month trial.
Following this successful
trial, Unitywater deployed
TaKaDu throughout its net-
work in July 2014.
People
A new team was estab-
lished to act as a central dis-
patch desk for all network
events detected by the
TaKaDu system. Adrian Bird
was appointed by Unitywater
as a System Loss Engineer to
oversee the new team. This
team, which would work
alongside existing field crews,
received training from
TaKaDu and its local partner,
Jacobs.
Towards the end of the
trial, a cross-departmental
NRW Working Group was
formed comprising of person-
nel from a diverse range of
business units within the
organization, from retail and
asset management through to
planning and maintenance
crews.
Working group members
quickly recognized that
TaKaDu’s event management
offered more than simply leak
detection. TaKaDu provided a
focal point to collect data not
only on the performance of
the network but also on other
areas of the business.
The working group, which
continues to meet monthly,
began to look at proactive
ways to reduce asset failure
rates and identify areas with
high unmetered consumption
i.e. areas with fairly high NRW
which hadn’t been billed.
Adrian Bird explained,
“TaKaDu gave the business a
high level of visibility and
focus, not just looking for
leaks but also for other types
of asset failures (telemetry,
meters, etc.). We used the
macro information we were
gaining to understand the
types of assets which were
causing the leaks, the water
pressure we were providing in
certain areas, and the overall
impact on the operation. We
could understand what is
important and not just what is
urgent, across all types of
problems.”
As part of the implementa-
tion, Unitywater also recruit-
ed additional field staff to
respond faster to network
events detected by TaKaDu
and handled by their central
team.
Processes
The initial task was to
establish 25 DMAs, with a tar-
get of increasing the number
to 40 within a month.
The System Loss team
ensured that the TaKaDu
event management system
obtained data from the appro-
priate data points inside the
network, such as flow meters
and pressure gauges. It should
TaKaDu - Management Dashboard
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
be noted that following the
trial, the System Loss team
created an additional 90
DMAs within 12 months.
There was a clear value in
measuring more areas.
During the trial, weekly
meetings between Unitywater
and Jacobs were held to dis-
cuss project status, issues,
deliverables, and reports to
management.
These meetings were also
used to explore proactively
how the information generat-
ed by TaKaDu and being
processed by the central team
could be used by the repair
teams in a timely manner.
Later in the process, the team
also explored how it could
improve processes and impact
positively on other areas of
the organization, such as asset
management.
With a larger team dedi-
cated to TaKaDu, Unitywater
was able to investigate and
deal more quickly with net-
work events. The team evalu-
ated equipment, assets and
future planning relating to
water flows, pressure and
break events. For example,
appropriate water pressure
levels in specific areas were
identified thereby reducing
certain types of leaks and
breaks.
In addition, the system
planners were able to better
develop new areas and imple-
ment solutions in existing
areas to reduce asset failure
frequency.
Unitywater started to
monitor and analyze TaKaDu
on a daily basis. The process,
which continues today, includ-
ed:
• 5-days a week monitoring of
the events detected by the
software
• An initial analysis under-
taken of every event:
- Receiving the initial event
and reviewing it against
work orders and known
events
- Monitoring the event for a
short period to confirm an
actual event occurred, not
a short-term usage event
• Categorising actionable
events, providing suggested
actions, and transmitting
advice to management for
consideration
• Updating system events
with actions taken
• Monitoring changes in the
event and providing
May, 2018 39
 COVER STORY
updates, as required
• Closing events that were no
longer active
• Providing monthly report-
ing to management on:
- Outcomes of actioned
events
- Savings in non-revenue
water
- Asset failures
• Providing detailed quarter-
ly reporting on:
- System findings: data
availability, number of
events and type, water
balance reported by DMA
and by region. These were
tailored to report any
other items noted by the
system that were not leak-
age related but showed
system anomalies,
- Resolutions: summary
paragraph, supported by
charts and graphs that
demonstrated actions and
benefits of the implemen-
tation. Tailored for man-
agement requirements.
This process remains cen-
tral to the day-to-day opera-
tions and the way Unitywater
handles incidents in its net-
work, leveraging the ‘real
time’ visibility provided by
TaKaDu and its event man-
agement features.
Technology
Data
There was a need to collect
raw data in real-time and in a
higher resolution.
Two main systems were
TaKaDu - Event Management
40 May, 2018
used to transfer data to
TaKaDu: cloud-based data
logging systems and graphical
information systems (GIS) in
order to map the DMAs and
infrastructure locations. The
data logging system recorded
the average flow/pressure
every minute and transferred
the data to TaKaDu on an
hourly basis.
Other sources of raw data
included water quality sen-
sors, reservoir levels, and
PRVs (pressure reducing
valves).
We believe that, over the
next few years, the amount of
raw data will dramatically
increase as the price of sen-
sors goes down as well as the
communication layers.
There will be more data,
from more measuring points,
in a higher measuring fre-
quency.
Analytics
TaKaDu’s solution offered
in-depth visibility and quick
insights into types of events,
such as pressure/flow trends,
faulty assets, hidden leakage,
supply interruptions, repair
verification, water quality
issues and early warning of
anomalies. Events were auto-
matically supplemented with
the start time, type, magni-
tude, water loss, during, and
end-time. Each event was pri-
oritized and assigned an event
owner.
The Areas View allowed
the team to visualize and com-
pare network performance on
an area basis, so that events
could be prioritized per area
against specific indicators,
such as nightline, technical
efficiency etc. They could also
be customized with specific
area characteristics.
Based on automated statis-
tical algorithms, TaKaDu’s
software generated flexible
reports, based on event han-
dling by status, locations, type
etc., as well as anomaly and
patterns detection, historic
and network-based predic-
tions, and more.
The Management
Dashboard enabled the team
to zoom in and out of areas of
interest and the managers to
track and report the net-
work’s performance easily.
Results
12-Month Trial
On 1 November 2013, all 40
DMAs were operational, one
week earlier than planned. As
an example of TaKaDu’s
immediate impact, the first
alert received led to the dis-
covery of a pipe on a property
that had potentially been leak-
ing for more than two years.
The economic and the
engineering benefits of the
TaKaDu trial were instantly
realized. As an added advan-
tage, the longer the data was
in the TaKaDu system, the
more accurate the alerts.
Towards the end of the
trial, Unitywater’s System
Loss team conducted a cost-
benefit analysis, working
closely with asset manage-
ment colleagues. This analysis
enabled Unitywater’s asset
managers to examine the rela-
tionship between asset fail-
ures and NRW loss, based on
the types and age of assets.
Recording and analyzing
TaKaDu events also helped to
build a more intelligent busi-
ness system. The cost savings
delivered by the TaKaDu sys-
tem prompted a decision to
fully implement the system
across the entire network
over the next two years.
Full Implementation
Following full TaKaDu
implementation, there was an
immediate, high volume,
reduction in NRW loss. The
more areas that were moni-
tored, the greater the results.
Unitywater was able to reduce
its reactive maintenance,
break and leak events, NRW
loss, and asset failure while
also gaining improvements in
pressure management.
Collaboration across
departments through the
NRW Working Group has
impacted the whole organiza-
tion in previously unexpected
ways.
Billing data can now be
compared with NRW ensur-
ing that properties are cor-
rectly metered and billing is
accurate.
Importantly, TaKaDu has
helped to improve customer
service. Contact center staff
can respond to customer
inquiries and issues about
water supply and water pres-
sure with greater ease and
accuracy. TaKaDu has also
helped to reduce reactive
maintenance call outs and
enabled a faster crew
response time to issues. In
addition, TaKaDu has posi-
tively affected capital expen-
diture programmes, allowing
Unitywater to achieve a better
return on investment and
defer unnecessary expendi-
ture.
TaKaDu now covers
around 90% of Unitywater’s
network. With its multi-
dimensional impact, TaKaDu
serves as an efficient manage-
ment and information system
for gathering and disseminat-
ing data, improving business
processes and procedures and
reducing operational costs.
Adrian Bird continued,
“With the knowledge generat-
ed by TaKaDu, we can better
understand our network oper-
ations, planning and service
levels. We’ve also worked with
TaKaDu to introduce new fea-
tures in the system to give us
the results we required, for
example, an automated water
balance software. It originally
took five working days to
work out the amount of water
going in vs the water being
billed, we can now see it at a
touch of a button.”
“TaKaDu’s system has
helped us achieve $16 million
in savings from hidden
(underground) leaks and pre-
vented 6.5 billion liters of
water loss based on an annu-
alized calculation,” Adrian
said.
“There has also been a 60%
improvement in reactive
response times to leak, break
and pressure faults in the
water supply network. The
system has learned how our
network operates and has
helped us avoid major water
outages, identify the cause of
dirty water complaints, identi-
fy pump faults that cause
bursts before they happen and
track the status of events
from start to finish.”
Next Steps
By combining the PPT -
People, Processes,
Technology - strategy,
Unitywater was able to suc-
cessfully optimize its network
efficiency, reduce its costs and
improve its customer service.
Unitywater and TaKaDu
are now collaborating to offer
TaKaDu’s IoT cloud-based
solution to other water utili-
ties across Queensland. This
offer provides network moni-
toring, leak detection, and net-
work prediction services to
small water utilities (those
with less than 2000 km of the
pipeline). These smaller utili-
ties are able to leverage the
EXPRESS WATER

benefits of Unitywater’s size
and familiarity with TaKaDu
by adding their service area to
Unitywater’s TaKaDu system.
The offer also promotes col-
laboration across Queensland
water utilities, a key objective
of the Queensland Water
Directorate.
Case Study: Leverag-
ing Water Network
Data for System Man-
agement Prioritiza-
tion
Knoxville Utilities Board
(KUB) is an independent
agency of the US City of
Knoxville, Tennessee, provid-
ing electric, natural gas,
water, and wastewater servic-
es to more than 453,000 cus-
tomers in Knoxville and parts
of seven surrounding coun-
ties.
KUB's water system has
experienced 30 percent to 35
percent non-revenue water
over the past 10 years; hard-
to-find underground leaks are
the big culprit. Reducing leaks
improves customer service,
increases operational efficien-
cy, reduces expenses for
chemicals and power, and has
other benefits.
Background - Addressing
Water Loss
In a water loss reduction
initiative, KUB invested in the
implementation of District
Metered Areas (DMAs) work-
ing with Matchpoint Water
Asset Management Inc.
(Matchpoint), a water system
management firm.
KUB engaged Matchpoint
in a 3-year agreement to man-
age supply, implementation,
and maintenance of KUB’s
DMA’s assets. DMAs parti-
tioned the water network into
44 small areas serving no
more than 3,000 customers,
making it easier to find the
leaks. Matchpoint installed a
total of 102 pressure sensors
and flow meters to monitor
the network within each
DMA.
Flow and pressure sensors
record measurements every
15 minutes and transmit the
data daily to a central server
EXPRESS WATER
where the entire water distri-
bution data is stored. As a
result, KUB is generating a
huge amount of data that pro-
vides the performance signa-
ture of the network base on
individual sensor readings
over hours, days, and months
of continuous monitoring.
Analyzing the sensor data
can identify network perform-
ance anomalies, specifically
levels of water loss. KUB’s
basis for implementing the
system was to evaluate areas
of water loss through DMA
level analysis and prioritize
leak detection and repair.
With a few DMAs and sen-
sors, KUB could process the
data using spreadsheets to
evaluate the sensor data and
DMA performance. As 102
sensors incrementally came
online, however, evaluating
the growing data became
much more difficult.
The Need for Data Analyt-
ics
KUB identified objectives
and expectations for using
data to manage water loss and
overall system performance.
• Highest cost water loss
management approach is
pipe replacement. KUB
decided to use a data ana-
lytics strategy to gain
greater insights into areas
and alternative methods for
water loss reduction.
• Comparison of DMAs to
find DMAs that have high
water loss to best manage
leakage.
• Focus leak detection and
reduction on a few DMAs to
drive water loss down.
• Prior efforts tended to stop
the rising leaks, but not
reduce the total level of
leaks. The goal was to sys-
tematically drive the leak
levels downward through
detection, repair, and other
management methods.
• Use of complete water cost
by DMA to help prioritize
zones including the basic
water production, energy,
communication, engineer-
ing, operations costs.
Complete water costs could
help with priority setting to
achieve goals broader than
total water loss.
• Share network perform-
ance data between co-work-
ers and other work groups.
The TaKaDu Event Manage-
ment Solution
KUB tapped TaKaDu
through Matchpoint to meet
its system management objec-
tives and harness the vast
data volumes to present
KUB’s system performance
characteristics in meaningful
ways. TaKaDu uses IoT cloud-
based technology that pro-
vides an event management
solution, and Matchpoint is
one of TaKaDu’s distributors
in the North American region.
As a big data solution,
TaKaDu’s event management
capabilities consume and ana-
lyze the sensor and meter
data with advanced analytics
to automatically detect, ana-
lyze and manage various types
of water network events.
Events include leaks, bursts,
pressure transients, faulty
assets, and telemetry network
integrity. TaKaDu evaluates
all sensor data over months of
readings to identify events by
correlating data from multiple
sensors and DMAs along with
SCADA production data.
Event detection is an auto-
matic process.
An event is characterized
by its type, its size, and trends;
TaKaDu’s data solution auto-
matically identifies correla-
tions with other events, such
as main break or pressure
drop.
Event notification is auto-
matically sent to KUB person-
nel based on their roles and
responsibilities. Events are
relevant and actionable for
KUB because of their discrete
classification and characteris-
tics. Using TaKaDu’s solution,
KUB reviews the event loca-
tions, magnitude and trends
to prioritize, monitor and
resolve the events.
“TaKaDu’s event manage-
ment paradigm has trans-
formed the flood of incompre-
hensible data into meaningful
information that the KUB
organization can effectively
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
use,” said Ted Tyree,
Engineer, Water Systems
Engineering at KUB. “Almost
immediately, our engineers
could ‘see’ the water distribu-
tion network and understand
where potential problems
exist, the type, and the magni-
tude. With that snapshot, we
could easily determine
whether to monitor or act on
each one.”
Managing the water net-
work operations, fixing leaks,
and engineering network
changes had historically been
accomplished with basic net-
work information and a set of
assumptions. A welcome reve-
lation was the significant
insights provided by TaKaDu,
which helped quickly to clari-
fy issues and characteristics
of specific areas of the system.
Tyree continued, “It
became evident that water
engineering required a data
management and analysis
solution. TaKaDu’s solution is
based on data science; its
engineers and system deploy-
ment specialists are data
experts bringing skills to KUB
that enable our engineers to
have much greater insight
into the water system.”
Benefits & Results
“They committed to
deployment within eight
weeks, providing configura-
tion, training, and ongoing
support for KUB to ensure the
full range of the TaKaDu solu-
tion is understood and
applied. With the system
deployed in eight weeks,
immediately we could see how
our 102 sensors, meters, and
SCADA devices were per-
forming. This simple view of
our data stream allowed our
team to identify a variety of
telemetry and sensor installa-
tion issues that then became a
primary focus for completing
our DMA buildout,” said
Tyree.
Furthermore, TaKaDu
determined where DMAs,
meters, and sensors were not
associated properly or where
DMAs were not, in fact, closed
areas. Addressing these
TaKaDu findings, along with
the hardware configurations,
solidified KUB’s implementa-
tion of the DMAs.
Before TaKaDu, KUB engi-
neers had to talk to data
experts to access SCADA
data.
TaKaDu has made the data
accessible to staff throughout
KUB directly to see events,
view comments from others,
and share information across
work shifts. Users can access
the system directly and not
have to physically talk to peo-
ple to understand the current
event and system perform-
ance characteristics (although
the direct discussions will
continue and remain valu-
able).
TaKaDu events enable
KUB engineers to drill down
and associate network per-
formance data and to identify
the root causes of issues and
how to act on them. The event
management tools allow KUB
to define an action, priorities
and assign them to teams so
that we are working on the top
priority items without losing
track of less important events.
KUB also has a better under-
standing of event lifecycles
where pipe leaks may
progress to busts through
progressive leaking or pres-
sure increases.
“This data-driven insight
will help us proactively reduce
emergency events that we
previously had no forewarning
of, added Tyree. “It’s surpris-
ing how quickly KUB has
begun to rely on data for its
system management. Our
motivation for using TaKaDu
is for overall optimization of
the water network and our
staff resources. It is far
beyond water loss manage-
ment.”
TaKaDu is a global soft-
ware provider of Integrated
Event Management solutions
for the water industry.
Its automated cloud-based
service enables utilities to
detect, analyze and manage
network events and incidents
such as leaks, bursts, faulty
assets, telemetry and data
issues, operational failures,
etc.
May, 2018 41
 COVER STORY

Non-Revenue Water Needs to be Understood

to be Recognized as a Serious Global Issue
Gary Wyeth is the SE Asia Regional Manager for Singer, a Mueller brand. Gary has 26 years of
experience in the water industry, primarily in South-East Asia. He is a member of the
Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management and the IWA Water Loss
Specialist Group. Here, he discusses the significance of water loss and NRW as a global issue
with Mayur Sharma.

What is NRW? Please de-
fine it for our readers.
Mr. Wyeth: Non-Revenue
Water (NRW) in its simplest
form can be defined by the fol-
lowing formula:
NRW = Total Volume of
Treated Water - Total Volume
of Sold Water
Essentially it is the volume
of water that the water utility
spends money on treating and
distributing that is not paid
for by billed customers. The
NRW level of a water utility is
therefore often used as an
indicator of efficiency-per-
formance of the utility as a
whole.
In 2006, the World Bank
reported that more than 32
Billion m3 of treated water
was lost globally through dis-
tribution system leakage and
a further 16 Billion m3 was
delivered to customers but
not billed. Based on these
numbers a conservative esti-
mate of the annual cost of
water lost is US$ 14 Billion.
This problem of excessive
water loss has continued to
grow, as water utilities contin-
ue to allow aging infrastruc-
tures to age further, often due
to a lack of funding in infra-
structure rehabilitation, and
as greater customer demands
increase the stress on the
already overloaded pipe net-
works.
Why is controlling NRW an
important aspect of any
water utility?
Mr. Wyeth: The obvious
answer to why controlling
NRW levels is important, is
that it will improve the finan-
cial status of the water utility
by increasing revenues from
improved billing and reducing
expenditure from lower treat-
ment volumes and less leak &
pipe burst repairs.
However, there are many
other benefits including:
• Reduction in illegal connec-
tions or faulty meters creat-
ing greater fairness
between customers.
• More efficient operation,
fewer disruptions, means
improved customer service;
improved cash flow can lead
to further investments in
improving operational sys-
tems and assets.
• Water is a precious
resource necessary for the
survival of all living things
and with less than 1% of
water on earth being fresh
and usable, we cannot be
wasteful.
In addition, many water
utilities are public listed com-
panies and improvements in
NRW can mean an increase in
stock prices and thus
increased company value.
What are the different
components of NRW?
Mr. Wyeth: NRW is divid-
ed into many different compo-
nents, but these can be
grouped into two main com-
ponents.
Physical Losses: Where
water is physically lost and
fixing these issues would
result in a reduction of water
being treated.
• Distribution leakage
• Reservoir overflows
• Trunk main leakage
• Leakage on customer con-
nections (Up to the meter)
Commercial Losses:
Where the loss is due to a
measurement error.
• Production meter errors
• Customer meter errors
• Illegal or unmeasured use
• Billing errors
Which component is more
important to control?
Mr. Wyeth: All compo-
nents have an effect on the
level of NRW and the magni-
tude of each component can
be different for each water
utility. It is therefore impor-
tant to ascertain the level of
each component by undertak-
ing an NRW audit.
This NRW audit will result
in a simple table that will iden-
tify the level of NRW within
each component of NRW. An
example is the one shown
below developed by the
International Water
Association (IWA).
Whoever undertakes the
NRW audit needs to have a
complete understanding of
the different components of
NRW so that they can visit all
the required departments
within the water utility and
ask the correct questions.
They also need to be impartial
and willing to ask tough ques-
tions and report their findings
truthfully, often directly to the
senior management in the
utility. For this reason, water
utilities usually hire an inde-
pendent consultant to come in
and review their existing
NRW management activities
and to produce a detailed
report, which will be more
honest and open on what is
currently being undertaken
and accomplished.
Although the magnitude of
each component of NRW will
vary from water utility to
water utility, it is important to
look at all components when
developing a company-wide
NRW management program.
These holistic NRW manage-
ment programs will help to
reduce the physical losses,
whilst at the same time identi-
fy commercial loss issues.
Often the commercial loss
component is significantly
less than the physical loss
component, due to aging pipes
and assets, which are left in
place well past their lifespan.
Having said this, it is impor-
tant to tackle the commercial
loss components, no matter

42 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER


how small the component, as resolving
these will have a direct impact on the
income of the water utility and thus
increase its financial capability to
tackle the physical loss components.
How can control valves assist in
the management of NRW?
Mr. Wyeth: Control valves have
been used for many years to help con-
trol NRW levels and are still an essen-
tial part of any NRW management pro-
gram.
Altitude and float valves are auto-
matic mechanical control valves, used
to control the level in reservoirs or
tanks. These control valves are used to
ensure the reservoirs or tanks do not
overflow and lose water down the
drain.
Pressure is proven to have an
increased effect on leakage volumes
and pipe burst frequency. The relation-
ship between pressure increase and
leakage volume is quite complicated
and depends on pipe material, soil con-
ditions, and age of pipe. But the ratio
can be anywhere from 1:1 to 1:3 mean-
ing, in the latter case, a 10% increase in
pressure would see a 30% increase in
leakage volumes.
Pressure reducing valves (PRVs)
are often used to control system pres-
sures, allowing acceptable pressures
to meet customer demands while
maintaining a maximum pressure
limit ensuring leakage levels are con-
EXPRESS WATER
trolled.
Some utilities are even using timer
systems with multiple pilots to set
multiple pressure settings throughout
a 24-hour period. Singer Valve has
developed a new mechanical version of
this valve, which gives high pressure
during high demand and low pressure
during low demand.
Another bonus in installing PRVs is
the effect of reducing burst frequency
in old pipelines. Often the main reason
for a water utility experiencing high
leak and burst frequencies is the aging
pipe network that has been asked to
work beyond its expected lifespan.
This means that these pipes are weak-
er than what they were designed for
and thus any high spikes in pressure
can cause bursts to occur on a regular
basis.
This table shows tests undertaken
on actual distribution systems around
the world show a decrease in burst fre-
quency ranging from 20 to 80% and
these results have shown to be true
even 5 to 10 years after the PRVs were
installed.
What are the first steps that a Wa-
ter Utility should undertake to
start understanding and manag-
ing their NRW levels?
Mr. Wyeth: The first step as men-
tioned above is to undertake an NRW
audit to ascertain the correct level of
NRW and the magnitude of each com-
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
ponent. This will enable the water util-
ity to determine which components to
tackle first and which would give the
best results financially and on the
NRW level itself.
It is also important to develop an It is also important to
understanding of the economic level of
NRW within the water utility itself. develop an
This, in a simplistic way, is balancing understanding of the
the cost of managing NRW to the cost
of the NRW losses. You don’t want to economic level of NRW
be spending more than you will save within the water utility
and you don’t want to lose more than
you are spending. So, it is a case of itself.This, in a simplistic
looking at both costs and figuring out way, is balancing the
where each water utility’s NRW eco-
nomic balance point is. This economic
cost of managing NRW
level will depend on water tariffs, to the cost of the NRW
chemical costs, staff costs, equipment
and vehicle costs, etc. It is quite a com-
losses.You don’t want to
plex process to determine what a be spending more than
water utility’s economic NRW level is,
but a necessary one as a wrongly set
you will save and you
target can cause many problems later. don’t want to lose more
Once the utility understands the
starting level of NRW, the magnitude
than you are spending.
of the various NRW components and
the achievable economic NRW level, The plan should identify all tasks to be
they can then start to develop an NRW undertaken and try to include a realis-
management plan. tic target, within a realistic timeframe
This NRW management plan at an acceptable cost.
should try to be as holistic as possible Images courtesy of Mueller & IWA
and cover many NRW components. Waterloss Specialist Group.
May, 2018 43
 COVER STORY

Addressing Non-Revenue Water and

Wastewater Challenges in American Samoa -
Insights from ASPA
Will Spitzenberg has been working as the Chief Water Engineer at the American Samoa
Power Authority Water Division for four years. In this Interview, he unpacks the challenges of
responding to non-revenue water losses that affect the American Samoa Power Authority
(ASPA).
Jason Jaskowiak is the Wastewater Chief at the American Samoa Power Authority. He has
Associates, Bachelors and Masters degree in Science, Environmental Engineering and Civil
Engineering, respectively.
By Karen Delfau, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Water loss/ non-revenue water is
an important issue throughout the
Asia-Pacific. How does ASPA de-
tect and deal with this matter?
Will: ‘Non-revenue water’ is water
in the piping system which for some
reason is not being paid for by cus-
tomers - either because of losses
through leakage or because of meter
errors or theft. We estimate approxi-
mately 60% of water in ASPA’s pipes is
being lost, largely because of leaks
from the old piping system. ASPA has
about 150 miles of water mains and
about 150 miles of service laterals, and
most were put in over 60 years ago.
Our asbestos-cement pipes in par-
ticular (they were put in around 1960)
are losing large volumes of water
through leaks at the pipe-joints (every
12-13ft).We shut the valves and empty a
length of pipe to repair a leak, but then
re-pressurizing the system introduces
water hammer in these old pipes and
creates more leaks along the line. It's
an ongoing problem.
The crazy thing is that the leaks
may be as much as 200 gallons a
minute but they don't show on the
ground surface. The water is pouring
down into the lava rock, and the pipes
are buried about four to five feet deep,
so our leak-detection team has to use
an acoustic device to listen for the
leaks. When the crew finds a leak they
report it and then the construction
crew comes, a day or two later, and
repairs it. Most of our mains pipes are
under the road, so they often do the
leak detection at night to avoid the
traffic in the morning. Sometimes cus-
tomers call to report a leak, and we
have two plumbing contractors that
ASPA has hired to fix those leaks - one
for the east of the island and one for
the west.
Non-revenue water is also lost
when household meters are inopera-
tive for any reason. We have another
team that checks the water meters in
the villages - they may be buried or
may not be working properly - and
replaces those meters. This team
reports illegal connections they find,
where families are tapping into the
water without a meter. ASPA identifies
the household through its electricity
account and imposes a fine (minimum
of US$ 1000). If the household asks for
a reconnection, our team puts in a
back-flow preventer before installing
the new meter.
We are seeing improvement in the
volumes of non-revenue water in the
areas we focusing on. For example, in
one case we have reduced the water
loss from over 150 gallons a minute to
50 gallons a minute. The leak detection
crew found a leak on the main line that
they estimated was losing about 80
gallons a minute. After repair, our
analysis of the in-line water metering
data showed a tremendous cut in that
flow.
There is a small ‘silver lining’ to this
situation in that 99% of American
Samoa’s water resources come from
groundwater, so you could say these
water leaks into the lava rock are act-
ing as recharge - very expensive
recharge water!
Non-revenue water is going to be a
problem for a long time and we have to
keep on top of it continuously. You
can't just hire someone to do a one-off
fix and go away again because leaks
will recur. Instead, ASPA aims to min-
imize the losses and the inconvenience
to the residents by (i) having its own
detection teams - one going around the
households and one out listening; and
(ii) repairing the leak within 24 hours
of discovery if possible, and with the
water shut off for no more than 4
hours during the work.
What types and brands of equip-
ment and materials do you use for
fixing these losses and what are
some of the costs?
Will: ASPA has been replacing the
old water metering system so as to
improve the way we manage the pro-
duction and pressures. The EPA has
been funding that project. There are
52 production wells in American
Samoa and we are progressively
replacing all their meters: the highest
producing wells were done first.
Our new Mag Meters and Variable
Frequency Drives (VFDs) are working
well. (VFDs are sometimes called
VSDs -possibly short for varying speed
drive). With these devices, we can con-
trol the flow from the production wells
as well as the pressure in the system,
and that helps alleviate the water ham-
mer that happens when the pressure
fluctuates too much and causes new
leaks.
The VFDs actually save us money
on the electric side as well as saving
water. We set the VFDs so they speed
up (or ‘wake up’) the pumping rate if
the water pressure drops to a certain
point, let's say 30psi. Then once the
pressure reaches, say, 50psi, the motor
is set to turn off again (‘go to sleep’).
For certain areas we can isolate the
section of pipe that we're working on,
so we just shut a valve and not the
entire system. The VFD will sense that
the pressure has increased because
the valve is closed, so it will slow down

44 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER


the motor.
We are using a smart meter called
an iPerl, which reads water-use and
has the advantage that it collects data
every hour and we can download that
to check on the hourly usage. The iPerl
is a little bit more expensive than the
old pipe meters, but we think the
investment will pay off itself in a few
years. We are also hoping to start
using AMI (Advanced Metering
Infrastructure). That will mean we can
network our meters and see all the
data in real time. That's more expen-
sive again, and it’s the next step. A
company called SENSUS makes the
iPerl and they also supply and help
install an AMI system.
Once we have the AMI operating
we will be able to use a SENSUS sys-
tem called SCADA1or a similar online
program for integrating control and
data acquisition. We will be able to see
how much water is AWP going to any
given area, and how much the con-
sumers are using. The difference will
be the leaks, and we will be able to
send out the leak-detection crew to
find it. It helps when the areas are
smaller because we can find leaks
faster in a small length of pipe than a
long one, and it also should mean less
of the pipe system needs to be shut off
for the repair.
For leak detection, the field crews
use small devices that look like metal
detectors. You can buy them from a
number of different companies
throughout the world: for example, in
the US, New Zealand, Australia,
Germany. There is plenty of informa-
tion online about them. They are rela-
tively expensive, costing up to US$
20,000 or US$ 30,000 per unit,
depending on the model you get, but
not expensive compared to hiring an
off-island crew. The investment is well
worth it. They are easy for a trained
team to use.
We are also replacing the old
asbestos-cement pipes, at a cost of
US$ 100 million. The old HTPE pipe
also needs replacing, and that will cost
another US$ 100million. There is
about 50-miles of pipe to be replaced,
and we are using PVC at the moment
for that, on the basis that they should
last at least 50 years. There is a new
piping material being used in New
Zealand and other areas, called PVCO.
It's better than PVC and we shall be
using that in the future. For all the new
pipes, of course, we also have to make
sure they are bedded in properly for
good support.
EXPRESS WATER
How is sewage managed on Ameri-
can Samoa?
Jason: American Samoa is one of
the few places in the United States
that still has a waiver for secondary
treatment. So, we actually only need to
have primary wastewater treatment.
However, ASPA recently installed two
UV reactors, one in each of our waste-
water treatment plants. These are now
providing disinfection, whereas a year
ago there was no disinfection of our
wastewater.
About 40% of people are serviced
by the sewerage system, and we are
continually working to expand that
system. Of the remainder of the popu-
lation (though we don’t have accurate
data), possibly 30% have proper septic
tanks and the rest have a traditional
cesspool, which is a hole in the ground
that the toilets run into. A cesspool
doesn't provide containment or treat-
ment for the raw sewage.
In the last three years, we have
been modifying households’ onsite
treatment. If a household is not on the
sewer systems, we would like them to
have a septic tank, and we are encour-
aging the family owners to build one.
While they’re building it we come out
to the site three to four times and
inspect it and lend assistance to make
sure the system is constructed proper-
ly.
Unlike on the US mainland, water
drains out of many onsite systems
very, very fast and can negatively
impact our unconfined aquifers unless
it is constructed appropriately.
Systems which drain too fast do not
allow time for proper microbial treat-
ment, which means nitrogen and
potentially E.coli could be contaminat-
ing the groundwater aquifers.
Our solution is to change the way
the septic systems are installed. Here
we deliberately create a barrier under-
neath the leach-field, by digging deep-
er and creating a barrier using special
material which is then compacted.
This layer slows down the percolation
to a suitable rate that is slow enough to
facilitate the growth of a biofilm and
provide treatment in those onsite sys-
tems.
How is ASPA achieving compliant
wastewater treatment?
Jason: As noted earlier (Q4),
American Samoa has one of the few
remaining waivers on secondary treat-
ment.
The UV reactors have enabled us to
meet all of our permit requirements
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
for bacteriological concentrations in
our discharged wastewater. In the
past, there had been issues with the
levels of Enterococci, the bacteria that
survive better in salt water.
ASPA expects we, along with other
places, will lose the waiver of second-
ary treatment in the foreseeable
future. Five years ago, ASPA contract-
ed an assessment of secondary treat-
ment possibilities, but the product
offered them then (fine bubbles diffu-
sion at a cost of US$ 80 million) was
unsuitable. It wasn’t innovative and it
was unsuited to the limitations and the
cost of electricity here.
Instead, I have designed a much
more easily operated and cheaper
method of achieving secondary treat-
ment, using our existing infrastructure
and just modifying it with the addition
of some screening up front. The key is
to use two stages of screening to
replace primary clarification, and then
use those existing primary clarifiers
for biological treatment and secondary
clarification.
The first stage is called the step
screen: it has about a half-inch open-
ing, and all the wastewater goes
through that screen. This type of
screen cleans itself: the screen looks
like a small escalator and it’s constant-
ly moving and it cleans itself as it rolls
around. The second stage screen -
which will be funded only when we
think the waiver is about to be
removed - will be even finer. It will be
like a drum screen and provide an even
better output.
Screened effluent will go into a
trickling filter for biological treatment;
then our existing clarifiers will clarify
that secondary effluent; and finally
that output will go into the UV reac-
tors and out. The trickling filter could
be an MVVR, which is sort of a trick-
ling filter that’s filled full of water, but
that type requires more energy than
others, and a little more maintenance,
and blowers and things like that, so the
decision is not yet made. We hope the
better quality wastewater passing out
of this secondary system will reduce
the amount of labor needed to main-
tain the UV reactors.
Any suggestions to help other Pa-
cific agencies address non-rev-
enue water effectively and at rela-
tively low cost?
Will: Having data is very impor-
tant. They could sub-divide their
water system into smaller and smaller
areas, so they can see more easily
where the water is coming from and
the areas it’s going to, and then do a
water balance. The American Water
Works Association has a water balance
spreadsheet, for example; the Pacific
Water and Wastes Association may
have something similar.
First, they need to do the sub-divid-
ing on their map, based on the infor-
mation they already have. Then they
can go out and test it by closing valves,
and seeing what happens to the pres-
sure along the line as a result, and then
opening the valves and making sure
that the water serves certain areas.
That way they can home in on the
areas where the water seems to be
going.
Then when money is available they
can start installing in-line meters, like
we're doing, to get more information.
The in-line meters record a flow every
hour, and that helps us see if the flow
going to a given area is increasing or
decreasing, and how much water is
going to this area. Since we already
know the number of customers in that
area and their water use per month or
per day, we can then see how much
water we're losing in that area and
send in our leak detection crew to try
to find the leak.
But first you must have some good
information, a good collection of data,
to help you sub-divide the system
down to smaller enough units. Of
course, to do this, each customer in the
target areas must have a meter or else
this method will not work so well.
• Sub-divide the system into subsec-
tions in order to have really good
data to be able to focus and target
your efforts.
• Do the water balance: the AWWA or
PWWA water balance spreadsheet
can help you grasp the way the
water is flowing.
• Put in as many meters as you can,
suitable for each of the parts of the
system: not only the in-line meters
collecting flow every hour but also
meters at the household level.
• And have a dedicated team making
ongoing effort to continually address
non-revenue water. Don’t give up on
non-revenue water even though it is
frustrating to work on a section and
then on your return there to find
that the losses have gone up again.
It’s an ongoing thing.
The Australian Water Partnership
(AWP) is an Australian Government
development initiative enhancing the sus-
tainable management of water across the
Indo-Pacific.
May, 2018 45
 COVER STORY
The Path to Mastery in Water Loss
Management
Your personal success is most important, and out of it only the benefits for your company and
for society (especially considering poor state of water infrastructure in India) will rise.
By Jurica Kovac
Introduction
Water Loss Management is
part of my life and my occupa-
tion for the last 20 years (and
my age now is 44), with anoth-
er 5 years (my first job) being
an employee in one public
water utility (working as tech-
nician in operation and main-
tenance department), what
was a valuable experience,
crucial for later phase in my
professional life.
Today, my occupation is
most of the time related with
education of employees in
public water utilities, since I
had the privilege and opportu-
nity to study and practice
practically all aspects of water
loss management (from basic
leak detection, through meas-
urements, pressure control,
repair, GIS, remote monitor-
ing, up to the analyses, invest-
ments planning, projects
implementation and national
legislation change), and with
active presence in various
countries in my region
46 May, 2018
(Western Balkan, Southeast
Europe - former Yugoslavia,
for older readers who still
remember this state).
You, dear readers, I
believe, are more or less famil-
iar with the water loss topic
(methodologies and technolo-
gies), especially if you are
already interested in this
aspect of water networks
operations and maintenance,
so, the purpose of this article
is more philosophical in
nature, in order to present
you what attitude leads to suc-
cess. (for sure you who will
decide to dive deeper into my
article).
My intention is following;
to present you with my per-
spective (proven in practice,
recently discovered with clear
explanations in one great
book) what should be the
foundation pillars in the path
toward success in your life as
an expert, or better to say,
master in water loss manage-
ment. In fact, your personal
success is most important,
and out of it only the benefits
for your company and for soci-
ety (especially considering
poor state of water infrastruc-
ture in India) will rise.
While describing these pil-
lars, I will use (borrow) some
lines from few books and doc-
uments I have found particu-
larly interesting and most
importantly, inspiring, at least
in my life.
Pillar 1: Know Yourself
You possess an inner force
that seeks to guide you toward
your life’s task - what you are
meant to accomplish in the
time that you have to live. The
first move toward mastery is
always inward - learning who
you really are and reconnect-
ing with that innate force.
Knowing it with clarity, you
will find your way to the prop-
er career path and everything
else will fall into place. It is
never too late to start this
process.
You must understand the
following: In order to master a
field, you must love the sub-
ject and feel a profound con-
nection to it.
When you are faced with
deficiencies instead of
strengths and inclinations,
this is the strategy you must
assume: ignore your weak-
nesses and resist the tempta-
tion to be more like others.
Instead, direct yourself
toward the small things you
are good at. Do not dream or
make grand plans for the
future, but instead concen-
trate on becoming proficient
at these simple and immediate
skills. This will bring you con-
fidence and become a base
from which you can expand to
other pursuits. Proceeding in
this way, step by step, you will
get what you want. Have in
mind following advice: goals
are for losers, systems are for
winners.
Pillar 2: The Apprentice-
ship
After your formal educa-
tion (or in case of water loss
management, in addition by
studying available literature,
attending seminars or train-
ings), you must enter the most
critical phase - a second, prac-
tical education known as - The
Apprenticeship. You must
learn the lessons and follow
the path established by the
greatest masters - past and
present. In the process (sys-
tems!, remember) you will
master the necessary skills,
discipline your mind, and
transform yourself into an
independent thinker, pre-
pared for the creative chal-
lenges on the way to mastery
in water loss management
(maybe even life as a whole,
why not!).
To follow precisely the lead
of others or advice from a
book is self-defeating. To avoid
too many mistakes and disap-
pointments you must under-
stand human psychology and
how the brain itself functions.
There is one overarching prin-
ciple in this phase: The goal of
an apprenticeship is not
money, a good position, a title,
or a diploma, but rather the
transformation of your mind
and character. This has a sim-
ple consequence: you must
choose greatest possibilities
for learning (and for sure
actively working in, for exam-
ple, water utility, gives you a
great environment for learn-
ing and practical experimen-
tation). Practical knowledge is
the ultimate commodity and is
what will pay you dividends
for decades to come.
The Apprenticeships
Phase - The Three Steps
Have in mind three essen-
tial steps: Deep Observation
(The Passive Mode) - observe
the world around you, every-
thing is important to you; peo-
ple, company organization,
culture, habits, communica-
tion, of course, water system
itself (technology, practice,
knowledge, methodologies),
how it works, mistakes, etc.
Most importantly, analyze
working environment - in
other words, “this is how we
do things here” and further-
more the power relationships
that exist within groups: who
has real control, who is on the
rise and who is on the decline.
You are not there to change
that culture, and if oppressing,
you can only get fired. Later,
when you attain power and
mastery, you will be the one to
rewrite or change the rules.
Remember this: in most
cases, water losses are high
just because water utility
companies are managed inef-
ficiently, with insufficient
competencies or/and demoti-
vated staff.
Next step is Skills
Acquisition (The Practice
Mode): At some point, as you
progress through observation,
you will enter the most critical
part of the apprenticeship:
practice toward the acquisi-
tion of skills. Every human
activity involves the master-
ing of skills, like operating a
tool or machinery, creating
something physical or mental
exercise like creative thinking
and problem-solving. In
acquiring any kind of skill,
there exists a natural process
that coincides with the func-
tioning of our brains. First, it
is essential that you begin
EXPRESS WATER

with one skill that you can
master and that serves as the
foundation for acquiring oth-
ers. You must avoid at all costs
the idea that you can manage
learning several skills at the
same time. Second, boredom
we experience in the initial
stage of learning toughens our
minds, much like physical
exercise (what you must over-
come). The process of acquir-
ing new skill (especially prac-
tical part) has a profound
influence on our brain, what is
today called neuroplasticity
(in short, creation and
strengthening new neural
pathways - brain rewiring).
Although it might seem that
the time necessary to master
the requisite skills and attain
a level of expertise would
depend on the field and your
own talent level, those who
have researched the subject
repeatedly come up with the
number of 10,000 hours (7-10
years of sustained, solid prac-
tice). In other words, concen-
trated practice over time can-
not fail but produce results.
The Third step is
Experimentation (The
Active Mode): This is the
shortest part of the process,
but a critical component
nonetheless. As you gain in
skill and confidence, you must
make a move to a more active
mode of experimentation.
This could mean taking more
responsibility, doing work that
exposes you to the criticism of
peers or even the public. You
are observing yourself in
action and seeing how you
respond to the judgments of
others (can you take criticism
and use it constructively?).
Most people wait too long to
take this step (if ever), gener-
ally out of fear.
Many people might find the
notion of an apprenticeship
and skill acquisition as quaint
relics of bygone eras when
work meant making things
(but considering my brief
experience from visiting India
in 2016, during IWA Water
Loss conference in Bangalore,
and witnessing countless little
shops and craftsmen, I think
this spirit still lives with you).
EXPRESS WATER
We have entered the informa-
tion and technology age, but
this will not make our lives
simpler, but just the opposite,
we are entering times of
increased complexity. In all
areas, the human brain is
asked to do and handle more
than ever before. What this
means is that all of us must
possess different forms of
knowledge and an array of
skills in different fields, and
have minds that are capable of
organizing large amounts of
information. Take, just for
example, the particular topic
of water loss management -
everything in water distribu-
tion systems management has
some relevance and influence
on water losses, from design,
construction up to daily main-
tenance, materials, measur-
ing, control, know-how, com-
pany organization, employees
motivation, competences,
communication, etc.
The future belongs to
those who learn more skills,
no matter how virtual,
remains the same. In the
future, the great division will
be between those who have
trained themselves to handle
these complexities and those
who are overwhelmed by
them. The Apprenticeship
Phase is more relevant and
important than ever, and
those who discount this notion
will almost certainly be left
behind.
In general, no matter your
field, you must think of your-
self as a builder, using actual
materials and ideas. You are
producing something tangible
in your work, something that
affects people in some direct,
concrete way. You are crafts-
man learning to adhere to the
highest standards. For all of
this, you must go through a
careful apprenticeship. You
cannot make anything worth-
while in this world unless you
have first developed and
transformed yourself.
Pillar 3: Absorb the Mas-
ter’s Power
Life is short, and your time
for learning and creativity is
limited. Without any guid-
ance, you can waste valuable
years trying to gain knowl-
edge and practice from vari-
ous sources. Instead, you
must follow the example set
by Masters throughout the
ages and find a proper mentor.
The mentor-protege relation-
ship is the most efficient and
productive form of learning.
The right mentors know
where to focus your attention
and how to challenge you.
Their knowledge and experi-
ence become yours. They pro-
vide immediate and realistic
feedback on your work, so you
can improve more rapidly.
Choose the mentor who best
fits your needs and who con-
nects you to your task. Your
goal is always to surpass your
mentors in mastery and bril-
liance.
Here I can advise you in
India (and elsewhere) the fol-
lowing, regarding water loss
management: identify those
who have reached high-level
of expertise and experience
and attract them to become
mentors to others. In the mar-
ket for water supply, we
already have an environment
of non-competition (since
each utility has a natural
monopoly in own area of influ-
ence - population or territory).
The good way forward is to
establish regular yearly gath-
erings of people interested in
similar activities (for example
water loss, but this can be also
in other fields of expertise) of
neighboring utilities. It can be
only one-day meeting, in a
relaxed atmosphere, and
where people can talk,
exchange experiences and
learn from those who are the
best.
Pillar 4: Social Intelligence
- See People As They Are
Often the greatest obstacle
to our pursuit of mastery
comes from the emotional
drain we experience in dealing
with people around us. If we
are not careful, our mind gets
absorbed in endless intrigues
and battles. The principal
problem we face in social
arena is our own naive ten-
dency to project onto people
CUTTING OUR LOSSES - NRW
our own emotional needs and
desires of the moment. We
misread their intentions and
react in ways that cause con-
fusion or conflict. Social intel-
ligence is the ability to see
people in the most realistic
light possible. By moving past
our usual self-absorption, we
can learn to focus deeply on
others, reading their behavior
at the moment, seeing what
motivates them, and discern-
ing any possible manipulative
tendencies. Navigating
smoothly the social environ-
ment, we have more time and
energy to focus on learning
and acquiring skills. The suc-
cess attained without this
intelligence is not true mas-
tery, and will not last.
The knowledge, that is
often neglected and underval-
ued, is the understanding of
human behavior. This should
be one of your constant areas
of interest not only in profes-
sional but also private life.
This way you have the oppor-
tunity to learn fundaments
about yourself and about all
others. Remember one fact: it
is not conscious mind that
drives peoples lives, but an
unconscious one.
Pillar 5: The Creative - Ac-
tive
As you accumulate more
skills and internalize the rules
that govern your filed, your
mind will want to become
more active, seeking to use
this knowledge in ways that
are more suited to your incli-
nations. What will impede this
natural creative dynamic from
flourishing is not a lack of tal-
ent, but your attitude. Feeling
anxious and insecure, you will
tend to turn conservative with
your knowledge, preferring to
fit into the group and sticking
to the procedures you have
learned. Instead, you must
force yourself into the oppo-
site direction. As you emerge
from your apprenticeship, you
must become increasingly
bold. Instead of feeling com-
placent about what you know,
you must expand your knowl-
edge to related fields, giving
your mind fuel to make new
associations between different
ideas. You must experiment
and look at problems from all
possible angles. As your think-
ing grows more fluid, your
mind will become increasingly
dimensional, seeing more and
more aspects of reality (or to
say, all different aspects of
complexity in dealing with
water loss control).
I would advise you to learn
how creative thinking works
and in this field it is particu-
larly interesting to explore the
technique of mind mapping
(for problem-solving, making
notes, planning, etc.).
Pillar 6: Fuse the Intuitive
with the Rational - Mastery
All of us have access to a
higher form of intelligence,
one that can allow us to see
more of the world, to antici-
pate trends, to respond with
speed and accuracy to any cir-
cumstance. This intelligence
is cultivated by deeply
immersing ourselves in a field
of study and staying true to
our inclinations, no matter
how unconventional our
approach seems to others.
When we fuse this intuitive
feel with rational processes,
we expand our minds to the
outer limits of our potential
and are able to see into the
secret core of life itself. We
then come to have powers that
approximate the instinctive
force and speed of animals,
but with the added reach that
our human consciousness
brings us. This power is what
our brains were designed to
attain, and we will be natural-
ly led to this type of intelli-
gence if we follow our inclina-
tions to their ultimate ends.
Conclusion
I hope this article will gain
your interest to proceed fur-
ther in reading and learning
about mastery. I had my own
path in attaining skills related
to water loss management.
About the Author
Jurica Kovac is a consult-
ant in water loss management.
He is current Secretary of the
IWA Water Loss Specialist
Group and lives in Croatia.
May, 2018 47
 URBAN WATER
100RC and NIUAAnnounce National Level
Effort for Urban Resilience in India
(Left to Right) Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities; Dr. M. Ravi Kanth (IAS) Chairman & MD, HUDCO; Michael Berkowitz, President, 100 Resilient Cities;
Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State with Independent Charge in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs; and Prof. Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA
THE 100 RESILIENT Cities
(100RC) - pioneered by the
Rockefeller Foundation - and
the National Institute of Urban
Affairs (NIUA) have
announced a formal partner-
ship to expand collaborative
resilience-building efforts in
India. Earlier this year at the
World Urban Forum, Minister
for Housing and Urban Affairs
Hardeep Singh Puri oversaw
the signing of a letter of intent
for the two organisations to
collaborate to develop evi-
dence and policy frameworks
that can be used by the
48 May, 2018
MoHUA and the Government
of India to promote and sup-
port the development of
resilient cities across the coun-
try. To lead this work, NIUA
and 100RC are looking for can-
didates to fill the newly creat-
ed position of Resilience Chair.
The partnership brings
together theoretical frame-
works and practical city-
assessments to build local
capacity and embed resilience
into the heart of urban dis-
course.
This will include convening
urban planning institutes,
MoHUA, philanthropies, pri-
vate sector, multilateral finan-
cial institutes, and other urban
experts to build strong part-
nerships for advocating
resilience in Indian cities and
incorporating urban resilience
into the India@75 agenda.
Amit Prothi, Head of India
National Strategy, 100
Resilient Cities, said “This
partnership will build on the
work 100RC has been doing in
partnership with Chief
Resilience Officers and munic-
ipal government in Surat,
Pune, Chennai, and Jaipur and
100 RESILIENT CITIES
will seek to help us better
define what urban resilience
means in an Indian context
and how it can support the
development of India’s fast-
growing cities. This partner-
ship will deepen our impact in
the four cities we’re already
operating in and will help us
spread the practice of
resilience to other cities and
states supported by robust
data and critical stakeholder
engagement.”
“With this partnership and
new Resilience Chair Unit,
NIUA seeks to bring focus and
tenacity to the resilience agen-
da at the national and state lev-
els,” said Jagan Shah, Director,
NIUA. “Bringing a holistic per-
spective and a deeper under-
standing to bear on the subject
of resilience, the Resilience
Chair will serve as our leading
expert, providing direction on
our work in the larger urban
sector in India and maximizing
the impact of our collaboration
with 100 Resilient Cities. This
partnership represents a
remarkable milestone for
NIUA on its journey towards
building resilience in India.”
EXPRESS WATER
 URBAN WATER
Express Water Exclusive
Amit Prothi, Head of India National Strategy, 100 Resilient Cities
Mayur Sharma interact-
ed with Amit Prothi, Head of
India National Strategy, 100
Resilient Cities about the sta-
tus of 100RC project in India,
and the partnership
announced between 100RC
and the National Institute of
Urban Affairs (NIUA).
Please update us on the
overall progress of 100 Re-
silient Cities (100RC) proj-
ect so far in India.
Mr. Prothi: 100 Resilient
Cities - Pioneered by the
Rockefeller Foundation
(100RC) is dedicated to help-
ing cities around the world
become more resilient to the
physical, social, and economic
challenges that are a growing
part of the 21st century. The
Asian Cities for Climate
Change Resilience Network
(ACCCRN) and the Urban
Climate Change Resilience
(UCCR) project supported by
the Rockefeller Foundation in
various South and South-
East Asian countries has
resulted in a vast body of
knowledge about resilience in
the Asian context. The 100RC
EXPRESS WATER
network, formed in 2013, was
an attempt to ground learn-
ings from ACCCRN and to
build local capacity to develop
resilience toward the acute
and chronic shocks faced by
these cities. Four cities in
India - Pune (Maharashtra),
Jaipur (Rajasthan), Surat
(Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil
Nadu) - competed to receive
support in the form of a Chief
Resilience Officer (CRO) who
acts as a nodal person for the
city’s efforts and a strategy
partner (consulting firm) that
supports the city to prepare a
Resilience Strategy. The
CROs are working with the
municipal corporations to
create city resilience strate-
gies (CRS) for the necessary
adaptations and other solu-
tions that the city must
undergo to become resilient
towards natural and man-
made challenges.
The city of Chennai was
selected to join the 100RC
network in 2014. In 2016, the
city hosted the urban flooding
summit, which was followed
by the announcement of R
Krishna Mohan as its Chief
Resilience Officer in June
2017. In February 2018, the
city announced the comple-
tion of its Preliminary
Resilience Assessment to pin-
point the areas of focus for
Chennai and outline city pri-
orities moving forward. The
PRA revealed six ‘Discovery
areas’ for the next phase of
the resilience-building efforts
– Water Systems, Metro
Governance, Civic
Engagement, Service delivery
to Vulnerable and Low-
income Groups, Healthy and
Planned Urbanization, and
Financing Urban Resilience.
Pune was selected to be a
part of the 100RC network in
2016. The city is working on
finalizing its Preliminary
Resilience Assessment under
the leadership of CRO
Mahesh Harhare. Following
initial community and gov-
ernment engagement and a
thorough perceptions audit,
the city will focus future work
on exploring how to overcome
challenges related to mobility,
the natural environment,
planning for urban growth,
and job creation and youth
empowerment. Former
Commissioner Kunal Kumar
has been a vocal advocate for
resilience building efforts in
the city and a key leader on
the steering committee. With
his move to Delhi as the new
Director of the Smart Cities
Mission, we hope to be able to
drive opportunities for collab-
oration and learning between
the two programs to help
India’s cities become smart
and resilient.
The city of Surat released
its Resilience Strategy in
April 2017 and is now focus-
ing on delivering a major ini-
tiative to clean up the River
Tapi. This project will trans-
form Surtis’ relationship with
their primary body of water.
Resulting benefits will
include the long-term provi-
sion of clean drinking water
for millions of citizens,
enhanced potential for recre-
100 RESILIENT CITIES
ational areas along the river,
the restoration of ecosystems
in the river’s buffer areas, and
improvements to the river’s
accessibility. Through the
CRO teams in both cities,
Surat has built a successful
partnership with Rotterdam
and have signed a series of
MOUs for cooperation.
Rotterdam will be sharing its
water expertise and experi-
ence with Surat to review its
upcoming water-related proj-
ects (canal redevelopment,
water supply, wastewater
treatment, etc) and particu-
larly advancing the Surat
Tapi River Clean-up and
River Masterplan project.
Jaipur was selected to the
100RC network in 2016. The
city held its Agenda-Setting
Workshop in October 2017 to
highlight its main challenges
as one of the oldest planned
cities in India. These include
infrastructural challenges in
transportation and sanitation
and a high risk of infectious
disease. The city will appoint
its first Chief Resilience
Officer later this month, and
from there, will work to bal-
ance the challenges of creat-
ing a modern and liveable city
while preserving and protect-
ing Jaipur’s historic land-
marks and cultural heritage.
What is the scope of water
& wastewater treatment
technologies and solu-
tions in the 100RC proj-
ect?
Mr. Prothi: Surat’s River
Tapi Clean-up project is an
excellent example of a project
focusing on water treatment
and management, which is
one of 100RC’s two key strate-
gy-pillars. Following the
release of the city’s Resilience
Strategy, Surat held its Surat
Resilience Academy, to dis-
cuss implementation strate-
gies for projects in the priori-
ty areas identified by both
100RC and city representa-
tives. Among others, these
include cleaning the Tapi
river, and Tapi River Vision
2030.
Surat’s Tapi River has
deteriorated over the years
due to the presence of pollu-
tion and untreated sewage,
which have affected the river
itself as well as the Mindhola
river nearby. A project to
clean up the river will restore
the population’s source of
fresh drinking water and
ecosystems in the nearby
areas. The project aims to
target the sewage at its
source by enhancing sewage
treatment facilities and incor-
porating cogeneration plants
into the city’s river cleaning
strategies. These measures
will increase the efficacy of
current clean-up efforts with
place-based interventions
throughout the course of the
Tapi river.
Building on the momen-
tum from the clean-up proj-
ect, the next step for Surat
will be the Tapi River Vision
2030, restoring the river’s
potential as a key source of
water and the lifeblood of
trade, while being a source of
public enjoyment and ensur-
ing the health of the river
continues to improve over
time. With the addition of fea-
tures such as sewer drain fil-
ters and recreational and
landscape elements, the revi-
talization of the River
through an inclusive, innova-
tive, and integrated strategy
has the potential to transform
the lives of millions of Surtis.
What are the economic
challenges for resilient
cities, in your opinion?
Mr. Prothi: Cities can no
longer have the resources or
the time to be able to solve
one problem at a time. Cities
need to be comfortable plan-
ning for uncertainty - prepar-
ing for what they can predict
and strengthening for what
they can’t. This work requires
political will and a new level
of collaboration that cities
aren’t used to. Building
May, 2018 49
 URBAN WATER
beginning - 100RC’s partner-
ship with NIUA represents
100RC’s commitment to sup-
port resilience efforts on the
national level, across the
country. India is urbanizing
rapidly, with over 8000 cities
located in different geo-cli-
matic and socio-economic
conditions. Resource inten-
sive, unplanned and unregu-
lated growth characterizes
the country’s urban trajecto-
ry, creating risk for urban
inhabitants and making them
prone to shocks and strains
caused by climate change
and related phenomena.
The efforts of the Ministry
of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change (MoEFCC),
the National Disaster
Management Authority
(NDMA) and the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affair
(MoHUA), earlier the
Ministry of Urban
Development, have been
focused on developing the
governance and management
frameworks for resilience,
but cities are still missing the
practical evidence necessary
for city administrations to
Prof. Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA and Michael Berkowitz, President, take action. As part of our
100 Resilient Cities commitment to our network,
100RC provides cities with
resilience demands a new multiple benefits is critical. access to tools, service
kind of thinking and planning providers, and partners from
with foresight that goes How can more Indian the private, public, and non-
beyond election cycles. cities get involved in the profit sectors who can help
Sometimes this can also 100RC project? cities develop and implement
mean investing more time Mr. Prothi: The four their resilience strategies.
and more resources now to cities selected to the 100RC 100RC also facilitates work-
ensure better outcomes in network represent anchor shops, learning exchanges
the future. Getting decision- cities where resilience-build- and knowledge sharing
makers and funders to ing programs have been opportunities for CROs to
understand this is a key chal- taken up by the communities share best practices, solve
lenge. The Asian to tackle the particular chal- problems collectively, and
Development Bank estimates lenges that face each city. In learn from each other and
that this region will need to each of these cities, these from other resilience experts.
invest US$1.7 trillion per year efforts have been led by a
through 2030 to meet infra- Chief Resilience Officer Tell us about your recent
structure needs. We’re facing (CRO), a position established partnership with the Na-
a huge infrastructure gap, a with the financial and logisti- tional Institute of Urban
huge need for investment and cal guidance of 100RC. The Affairs (NIUA). How will it
a rapidly growing urban pop- CRO leads the city’s help in the resilience-
ulation. It’s going to be enor- resilience efforts and con- building efforts in India?
mously difficult to makeup venes stakeholders in the Mr. Prothi: To build
deficits and plan for and development of a city resilience in Indian cities,
meet emerging needs at the Resilience Strategy, which there is a need for localiza-
same time. This is why smart serves as the city’s roadmap tion of know-how and skills in
investment into thoughtful to resilience. the diverse urban conditions
solutions that are designed The work that has started across the Indian subconti-
for future needs and deliver in these cities is only the nent, which poses the chal-
50 May, 2018
lenges of scope, scale, and
depth. While the
Government of India has
been dedicated to the devel-
opment of resilient and sus-
tainable cities, the urban sec-
tor still requires well-docu-
mented evidence, practical
knowledge and good prac-
tices that can be built on in
order to embed resilience
into the urban discourse. The
number of cities and the
many complexities in urban
planning and governance
only add scale to the chal-
lenge. Indian cities need to
develop in-depth assess-
ments of their physical,
social, economic and environ-
mental risks and vulnerabili-
ty, such that they can prepare
adaptation strategies and
develop resilient infrastruc-
ture.
The CROs in the four
cities in the 100RC network
and the broader network of
ACCCRN partners across
the country are significant
assets for research and advo-
cacy. However, there is a
need for concerted efforts to
build the coalition and create
momentum that can embed
resilience discourse into
national and state level poli-
cies and programmatic initia-
tives. This partnership
between 100RC and NIUA is
a suitably-positioned national
level initiative that would be
able to address this need.
The priorities for this part-
nership include various meas-
ures to develop tangible
means and practical evidence
that are meaningful for city
administrations. These
include:
• Methods, tools and meas-
urement systems to embed
resilience in each city’s
development agenda
• Evidence for the ‘cost of
resilience’ required across
the urban sector
• Analytical frameworks and
data protocols for GIS-
based systems for urban
resilience
• ‘Data observatories’ to
capture relevant data and
perform necessary analyt-
ics and visualization for
WATER REUSE
modelling resilience sce-
narios in the city and the
immediate region.
• Building the capacity of
the Chief Resilience
Officers (CROs) in existing
100RC cities in India
• Training material for the
training of city govern-
ment and agency staff
across all sectors: plan-
ning, engineering, finance,
administration
As NIUA and 100RC are
looking for candidates for
the newly created posi-
tion of Resilience Chair,
what are the job require-
ments and scope of work?
Mr. Prothi: The
Resilience Chair will be an
international/national expert
who heads the Resilience
Chair Unit at NIUA and will
provide the overall direction
to its work, and represent the
work in the larger urban sec-
tor in India. The Resilience
Chair will convene urban
planning institutes, MoHUA,
philanthropies, private sector,
multilateral financial insti-
tutes, and other urban
experts to build strong part-
nerships for advocating
resilience in Indian cities and
embedding resilience into
their urban agendas. The
Chair will ground efforts to
build resilience through the
development of evidence and
policy frameworks that the
MoHUA and the Government
of India can use to promote
and support the development
of resilient cities across the
country. Throughout the
process, they will document
knowledge to bring greater
focus on the theme of
resilience in India’s approach
to urban and regional plan-
ning, and assist in creating
suitable curricular improve-
ments that explore the theme
of urban resilience from dif-
ferent perspectives. The
Resilience Chair will be sup-
ported by a highly qualified
team, the Resilience Chair
Unit, to bring focus and
tenacity to the resilience
agenda at the national & state
levels.
EXPRESS WATER
 OUT OF THE BOX
Addressing India’s Water Problems
In most areas of the world, and especially in India, there are growing efforts to reduce water
consumption in public restrooms. And we should note that reducing water consumption also
helps reduce energy consumption and protects the environment.
By Klaus Reichardt
THE WORLD OF water is
changing and with it, the pub-
lic restroom. This is true in
India as well as many other
areas of the world.
And one of the ways it is
changing is in how public rest-
rooms are designed and oper-
ated. We are starting to get a
glimpse of what the future
holds for public restrooms
based on new public rest-
rooms recently installed in an
Atlanta, GA, subway station.
Atlanta is a city located in the
southeastern section of the
U.S.
One of the first things to
note is that these new “loos”
are not large restrooms with
lots of fixtures and designed
for many people to use at one
time. Instead, these subway
station restrooms have been
designed to accommodate one
person at a time, more if fami-
ly members.
This way, they can address
some very specific issues asso-
ciated with public restrooms,
especially those located in
large public areas such as sub-
way stations, railway stations,
etc., and used by scores of peo-
ple throughout the day.
Frequently, these restrooms
must contend with vandalism,
loitering, or unlawful activity.
EXPRESS WATER
The one-restroom/one-per-
son concept is designed to pre-
vent this from happening. And
to do this, the Atlanta public
restrooms use virtual assis-
tants (VAs). In some cases,
these VAs are human - a
remotely-based attendant or
administrator that is always
on duty - but often they are
electronic devices that use
sensors and cameras to moni-
tor restroom activities.
Among the tasks carried
out by these VAs include the
following:
Entry Control
To help ensure only one
person uses the restroom at a
time (except parents with chil-
dren), users need to hit a call
button. A virtual assistant,
human or electronic, sees
them, because there is an
overhead camera, and buzzes
them in.
Timed Use
As soon as someone is
admitted to a restroom, a
timer begins. Usually, users
are given 10 minutes to use the
restroom. After that, they are
notified in one way or another
that time is up. However, if
necessary, the user can
request a few more minutes.
No Response
Ever heard of the vagus
nerve? The vagus nerve is one
of the largest nerves in the
body. When someone sits on a
toilet for a prolonged period,
the vagus nerve can respond
by slowing down the heart.
This can trigger cardiac
arrest. Heart attacks and
other health problems are rel-
atively common in public rest-
rooms. If the VA detects a
problem, an attendant will be
called in to check the restroom
to see if someone needs help.
Lost and Found
Restroom users frequently
leave things behind in public
restrooms. This Atlanta rest-
room has scanners that notify
administrators if they see
something has been left
behind.
The Focus is on Water
We are not sure whether
the loo of the future will look
like this or not. However, some
of these systems are already
showing up in restrooms
around the world. But, one
thing we can be sure of is that
restrooms of the future will be
very focused on water, or more
specifically, on ways to reduce
water consumption.
In most areas of the world,
and especially in India, there
are growing efforts to reduce
water consumption in public
restrooms. And we should
note that reducing water con-
sumption also helps reduce
energy consumption and pro-
tects the environment. The
delivery and removal of water
for public restrooms take
energy. Usually, this energy is
produced by oil, gas, or coal.
Less water needed reduces
the amount of energy neces-
sary, helping to protect natu-
ral resources and release
fewer greenhouse gases.
So, what steps are being
taken today and in the future
to reduce water consumption
in public restrooms? Many are
happening right now in India.
In fact, in some respects, India
is now playing a leadership
role in reducing the amount of
water used in public rest-
rooms, especially when it
comes to urinals and toilets.
For instance:
No-Water Urinals
Waterless urinals are at the
top of the list and are expected
to play a significant role in
helping India reduce water
consumption in public rest-
rooms. However, we should
point out that some of the ear-
liest installations of waterless
urinals were not as successful
as the industry had hoped. A
closer examination of what
has occurred reveals that
many cleaning workers and
others were not adequately
trained on how to clean and
maintain the no-water urinals.
Studies have shown that when
properly cleaned and main-
tained, not only can each of
these urinals save as much as
113,563 liters of water annually,
they are often more odor-free
and hygienic than traditional
water-using urinals.
Toilets
By now, most of us know
today’s toilets use far less
water per flush than those
made a decade or more ago.
And dual-flush toilets, com-
mon in Indian restrooms, use
even less. But the Indian
Railway system is now testing
a new type of toilet that uses
far less water than traditional
or dual-flush toilets. Referred
to as “bio-toilets,” these toilets
use specific types of bacteria
which consume waste materi-
al and convert it into water
that is clean, but not for
human or animal consump-
tion, and gas. This is why these
toilets are often referred to as
“bio-digesters.”
Water Security
India is playing a leader-
ship role when it comes to
reducing water consumption
and finding ways to use water
more efficiently and there is a
very good reason for this.
Water security is a growing
concern throughout India.
Climate change is making
large parts of India more vul-
nerable to water-related prob-
lems than many other coun-
tries of the world. According
to some studies, what is hap-
pening is that some areas of
the country are receiving far
less water than in the past and
other areas are getting much
more. This situation is not only
impacting large urban areas
where millions of people live,
but it is also playing havoc in
the agriculture sector.
Finding ways to adjust to
these changes, in the form of
building new water infrastruc-
ture and developing new ways
to better manage water con-
sumption and use water more
efficiently, as discussed here,
are critical to India’s future.
About the Author
Klaus Reichardt is a fre-
quent speaker and author on
water conservation issues, Klaus
Reichardt is Founder and CEO
of Waterless Co. Inc., based in
Vista, California, USA.
May, 2018 51
 KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of Nutrients Pollution

Amongst Environmental Agencies and
Municipal Institutions is Crucial
Nutrients pollution in waterways is the buzz word of water industry these days. Indeed, the
problem is complex, global and carries greater significance towards the community’s well-
being. As professionals, it is important for us to understand the extent and gravity of such
environmental issue. Mayur Sharma had an opportunity to talk with Archis Ambulkar, an
international water expert, to gain more insights into this nutrients pollution topic. With
significant contributions in this area, he agreed to discuss with us about this pollution
problem in details. Interview contemplates on many aspects of nutrients contamination in
the waterways including social impacts, ecological and economic setbacks, potential
pollution sources, mitigation measures and future directions.

Nutrient pollution of wa-
terways is the “single
greatest challenge to our
nation’s water quality,” ac-
cording to the United
States Environmental Pro-
tection Agency (EPA).
What are your views?
Mr. Ambulkar: Without a
doubt, nutrients pollution in
waterways is one of the key
challenges water industry has
faced in recent times. It car-
ries great significance
towards the sustainable use of
available water resources
around the world. Apart from
the water quality issues, nutri-
ents pollution can adversely
impact aquatic life, surround-
ing environment, recreational
businesses, tourism industry,
property values, fisheries and
many other sectors that are
directly or indirectly depend-
ent upon the affected water-
bodies. Such contamination
has a far-reaching influence
on community’s social, eco-
nomic, ecological, health and
hygienic aspects. Above state-
ment speaks of the extent and
intensity of this issue.
Compared to advanced coun-
tries, nutrients pollution prob-
lems are more severe and
aggravated in the developing
worlds. Hence, it is important
to understand the true nature
of this environmental problem
and implement mitigation
strategies before it is too late.
Can you describe nutrients
pollution and its major
contributors to waterbod-
ies?
Mr. Ambulkar: Both min-
eral and non-mineral nutri-
ents are essential for the exis-
tence and growth of aquatic
plants. However, the presence
of excess nutrients (such as
nitrogen and phosphorus)
may lead to an aggressive
growth of biomass that can
spread widely across the
waterways. Such phenome-
non, typically known as
eutrophication, results in
depleted oxygen levels,
reduced sunlight, foul smells,
aquatic mortalities and deteri-
oration of the water quality.
Damaging ecological conse-
quences as a result of high
nutrients concentration in
water are typically referred to
as nutrients pollution in
waterways. Major nutrients
contributors are typically
classified as point and non-
point sources. Point sources
refer to specific dischargers
such as municipal wastewater
treatment plants, industrial
effluents whereas non-point
sources are discrete discharg-
ers like agricultural lands and
stormwater runoffs. Nutrients
are typically carried to water-
ways from such originators
via surface or groundwater.
What are the main reasons
people should be con-
cerned about nutrients
pollution?
Mr. Ambulkar: Water is
an integral part of life. Human
beings rely on water
resources for their day-to-day
activities. Domestic, agricul-
tural, industrial and commer-
cial sectors are the major
water consumers. Growing
population and urbanization
are further increasing
demands and pressures for
adequate water supplies. On
the other hand, climate
change and varying weather
patterns are affecting nature’s
water cycle in many regions
and complicating water avail-
ability. While humanity is
experiencing these grave chal-
lenges, nutrients pollution in
waterways can worsen situa-
tions and greatly limit its
usability. Hence, as responsi-
ble citizens, it is important
that we are concerned and
well-aware of nutrients prob-
lems. People shall support and
actively participate in the pol-
lution control measures.
Why has the nutrients con-
tamination become a
global issue now?
Mr. Ambulkar: To achieve
improved quality of life and
comfort levels, societies are
promoting the development of
sophisticated techniques,
infrastructures, and systems
across the globe.
Industrialization and urban-
ization are a result of these
rising demands. Such social
and technological changes are
causing exploitation of natural
resources as well as the gener-
ation of pollutants that are
affecting the environment.
One such pollutant originating
from anthropogenic activities
is the nutrients contamina-
tion. Excessive nutrients dis-
charges are experienced in
several lakes, rivers, and
streams leading to eutrophi-
cation process thus becoming
a global problem. The gravity
of such pollution problem
varies widely across different
parts of the world.
What inspired you to un-
dertake waterways nutri-
ents pollution as an area of
expertise?
Mr. Ambulkar: I am work-
ing in the environmental sec-
tor for many years and water
pollution prevention has been
the main forte of my profes-
sion. However, as the experi-

52 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 KNOWLEDGE
ence and knowledge grew I
was drawn towards the nutri-
ents pollution area remark-
ably. While several kinds of
pollutants exist in the environ-
ment, I realized the unique
nature and significance of
nutrients contamination
towards communities.
Evolving environmental regu-
lations and government prior-
ities towards this problem
emboldened my thoughts that
this issue will have a major
impact on water industry’s
future and hence requires
proper attention. As a result, I
was inspired to focus my
efforts towards the nutrients
pollution topic.
Can you tell us about the
work that you do on the re-
duction of nutrients pollu-
tion from wastewater?
Mr. Ambulkar: Till now, I
have made several valuable
contributions towards nutri-
ents pollution related topics
including a recent prominent
publication “Nutrient
Pollution and Wastewater
Treatment Systems” for
Oxford University’s Research
Encyclopedia. Consulting
work has involved working on
several municipal wastewater
treatment projects for nitro-
gen and phosphorus removal.
It included a wide range of
technologies starting from
simpler eco-friendly systems
like floating islands, con-
structed wetlands all the way
to more complex biological
systems. As part of various
technical task-force commit-
tees, I have assisted with
developing industry reference
manuals on nutrients topic as
well as authored case studies
and expert columns in envi-
ronmental periodicals and
trade magazines focused on
related subjects.
What are the methods that
can be used to tackle and
mitigate the issue of nutri-
ents pollution?
Mr. Ambulkar: Nutrients
pollution is a global phenome-
non and a complex problem to
manage. However,
researchers, academic institu-
tions, and governmental
EXPRESS WATER
organizations are spending a
significant amount of time,
funds and efforts towards
developing sustainable solu-
tions to tackle and mitigate
this problem. The advent of
wastewater biological nutri-
ents removal technologies,
resource recovery processes,
pre-treatment programs will
help to reduce nutrient pollu-
tion from point sources.
Whereas, implementation of
best management practices,
education & training, opti-
mization of fertilizers use,
development of riparian zones
and other innovative
approaches can serve as effec-
tive tools for reducing non-
point nutrients discharges to
waterbodies. Also, projects
undertaken to improve the
water quality of already pol-
luted waterbodies via bio-
manipulation, sediments
dredging, application of chem-
icals, oxygenation and other
evolving technologies, will
assist to restore water quality
and aquatic environment in
affected countries. Several
success stories for water qual-
ity restoration are document-
ed across the globe, while oth-
ers are in the process of allevi-
ating nutrients pollution prob-
lems.
What are the other most
challenging issues from
your point of view - to re-
duce the nutrient load -
which will need to be ad-
dressed in the near future?
Mr. Ambulkar: Apart
from technological advance-
ments, public awareness is an
important factor that cannot
be ignored. It can significantly
help to curb nutrients pollu-
tion via source reduction.
Wastewater is generated as a
result of used water by com-
munities as well as deter-
gents, cosmetics, food and
other chemicals dumped from
industries into the sewer sys-
tems. By educating people,
quantities of nutrient-rich
substances disposed of in
wastewater can be minimized.
This will reduce the burden on
treatment systems and associ-
ated purification costs. Also,
training agricultural and ani-
mal farming staff can help to
cut down on non-point nutri-
ents discharges via fertilizer
and manure management.
Prioritization of government
and private funding towards
promoting nutrients-pollution
mitigation projects via loans,
grants and other means at
federal, state and local levels
can provide the necessary
impetus towards these initia-
tives. Overall, public, govern-
ments, industries and envi-
ronmental professionals
would need to work hand-in-
hand and make a collaborative
effort towards reducing
waterways nutrients pollution
via comprehensive programs.
Water and pollution agen-
cies are challenged by a
lack of information needed
to better understand the
nutrients problem. Very
few municipal facilities
have enforceable limits on
nitrogen and phosphorus
discharges, and even less
are required to monitor the
Nitrogen and Phosphorus
pollution. How can we
solve this issue?
Mr. Ambulkar: Knowledge
of nutrients pollution amongst
environmental agencies and
municipal institutions is cru-
cial for handling this problem
on a broader scale. This
understanding varies greatly
for different areas, regions,
and countries. Available tech-
nical know-how, staff profi-
ciencies, government capabili-
ties, environmental programs
and financial incentives can
greatly impact how municipal
facilities and administrations
approach these problems.
Appropriate education,
training, and orientation are
necessary to bring staff upto
the speed on nutrients issues.
Governments and regulatory
staff shall develop new rules
and regulations to meet local
and regional needs. This will
help to limit, monitor as well
as treat nutrient pollutants
prior to being discharged to
waterways. Apart from devel-
oping stringent regulations,
effective implementation
strategies are necessary to
ensure success.
What changes will this lead
to in wastewater treat-
ment in the near future?
Mr. Ambulkar: Changing
paradigms towards handling
nutrients at wastewater treat-
ment facilities are already evi-
dent. New biological nutrient
removal (BNR) and enhanced
nutrient removal (ENR) tech-
nologies are emerging rapidly.
In addition, sewage treatment
facilities are exploring the
possibilities of recovering
nutrients (especially nitrogen
and phosphorous) from
wastewater. Such efforts are a
part of resource recovery ini-
tiatives taken up by many
wastewater entities world-
wide. Concepts like economic
nutrients recovery from
sewage and selling of resulting
products in sustainable mar-
kets are making rounds within
the wastewater industry.
Finally, either as a pollutant or
resource, nutrients are bound
to play a major role in shaping
up wastewater industry’s
future.
Can you elaborate more on
the wastewater resource
recovery concept?
Mr. Ambulkar: To mini-
mize exploitation of natural
resources and at the same
time meet growing communi-
ty needs, many sectors have
started looking into the reuse
and recycling of available
resources. Such steps help to
curb down on further environ-
mental degradation and pro-
mote optimum utilization of
already extracted natural
sources that are in-use or
rejected forms.
Environmental field is
catching up fast with these
concepts and wastewater sec-
tor is no exception. Raw
sewage is rich in many con-
stituents such as metals,
organics, specialty chemicals,
nutrients, and so on. Rather
than merely treating, water
experts have started realizing
the significant potential for
recovering such valuables.
Recovery can be in the
form of re-usable water, ener-
gy or quality chemicals.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are
two key wastewater con-
stituents that are gaining
major attention worldwide for
their recovery and reuse in
the farming and agricultural
fields as substitutes for com-
mercial fertilizers. Successful
recovery processes will not
only help to minimize nutri-
ents pollution in the water-
ways but also potentially gen-
erate income for wastewater
facilities by selling recovered
nutrient-rich products, thus
becoming financially more
self-reliant. Growing ambi-
tions, cut-throat research and
development (R&D) work fol-
lowed by the emergence of
new technologies can make
this nutrients recovery
process economically viable.
Your final thoughts for the
global water professional
community?
Mr. Ambulkar: Amongst
many challenges, our progeny
are surely expected to face the
nutrients pollution problems.
Within the given social,
political, technological and
financial constraints, environ-
mental experts can provide
right directions to public, reg-
ulators, and governments
towards alleviating nutrients
issues.
As a global professional
community, let’s take positive
steps necessary to make pollu-
tion mitigation process a
ground reality.
Archis Ambulkar is an
International Water Expert
based in Ohio, USA. He is a
renowned environmental profes-
sional with significant contribu-
tions towards water and waste-
water fields. He is the author of
Oxford University’s Research
Encyclopedia for the topic
“Nutrient Pollution and
Wastewater Treatment
Systems” and a well-received
book “Guidance for Professional
Development in Drinking Water
and Wastewater Industry”, pub-
lished by International Water
Association. He has served as an
expert on prestigious global
platforms including United
Nations (UN) World Ocean
Assessment Program and UN
Food and Agriculture
Organization’s Global Soil
Partnership.
May, 2018 53
 GROUND REALITY
Groundwater Depletion in Fatehgarh
Sahib,Punjab: ACase Study
The groundwater resources can be exhausted if no proper governance is done to safeguard
their future.
By Dr. Prashant Kumar
GROUNDWATER IS A criti-
cal resource and people gen-
erally take it for granted and
consume it without having any
consideration to its replenish-
ment and consequences in the
future. However, groundwater
resources can be exhausted if
no proper governance is done
to safeguard their future.
Population bursting and
industrialization have caused
immense damage to the
aquifer systems and as a
result, groundwater resources
are facing severe danger from
the perspectives of both quali-
ty and quantity. The rural
areas are also not in good
state and facing severe
groundwater decline because
aquifer systems are connected
systems across the whole
earth.
Though, there have been
several studies related to the
groundwater flow dynamics
54 May, 2018
and various aspects pertain-
ing to the research based on
the groundwater. However,
governance of the groundwa-
ter has largely been ignored in
last several decades. As a
result, it has become quite
crucial to bring out certain
initiatives for better gover-
nance of natural resource like
groundwater. Worldwide, var-
ious strategies corresponding
to water conservation tech-
nologies are being adopted
and in 2011, UNESCO’s
International Hydrological
Programme has come out
with certain initiatives to be
implemented across the world
for better groundwater gover-
nance. The pilot study area for
our analysis is Fatehgarh
Sahib district of Punjab, India
which is facing a severe
groundwater decline. It is an
over-exploited district with
the depth of water table rang-
ing from 29-30 meters below
ground level in the last
decade. The reasons for
groundwater decline are
increased installation of sub-
mersible pumps by every
landowner due to small land
holding, excessive pumping of
groundwater by several sub-
mersible pumps at a time due
to limited Power Supply, sub-
mersible pumps vs hand
pumps, routine cultivation,
and geopolitical reasons such
as Sutlez-Yamuna Link.
Recommendations to Aug-
ment the Depleting Water
Table
Though agencies responsi-
ble for systematic efforts for
pushing the better gover-
nance of groundwater can’t be
underestimated, it would still
be required to have a strong
groundwater governance
framework for management,
conservation of shortages,
scarcity, and depletion of
groundwater level.
Artificial Recharge
Natural replenishment of
groundwater is a slow work
and often, it can’t match up
the rate of consumption and
exploitation of groundwater.
Artificial recharge refers to
the transfer of surface water
to subsurface aquifers by
human interference via civil
engineering techniques. This
integrates the source water to
groundwater reservoir and is
purely dependent on the
hydro-geological settings of
the concerned area. It is use-
ful for saving the surface run-
off and increasing the buffer
of groundwater below the
earth surface. Surface gradi-
ent plays a very significant
role in artificial recharge
because a higher gradient
might lead to a higher rate of
surface run-off resulting into
lesser recharge. Artificial
recharge is good for flatter
regions. There are several
advantages of artificial
recharge such as the increase
in subsurface storage of
groundwater, negligible evap-
oration, water quality
improvement by infiltration
through permeable vadose
zone elements, and maintain-
ing the land, thereby, counter-
ing the land-subsidence.
Scientific Disposal of Waste
Unscientific disposal of
industrial effluents causes sig-
nificant surface runoff of rain-
fall thereby limiting the scope
of elevation of groundwater
level below the earth surface.
Season-Based Cultivation for
Reduced Evapotranspiration
Optimal crop pattern can
EXPRESS WATER
 GROUND REALITY
have a significant impact on
irrigation of the crops in vari-
ous seasons. In order to sus-
tain the groundwater, water-
intensive crops such as paddy,
sugarcane, and onions should
be grown with less water
requiring crops depending
upon the season. This is done
to reduce the use of scarce
underground water resources
during the critical period
when recharge would be less
or nil, as compared to the
actual use or requirement.
Water demand should match
with water availability, and
must be decided on the basis
of relative returns from crops
using water, especially during
the critical period of under-
ground water availability.
Scientific Usage of
Fertilizers and Pests
Fertilizers and pesticides
have an indirect role in
groundwater decline. The
excessive application of fertil-
izers and pesticides is
required to supply the food to
our bursting population. In
order to produce a larger
amount of food on the limited
farmland, people use fertiliz-
ers/pesticide. Well-fertilized
crops have more vigorous and
extensive roots systems that
go deeper into the soil to
access more stored water. The
extra water allows transpira-
tion to continue longer so
more photosynthesis can
occur. Adequate plant nutri-
tion also enables crops to
establish roots more quickly
to access water before it per-
colates from the soil profile.
Sprinkler Systems
Sprinkler irrigation sprays
water into the air through per-
forated pipes or nozzles. For
row crops, this system poses
the least risk to groundwater
because water can be applied
more precisely than with flood
or furrow irrigation.
Throughout the world, sprin-
kler irrigation is probably the
most important use of water.
Drip sprinkler system has
been introduced to reduce
water consumption in the
agriculture sector, leading to
the sustainability of this sec-
EXPRESS WATER
tor. It facilitates farmers to
cultivate with any water
stress even under water
scarce situations, subsequent-
ly enhancing the productivity.
The Solution for Fatehgarh
Sahib District
All the methods listed
above have their own advan-
tages and shortcomings.
Every method is unique in the
sense that there are environ-
mental conditions which favor
the application of a particular
method at a particular
region/site.
The very basic prerequi-
site for the application of arti-
ficial recharge is the availabil-
ity of surplus source water
resources. It is assessed in
terms of surplus monsoon
rainfall pattern, its frequency,
number of rainy days and its
variation in space and time. In
order to build the recharge
structure, a detailed analysis
of hydro-geological features
such as hydraulic boundaries,
storage capacity, porosity,
hydraulic conductivity, natu-
ral recharge etc. of the site is
needed. The site selection is
one of the most crucial task
and often those aquifers are
selected which absorb large
quantities of water and hold it
for a longer duration.
Artificial recharge might not
be a very good way to aug-
ment the depleting level of
groundwater because of
unavailability of any major
river water sources. Though
there is a Sutlez-Yamuna link,
it is not operational due to
geopolitical reasons and the
matter being subjudice.
Various water-scarce
regions have implemented
optimal crop rotation and
have shown that irrigation
water use during vital periods
could be cut down to half of
the normal usage. The agricul-
ture of Fatehgarh Sahib dis-
trict is mainly based on the
cultivation of paddy and sug-
arcane which are water-inten-
sive crops. Farmers in this vil-
lage are not motivated to
change their cultivation pat-
tern due to lack of financial
support (MSP) provided by
the government agencies.
Crop rotation can be a very
useful method for countering
the declining levels of ground-
water in Fatehgarh Sahib dis-
trict because it would involve
rotation among several crops
from high water-intensive to
low water-intensive (vegeta-
bles, groundnut etc.) and vice
versa. This method, if
employed in a disciplined
manner, could augment the
groundwater level in 3-5 years
to a reasonably low depth
where farmers won’t have to
use very high power motors to
extract water from the
ground. Another aspect of
crop rotation is the scientific
usage of fertilizers and pests
which will indirectly conserve
the groundwater by not let-
ting the roots of the crops
access more subsurface water
than what is required for a
satisfactory yield as a result of
photosynthesis. Further, the
application of compost or
organic fertilizers improves
the soil structure by enhanc-
ing its water holding capacity.
Organic materials such as
wood chips, dung, and straw -
all break down into compost
and increase the soil’s ability
to hold water.
Since Fatehgarh Sahib dis-
trict is facing a severe water-
scarce situation, it would be
very much prudent to accept
the usefulness of one of the
most efficient water conserva-
tion technique i.e. drip irriga-
tion system also known as
micro-irrigation system. It
delivers water directly to a
plant’s roots and reduces the
unnecessary evaporation. It
could further be complement-
ed with smart irrigation
scheduling which is a part of
smart water management sys-
tem. In order to prevent
wastage of water through
overwatering the crops, irri-
gation schedulers could be
installed to monitor the water
requirement of the crops.
Several of Maharashtra
regions have been facing simi-
lar situations of water scarcity
and water level decline and
they have adopted drip irriga-
tion system for efficient use of
water and conserve the
groundwater. Internationally
also, many of the African
countries similar water situa-
tions have started using drip
irrigation system for better
groundwater utilization.
According to the report of
hydro-climatic situations for
the hunger goal by UN
Millennium Development
Project, most of the develop-
ing countries are facing
hunger alleviation challenges
and drip irrigation will contin-
ue to play an important role in
feeding the world population.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis
Fatehgarh Sahib district is
a fertile land and the socio-
economic aspects of
Fatehgarh Sahib district are
reasonably good. The imple-
mentation of Drip irrigation
system can be encouraged by
the government agencies by
giving subsidies in the pur-
chase of equipment required
for the drip irrigation system.
Drip irrigation will definitely
increase the profitability and
productivity of the farmers in
the longer term. Studies con-
ducted in similar regions in
Maharashtra shows that drip
irrigation reduces the cost of
cultivation, particularly in the
labor-intensive farming works
such as weeding, irrigation,
and ploughing. As per the
available scientific results,
cost of cultivation for drip irri-
gated crops per acre is 29%
lower than what is for non-
drip irrigated cultivation in
the same area for crops like
Chillies and so on. This also
leads to saving of operation
costs such as irrigation, weed-
ing, and fertilizers. Water con-
servation due to the imple-
mentation of drip irrigation is
almost 63 percent over flood
irrigation. Also, the electricity
consumption in drip irrigation
system is significantly low-
ered over the conventional
irrigation system. All these
cost benefits of drip irrigation
system supersede the use of
flood irrigation system.
Conclusion
The feasibility assessment
of aforementioned techniques
for groundwater level aug-
mentation and their cost-ben-
efit analysis conclude that
crop rotation and drip irriga-
tion system are the most suit-
able techniques for increasing
the groundwater reserve. The
major reasons for the adop-
tion of drip irrigation system
are obviating the moisture
stress to crops, precise water
supply to the root zones of the
crops preventing the water to
flow other parts of the land,
leading to a reduction in weed
growth. Further, regulated
water supply lets the crops
absorb the fertilizers without
any loss through evaporation
leading to a better yield in
crop production. The govern-
ment agencies should help in
purchase and installation of
irrigation equipment by grant-
ing loans to the farmers at a
subsidized rate. Farmers
should also be given training
on efficient irrigation tech-
nologies for the adoption of
more scientific agricultural
practices.
About the Author
Dr. Prashant Kumar is a
Scientist in Central Scientific
Instruments Organisation,
Chandigarh which is a national
laboratory under CSIR. He also
holds a concurrent position of
Honorary Assistant Professor at
Academy of Scientific &
Innovative Research - an insti-
tute of national importance and
a meta-university under CSIR.
He has done B.Tech from
Manipal Institute of Technology,
Manipal, Karnataka followed
by M.Tech and Ph.D from
AcSIR. He is a recipient of the
PGRPE Fellowship of CSIR
from 2010-2012. His research
interests include soft computing,
water resource management,
remote sensing, decision analy-
sis, and environmental model-
ling.
May, 2018 55
 MUNICIPAL WATER WATER REUSE

Water Reuse Reclaim Water For Public

Water Supplies
When properly treated to appropriate standards, high-quality reclaimed wastewater can be a
sustainable supplement to any water utility’s supply portfolio. Reclaiming water from
wastewater systems for irrigation, industrial, ecological, and municipal uses has been
successful in many places and may hold promise for many others.
By Alex Gerling

lowing terms are commonly forms of potable reuse:

A Good Example of Indirect Potable Reuse is the Nine-Acre South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, an Innovative
Project that Collects Urban Runoff from a Storm Drain, Removes Trash and Pollutants, and Sends the Water
Through Constructed Wetlands for Treatment.
WATER AND WASTE-
WATER utilities worldwide
are finding the quality and
quantity of their conventional
water supplies increasingly
affected by population
growth, urbanization, pro-
longed and severe droughts,
and climate change. In addi-
tion, opportunities to develop
new groundwater or surface
water sources have become
more challenging to discover
and act upon.
Such increased pressure
on a water system may make a
diversified water sources
portfolio a requirement to
meet future water demands,
ensure public health, and pro-
vide economic and environ-
mental sustainability. Besides
working to increase water
conservation, many communi-
ties are seeking new strate-
gies to develop sustainable
water supplies for the future.
Accordingly, there’s a clear
need to use existing local
water resources effectively to
produce and provide reliable
high-quality water. One viable
approach to address existing
and anticipated water short-
ages is to implement water
reuse, in which used water
from homes and businesses is
highly treated and used to
augment public water sup-
plies.
What is Water Reuse?
Water reuse involves using
water more than once to
expand a community’s avail-
able water supply. The prac-
tice of water reuse occurs in
various forms throughout the
world. The latest advances in
water technology allow com-
munities to reuse water for a
variety of purposes, including
drinking, irrigation, and
industrial processes. The fol-
used to describe the types and
purposes of water reuse:
• Recycled or reclaimed
water is water that has been
used more than once.
• De facto reuse occurs when
downstream communities
use a drinking water source
surface water that has been
subjected to upstream
wastewater discharges
(Figure 1).
• Non-potable reuse refers to
recycled or reclaimed water
that isn’t used for drinking
but is safe to use for irriga-
tion or industrial processes.
• Potable reuse refers to recy-
cled or reclaimed water
that’s safe for drinking.
Advanced purification
processes are proven tech-
nologies that transform treat-
ed wastewater into the high-
quality water - or purified
water - for potable reuse.
Purified water surpasses
state and federal drinking
water standards as well as
additional water quality objec-
tives. In general, non-potable
reuse involves treatment that
doesn’t meet drinking water
standards, and water quality
objectives may vary depend-
ing on the end use and risk for
human exposure. Potable and
non-potable reuse are prac-
ticed in the United States, and
de facto reuse is relatively
common.
Indirect vs. Direct Reuse
In general, there are two
• Indirect potable reuse (IPR)
introduces purified water
into an environmental
buffer (e.g., a groundwater
aquifer or a surface water
reservoir, lake, or river)
before the blended water is
introduced into a water sup-
ply system (Figure 2).
• Direct potable reuse (DPR)
introduces purified water
directly into an existing
water supply system
(Figure 3).
Many IPR projects have
been established in the United
States. Generally, they involve
using reclaimed water to
recharge groundwater
aquifers and augment surface
water reservoirs used as
drinking water supplies.
Two different approaches
to implementing DPR can be
taken. Both apply additional
advanced treatment to the
used water but differ in the
location of blending. In one
approach, the purified water
is blended with the raw water
supplies (e.g., surface water or
groundwater) before undergo-
ing additional process treat-
ment in a drinking water
plant. The other approach
involves blending the purified
water directly into the potable
water distribution system
downstream of the drinking
water plant (i.e., pipe-to-pipe
or direct-to-distribution
DPR). Although DPR and IPR
provide significant additions
to local water supplies, nei-

56 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 MUNICIPAL WATER
Community 1
Drinking water
treatment facility
Community
Figure 1: De Facto Reuse - This Refers to Unplanned Potable Reuse. For Example, a Wastewater Treatment Plant
from One City Discharges Effluents to a River that Another City Downstream Uses for its Drinking Water
Supply.
ther can meet all potable
water demands.
Water Resources Planning
To maximize resources,
many water managers are
attempting to achieve a
diverse portfolio of water
sources as part of a long-term
strategy. Public water sup-
plies in North America come
from various sources, includ-
ing surface water, groundwa-
ter, desalinated seawater and
brackish groundwater, and
reused water.
Planning and managing
water resources become
increasingly complex as sur-
face water and groundwater
supplies in many regions are
stressed. Additionally, desali-
nating seawater or brackish
groundwater isn’t always eco-
nomically feasible. Importing
water from other communi-
ties also has a high price tag.
As a result, many communi-
ties are incorporating potable
reuse into their integrated
water resources plan as a
practical solution to ensure
future reliable water sources.
Potable reuse offers many
benefits in addition to playing
an integral role in a water
portfolio.
EXPRESS WATER
Drinking water
treatment facility
Wastewater
treatment facility
Potable Reuse Benefits
Because potable reuse pro-
vides especially high-quality
water, the end-uses are more
diverse than for other types of
reclaimed water.
Environmentally, potable
reuse provides a more sus-
tainable water supply, using
existing water supplies more
efficiently by recycling a
resource that would otherwise
be discharged. Potable reuse
may also decrease the amount
of water imported to urban
areas (some from long dis-
tances), reduce groundwater
extraction, and minimize
wastewater discharges to the
environment. In turn, energy
costs may be lowered, ground-
water overdrafts limited, and
the health of aquatic ecosys-
tems that receive wastewater
effluent improved. Finally,
potable reuse uses a local
resource that’s accessible for
many water systems, unlike
sources such as seawater and
brackish groundwater, which
may not be available depend-
ing on geography and geology.
Potable Reuse Regulations
Federal potable reuse reg-
ulations haven’t been devel-
oped in the United States.
Community 2
Wastewater
treatment facility
Thus, state and local agencies
are responsible for setting
potable reuse standards. Most
states have established regu-
lations or guidelines for water
reuse, and state regulations
are expected to be regularly
updated and developed as
states gain experience and
confidence in water reuse.
Although few states have
established regulations or
Surface water or groundwater supply
Figure 2: Indirect Potable Reuse: It Means That, After Extensive Treatment, Water Spends Time in an
Environmental Buffer Before Undergoing Additional Treatment and Entering the Potable Distribution System.
guidelines specifically for
potable reuse, most will still
consider potable reuse proj-
ects on a case-by-case basis. A
summary of each state’s water
reuse requirements (not spe-
cific to potable reuse) is pro-
vided in the US
Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA) 2012 docu-
ment Guidelines for Water
R e u s e to set quality standards for
(https://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/
PDF/P100FS7K.pdf), along
with recommendations for
water reuse opportunities,
technical guidance, and key
considerations for implement-
ing reuse projects.
Additionally, in a collabora-
tive effort, AWWA, the
WateReuse Research
Foundation, Water
Environment Federation, and
National Water Research
Institute developed a DPR
framework document that
provides information about
the value of DPR as a water
supply option and the funda-
mental components to imple-
menting a DPR program.
Regardless of the source,
all water distributed to US
communities as potable water
must meet drinking water
quality standards derived
from the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA). Established in
1974, SDWA provides the
framework for USEPA to set
Community
Drinking water
treatment facility
WATER REUSE
the minimum quality stan-
dards for drinking water and
requires all public water sup-
pliers to comply with those
standards.
Further, source water for
potable reuse is also regulated
further upstream. The Clean
Water Act (CWA), established
in 1972, regulates pollutant
discharges and allows USEPA
US surface waters. The CWA
was integral for protecting
and improving the quality of
source waters throughout the
nation, thereby making
potable water reuse attain-
able. Building on these two
critical pieces of legislation,
the water industry can use
potable reuse to augment pub-
lic water supplies in a manner
that protects public health.
Potable reuse is also grow-
ing in popularity in Canada
and Mexico. However, specific
potable reuse regulations
haven’t been developed in
either country, and potable
reuse projects are considered
on a case-by-case basis where
appropriate.
Potable Reuse Treatment
Public health protection is
at the forefront of potable
reuse. A wide range of estab-
lished treatment options and
process combinations is avail-
able to ensure potable reuse
Advanced water
treatment facility
Wastewater
treatment facility
May, 2018 57
 MUNICIPAL WATER
* limited, resource that must be
Drinking water treatment facility
Surface water or groundwater supply
Figure 3: Direct Potable Reuse: It Eliminates the Environmental Buffer Associated with Indirect Potable Reuse,
Relying on More Robust and Redundant Treatment.
produces the best water qual-
ity that protects against
adverse health effects from
contaminant exposure. Public
health concerns are a driving
force to advance research
efforts, develop new regula-
tions, enhance treatment
technologies, and train skilled
water operators.
First Treatment Points
As many as four different
treatment points are associat-
ed with potable reuse. First,
all wastewater is treated
before discharge using one or
more of the following steps:
• Preliminary Treatment:
Removal of suspended and
floating particles that may
cause operational or main-
tenance problems with sub-
sequent treatment process-
es.
• Primary Treatment:
Removal of a portion of the
suspended solids and organ-
ic matter.
• Secondary Treatment:
Removal of most of the sus-
pended solids and organic
matter.
• Tertiary Treatment:
Removal of targeted dis-
solved solids and finer sus-
pended materials.
Second Treatment Points
This treated wastewater
becomes the source of supply
for potable reuse, which uses a
58 May, 2018
Engineered
storage
buffer
Advanced water treatment
facility
Wastewater
treatment facility
Community
combination of advanced Processes used to achieve
processes in the second point significant pathogen disin-
of treatment. A comprehen- fection and break down
sive summary of advanced organic contaminants,
treatment options is provided including pharmaceuticals;
in the aforementioned DPR examples include ozone or
framework document, includ- ultraviolet light in combina-
ing the following: tion with hydrogen perox-
• Biological Treatment: The ide.
use of bacteria and other An advanced treatment
microorganisms to con- plant for potable reuse will
sume and remove organic include many of these
materials and nutrients in processes in combination to
the water; examples include achieve water quality goals as
biologically active media fil- well as provide resilient,
ters and anaerobic denitri- redundant, and robust treat-
fying filters (specifically for ment in a multiple-barrier
removing nitrate and approach to contaminant
nitrite). removal.
• Membrane Filtration:
Processes that use a mem- Third Treatment Point
brane barrier with micro- In addition to the waste-
scopic pores to remove sus- water and advanced potable
pended particles and patho- reuse treatment described
genic microorganisms; here, IPR also uses an envi-
examples include microfil- ronmental buffer either before
tration and ultrafiltration. or after advanced treatment
• Membrane Desalination: as the third point of treat-
Processes that use a non- ment. The environmental
porous, semi-permeable buffer may be a groundwater
membrane barrier to aquifer, surface water reser-
remove salts, pharmaceuti- voir, or even natural or con-
cals, and other dissolved structed wetlands, providing
contaminants; examples storage, hydraulic transport,
include reverse osmosis and and an additional barrier for
nanofiltration. protecting public health.
• Ozone: A powerful oxidant Although DPR doesn’t include
used for disinfection and an environmental barrier, it
breaking down organic con- does use an engineered stor-
taminants, including phar- age buffer. If the DPR
maceuticals. approach involves blending
• Advanced Oxidation: the purified water with raw
water supplies prior to a sub-
sequent drinking water plant,
the engineered storage buffer
occurs between the advanced
and drinking water treatment
plants. For pipe-to-pipe DPR,
the engineered storage buffer
occurs between the advanced
treatment plant and potable
water distribution system.
Public Education and Out-
reach
Public engagement is criti-
cal to the success of potable
reuse projects. As water
stressors continue to grow
and potable reuse expands, it’s
necessary to provide trans-
parent communication, build
consumer confidence, and
address public concerns, all of
which require a comprehen-
sive program of public and
political involvement and edu-
cation.
First, it’s essential to
inform communities in a
proactive manner, addressing
key questions: Where does
your water come from? Why
do we need alternative water
sources? Answering these
questions for consumers will
improve public understanding
of water supply and treat-
ment, which is crucial to
informed decision making. It’s
also important to make the
natural water cycle a part of
the conversation. All water on
Earth is used and reused, over
and over.
Water reuse happens daily
all over the world. When a
community’s treated used
water is discharged into rivers
and streams, downstream
users clean and reuse that
water.
Collaborative and coopera-
tive outreach with a uniform
message and consistent termi-
nology are needed for public
acceptance of potable reuse
projects. Accordingly, it’s ben-
eficial to initiate community
and media outreach several
years before construction of
potable reuse treatment facili-
ties is scheduled to begin.
Project success requires suffi-
cient time to create rapport,
build trust, and establish
effective communication
strategies with the public and
WATER REUSE
media. The successful imple-
mentation and ongoing suc-
cess of potable reuse projects
rely on educating and encour-
aging local communities to
gain support.
The Future of Potable
Reuse
Water is a precious, yet
used more efficiently. It’s
imperative that supplies
remain available and pre-
served for future generations.
Potable reuse is a viable and
environmentally friendly
strategy for achieving
improved efficiency, and it will
undoubtedly play a significant
role in water supply portfolios
in the future.
To implement and expand
potable reuse projects, guid-
ance and standards must be
continually enhanced, process
control must be refined as
treatment technologies and
strategies evolve, and cus-
tomized operator training and
certification must be devel-
oped.
Additionally, as more
municipalities and water
agencies embrace the benefits
of potable reuse, it’s increas-
ingly critical to mitigate con-
cerns and promote public con-
fidence about potable reuse.
About the Author
Alex Gerling is a water
reuse engineer with AWWA,
Denver.
Source: This article original-
ly appeared in the January 2018
issue of Opflow, the water indus-
try’s most popular resource on
operations issues published by
the American Water Works
Association (AWWA). The
award-winning monthly maga-
zine presents new and estab-
lished technologies and ideas
that readers can apply to water
treatment and distribution as
well as wastewater operations.
Opflow is a benefit for members
of AWWAIndia and a valued
resource for water professionals
around the world. To join
AWWAIndia, visit
awwaindia.org. To view the
original article, see
https://doi.org/10.5991/OPF.201
8.44.0001.
EXPRESS WATER
 MARKET
POSTEVENT
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WATER SECURITY
IN TAMIL NADU
THE 1-DAY “NATIONAL
Conference on Water Security
in Tamil Nadu” was recently
organized jointly by the State
Government of Tamil Nadu
(India), IIT Madras, Madras
School of Economics and Tamil
Nadu Water Investment
Initiative, to mark the impor-
tance of the World Water Day
(22nd March 2018) and to flag
the joint initiative of various
institutions and stakeholders to
discuss and suggest technologi-
cal and policy options to achiev-
ing water security in Tamil
Nadu.
The conference was inaugu-
rated by Thiru D. Jayakumar,
Hon’ble Minister for Fisheries
& Personnel, Administrative
Reforms, and Thiru S.P.
EXPRESS WATER
Velumani, Hon’ble Minister for
Municipal Administration &
Rural Development,
Implementation of Special
Programmes.
The State Government of
Tamil Nadu’s Vision TN 2023
lays a credible infrastructure
agenda and recognizes the need
to achieve universal and afford-
able water access for all sec-
tions of society as a key goal. It
is one of the few states to initi-
ate large-scale projects includ-
ing sea-water desalination while
also addressing grass-root ini-
tiatives which includes success-
ful awareness creation and
implementation efforts with
rainwater harvesting. Despite
these initiatives, Tamil Nadu
continues to face serious con-
straints in meeting its demand
for water. Therefore, continued
focus on progressive policies, a
creation of strong capable insti-
tutions and innovative project
interventions are critical to
attaining water security and
universally accessible and
affordable water across all user
groups and sections of society.
This conference was
restricted to the challenges and
opportunities in achieving
“Water Security for Agriculture
in TN, and for domestic sector
in Chennai City”, as envisioned
in Vision TN 2023 document.
With regard to agriculture, the
conference deliberated on sev-
eral challenges such as:
• Ways to augment water
resources availability,
• Ways to mitigate vulnerabili-
ty arising from monsoon fail-
ures,
• Scaling up Systems of Rice
Intensification,
• Treatment and re-use of
wastewater for agriculture,
• Involvement of local commu-
nities in water conservation,
and
• Enhance industry-govern-
ment-academia interactions
to improve water use efficien-
cy in agriculture.
Likewise, the conference
also deliberated on several chal-
lenges in meeting the require-
ment of domestic water with
specific reference to Chennai
City:
• How do we reduce non-rev-
enue water and progressively
shift to 24x7 supply,
• What technological options
are available for greater use
of wastewater in the domes-
tic sector,
• Introducing user charges for
enhancing the sustainable
provision of water,
• Adoption of a mission mode
to eliminate “Open
Defecation” and to achieve
“Total Sanitation” in Chennai
City.
The conference had several
eminent speakers, from Govt.,
academia, and agricultural
communities, specialists in
water technologies, social sci-
entists, urban planners, and
NGOs from Tamil Nadu and
other states of India.
May, 2018 59
 MARKET
POSTEVENT
1-DAYNATIONALWORKSHOP - AROADMAP FOR
SMALL-SCALE STPS IN INDIA: FULFILLING THEIR
POTENTIALFOR HEALTHYAND WATER-SECURE CITIES
The aim of this event was to present the results of a two year research project and to discuss
with participants how to take small-scale sanitation forward in India.
By Lukas Ulrich
ON 5 APRIL, a national work-
shop on small-scale sewage
treatment plants was organ-
ized in New Delhi by Eawag,
BORDA, IIT Madras, and CDD
Society, etc.
Ever-growing Indian cities
are facing enormous water and
sanitation challenges, ranging
from supply of sufficient quan-
tities and qualities of water,
treatment of used water and
sludge, and protection of
aquatic environments. For
wastewater management
alone, huge financial resources
are needed to build and oper-
ate the required infrastruc-
ture.
Besides underground
drainage and large-scale
sewage treatment plants
(STPs), small-scale sanitation
(SSS) systems are becoming
increasingly important. Such
systems consist of small-scale
sewerage networks and STPs,
allowing for treatment and
recycling of used water near
its point of generation. In order
60 May, 2018
to protect the environment,
improve public health and
relieve water stress in urban
India, SSS systems have a key
role to play.
The benefits of such sys-
tems, typically serving 10 to
1000 households, have long
been recognised. These sys-
tems allow for stage-wise,
modular and flexible imple-
mentation and thus, cost-effec-
tive local wastewater treat-
ment and reuse. Small-scale
STPs are therefore gaining
interest and the number of
units installed in India is grow-
ing fast. However, a majority of
these systems are underper-
forming owing to poor plan-
ning and weak monitoring sys-
tems, poorly trained personnel
and other reasons. In some
Indian cities this has recently
made the headlines as new
STP and water reuse policies
faced the wrath of building
owners and apartment associ-
ations, highlighting the need
for pragmatic solutions.
Evidence-Based Policy Rec-
ommendations for More
Sustainable Small-Scale
Sanitation
In view of these challenges,
a research project called
“Small-Scale Sanitation
Scaling Up” (4S) was launched
in 2016. The Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation-funded
study is supported by the
Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and
aims to evaluate the current
experience with small-scale
STPs. Over the last two years,
the research consortium con-
sisting of Eawag (Switzerland),
IIT Madras, BORDA
(Germany), and CDD Society
studied more than 300 existing
SSS systems and their
enabling environment. The
final project goal is to provide
policy recommendations to
increase the success rate of
these systems so they can fulfil
their potential.
A National Workshop on
Small-Scale STPs
At the workshop held in
New Delhi the research con-
sortium presented the results
of their field study to a nation-
al audience. 120 participants
attended the event, including
stakeholders from govern-
ment, utilities, industry, acade-
mia, donors and NGOs. The
workshop provided a platform
to discuss the prerequisites for
a successful scale-up of SSS
systems that ensures public
health, environmental protec-
tion, and safe water reuse.
The Way Forward
The scale-up of SSS is
already a reality in India. An
estimated 20,000 systems
have been built to date, provid-
ing an alternative to conven-
tional large-scale STPs. The
4S results show that the neces-
sary treatment performance
for water reuse can be
achieved by a wide range of
suitable technologies available
on the market. However, an
array of practical challenges
currently hinders systems
from fulfilling important sus-
tainability requirements. This
leads to a large number of
underperforming systems that
are unable to fulfil their pur-
pose. What is currently miss-
ing is a strategic management
and regulation of the scale-up
process. In other words, suit-
able policy and institutional
frameworks have to be estab-
lished to facilitate and support
the planning, implementation,
handover and long-term opera-
tion of well-designed systems.
Several key recommenda-
tions emerged from the work-
shop presentations and discus-
sions:
• A management system with
clear responsibilities and
adequate human resources
is needed, starting with a
centralised, geo-referenced
database for planning and
monitoring of SSS systems.
• An online database could
boost the market for treated
water by matching produc-
ers with potential users.
• Technology choice should
follow a more systematic
process, ensuring the con-
sideration of lifecycle costs
of systems.
• Design guidelines and mini-
mum standards for small
STPs are required to ensure
units are able to reach per-
formance expectations.
• Adequate training, certifica-
tion and accreditation mech-
anisms are needed to capac-
itate and support operators.
• Technology providers and
designers should provide
operational support and
take responsibility for good
performance during the first
years of operation.
• There is a need for pragmat-
ic water quality standards
for small STPs, taking into
account different reuse
options.
• The right financial incen-
tives should be provided to
stakeholders, such as property
tax rebates for apartment
owners who correctly operate
STPs.
EXPRESS WATER
 MARKET
POSTEVENT
RAAHATSANITATION CONFERENCE 2018
The event aimed at bringing together the experience and expertise of sanitation
entrepreneurs who are working towards tackling obstacles that are confronting the industry.
By EW News Bureau
TO CELEBRATE THE
achievements and the efforts
made in the sanitation sphere,
Project Raahat hosted the
Raahat Sanitation Conference,
in partnership with Garv
Toilets on the occasion of the
World Water Day, March 22,
2018.
The event was organized to
acknowledge the spirit of inno-
vation, ideation and collabora-
tion. It aimed at bringing
together the experience and
expertise of sanitation entre-
preneurs who are working
towards tackling obstacles
that are confronting the indus-
try and providing sustainable
solutions for the same. It also
brought to light new technolo-
gies that can be adequately
adopted to increase impact
and efficiency in the sector.
In order to provide an on-
ground insight on the practi-
calities regarding urban slum
sanitation, Project Raahat
invited their slum sanitation
entrepreneurs to narrate their
experiences by way of an
extremely heartfelt account.
Their life experiences not only
moved but also inspired all the
attendees. They went on to
EXPRESS WATER
highlight the exemplary
change that Project Raahat
has brought about in all the
communities in which it has
intervened and the consisten-
cy with which they remain the
sector leaders.
The first panel discussion
was based on the freshwater
crisis in the country.The dis-
cussion was held by esteemed
panelists in the form of Mr.
Parag Aggarwal (Founder and
CMD,Janajal), Ms. Jyoti
Sharma (President, FORCE)
and Mr. Ranjan K Panda
(WaterMan of Odisha). It
addressed the solutions for the
same and talked about har-
nessing natural resources for
proper sanitation. The pan-
elists ardently believed that
the solution for water treat-
ment was available in the
nature and that we must
attempt to solve the issues that
confront this sector using its
great potential.
The second panel discus-
sion touched upon ‘Menstrual
Hygiene’, an integral part of
personal health and sanitation.
It was a discussion on methods
of tackling the taboo plaguing
menstrual hygiene and ensur-
ing affordability of instru-
ments conducted conducively
by Smita Kulkarni (Founder,
Stonesoup.in), Anju Bisht (Co-
Director, Amrita SeRVe), Anju
Arora (Founder, NARI) and
Kavya Menon (Co-Founder,
Sustainable Menstrual
Collectives, Kerala). It provid-
ed useful insights into various
substitutes for the contempo-
rary sanitary napkins.
The third panel emphasised
on ‘Build-Maintain-Treat’. It
was a discussion on infrastruc-
ture of toilets, its maintenance
and faecal sludge management
between Mayank Midha
(Founder, Garv Toilets),
Venugopal Gupta (Director,
Toilet Board Coalition) and
Bhawna Prakash (Director,
Ernst and Young LLP). It
posed the essential question of
whether free usage of public
and community toilets would
be beneficial for the govern-
ment in the long run or not.
The panelists firmly refuted
the belief that free usage
results in over-utilisation and
vandalism.
These were followed by a
workshop on behavioral
change, as the key element of
inducing social change is intro-
ducing a behavioral shift in the
community. This workshop
witnessed an engrossing dis-
cussion on the same, which
was followed by a discussion
on the various measures of
impact assessment. The panel,
head by Dr. Roshan Lal,
Department of Psychology and
Sidharth Das, Programme
Leader, India Sanitation
Coalition, believed in commu-
nity engagement and rein-
forcement activities for suc-
cessful sensitisation. An inter-
active activity was carried out
with the audience which pro-
vided them with a hands-on
experience on designing sensi-
tisation strategies.
In appreciation of this ini-
tiative, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and
Suresh Prabhu sent their
choicest wishes to the team.
The word of wisdom and
appreciation by Smt. Shubha
Bhambhani, ITS Officer,
Ministry of Communication
anf Information
Telecommunication, served to
motivate all present at the con-
ference.
The eventful conference
was brought to a remarkable
end, creating a resonating
impact on the minds of all
present there.
Enactus is an international
not-for-profit organization
which aims to take entrepreneur-
ial action for social empower-
ment with its chapters across 36
countries. One such chapter of
Enactus works in Shaheed
Sukhdev College of Business
Studies, which is the parent body
of Project Raahat, and works
towards providing digital litera-
cy and eradicating open defeca-
tion across the country.
May, 2018 61
 MARKET
POSTEVENT
INNOVATION SUMMIT
Schneider Electric India organized sessions on future of energy, disruptive technology,
product innovation captivate participants with a commitment to make the new India energy
positive at the global tour of its Innovation Summit.
By EW News Bureau
Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC,
THE global leader in digital
transformation of energy man-
agement and automation, host-
ed its first Innovation Summit
in India on March 19 and 20 in
New Delhi. The summit
brought together more than
2,000 customers, policy mak-
ers and industry leaders.
Leaders shared critical
insights on how automation
and digitisation are helping to
manage energy with disruptive
The Innovation Hub
62 May, 2018
technology tools leading to
efficiency in business. The
summit also reiterated
Schneider Electric’s commit-
ment to a sustainability agen-
da and complete alignment
with the Indian government’s
long-term goal of bringing
down carbon footprint.
Addressing the plenary,
Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti
Aayog, said the country is
poised for paradigm shifts with
huge disruptions in physical
infrastructure. “We are creat-
ing 100 smart cities with
another 50 cities which will be
connected by metro and a few
connected with bullet trains.
The government is converging
physical infrastructure with
biometric-based digital infra-
structure to improve human
lives with uninterrupted water
and electricity supplies, effi-
cient public transportation,
quality education and health-
care services.”
Opening the plenary ses-
sion of the summit, Anil
Chaudhry, Zone President and
Managing Director of
Schneider Electric India said,
“Schneider Electric’s technolo-
gies are powering businesses
and key government pro-
grammes including Make in
India, Smart Cities Mission
and Electric Mobility. Nearly
15% per cent of India’s solar
capacity is based on Schneider
technology. Digitisation and
IoT are going to transform
India’s energy ecosystem so
that all citizens have access to Anil Chaudhry, Zone President & MD, Schneider Electric India
uninterrupted electricity at
affordable rates.” played its new range of IoT The event showcased the
The event featured strate- enabled smart home solutions integrated command centre of
gic discussions and interactive called ‘Connected Homes’. It the Naya Raipur smart city.
deep-dive sessions among over ran digital demos bringing the Schneider Electric is develop-
50 expert speakers from innovative platforms closer to ing the country’s first green
Schneider Electric besides a its customers as well as to a field smart city at Naya Raipur
diverse group of customers broader audience. in Chhattisgarh. The integrat-
and partners from India and Given the huge potential in ed project for Naya Raipur
across the Asia Pacific region. the electric vehicle charging Development Authority
It was designed to further space, Schneider Electric also (NRDA) will cover the entire
accelerate digital solutions to displayed its EV charging gamut of public services like
make New India Energy infrastructure named transportation, surveillance,
Positive. The expert sessions EVLinks. EVLinks is already citizen applications, end-to-
included those on intuitive available in different markets end smart grid solutions, end-
industries, living spaces of the across the world and the com- to-end water management sys-
future, leveraging IoT in man- pany is keen to tap into the tem and integrated building
ufacturing facilities, enabling nascent Indian market for the management system. It will
digital hospitals, re-imagining same. The EV charging plat- have a centralised command
data centres for a connected form can be installed both at and control centre to manage
tomorrow, empowering indus- homes as well as public places. emergency responses as well.
trial OEMs for the digital era,
inclusive growth of India
through skill development and
rural electrification.
The summit also show-
cased Schneider Electric’s
Innovation Hub, an exhibition
of the company's rich portfolio
of software, solutions and serv-
ices. The integrated zone dis-
played its next-generation
EcoStruxure™ architecture
and platform that delivers IoT-
enabled open and interopera-
ble solutions across user seg-
ments. The company also dis- The Panel Discussion
EXPRESS WATER
 COLUMN
Global Decentralized Packaged/Containerized
Water Treatment Systems Market
- Frost & Sullivan
WATER STRESS, SCARCI-
TY across the globe coupled
with stringent regulations has
spurred the demand for fast,
sustainable and economical
solutions. Decentralization of
water and wastewater treat-
ment systems has emerged as
an economical alternative to
conventional centralized
treatment systems.
Most urban regions have
preferred conventional cen-
tralized treatment systems in
the past, as it has a long proj-
ect cycle and requires a large
footprint. It is often charac-
terized by challenges like lack
of efficiency, high operation,
and maintenance cost.
Additionally, a centralized
treatment system requires an
extensive piping network with
expensive pumping station
infrastructure and related
energy cost.
D e c e n t r a l i z e d
packaged/containerized treat-
ment system has a compact,
modular construction (with
plug & play characteristics)
which allows for easy trans-
portation and installation in a
short period of time. It is also
easily scalable, has a smaller
footprint, and is highly effi-
cient with lower energy con-
sumption.
The predominantly used
technologies for water treat-
ment are a combination of
Reverse Osmosis (RO), Ultra
Filtration (UF) or
Microfiltration (MF), Media
based filtration systems, Ion
exchange treatment systems
and Dissolved Air Flotation
(DAF). Disinfection units are
add-ons to the treatment sys-
tems. The treatment tech-
nologies commonly used for
wastewater treatment are
Membrane Bio Reactor
EXPRESS WATER
(MBR), Membrane Aerated
Bioreactor (MABR), Moving
Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR),
Submerged Aerated Filter
(SAF), Sequential Bioreactor
(SBR), Rotating Biological
Contactor (RBC), and other
technologies such as sludge
dewatering equipment and
anaerobic treatment systems.
The key drivers for decen-
tralized packaged/container-
ized treatment systems are
rapid urbanization and indus-
trialization coupled with
enforcement of regulations.
New or revised water policies
across the globe are aiming at
a circular economy approach
to mitigate water stress or
scarcity and achieve high lev-
els of sustainability through
decentralization. Smart city
policies especially in Asia -
Pacific (APAC) and Europe
exclusively calls for imple-
mentation of decentralized
treatment systems in both
urban & rural centers with an
aim to reduce extensive piping
network and provide onsite
recycling & reuse benefits.
Frost & Sullivan estimates
that the global market for
decentralized packaged /con-
tainerized water and waste-
water treatment systems
market is 3.09 Billion USD in
2016. And it is expected to
reach 6.08 Billion USD by
2023, growing at a CAGR of
6.2%. Industries are the major
end users of the decentralized
packaged/containerized water
and wastewater treatment
systems constituting almost
48% of the market followed by
the municipal and commercial
end users who constitute
27.2% and 24.7% respectively.
The fastest growing mar-
ket for decentralized pack-
aged/containerized water
treatment systems is APAC
region which is set to grow at
a CAGR of 9.6% on the back of
strong demand from India
and China. Water stress or
scarcity is the key growth fac-
tor. India has made a signifi-
cant investment in river
clean-up projects and urban
development projects such as
Namami Gange and Atal
Mission for Rural and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT).
Both these projects envision
the need for 100% water and
sanitation coverage in target-
ed towns and cities. These
projects are exploring decen-
tralized water and wastewater
treatment solutions.
Industries in China have come
under pressure to comply
with the stringent regulation
or face closure and are thus
adopting decentralized pack-
aged/containerized treatment
system as a stop-gap solution.
Europe is currently the
largest market for decentral-
ized packaged/containerized
treatment systems. The EU’s
urban wastewater treatment
directive implies the need for
discharge standards to be met
even by small communities or
settlements. More than 200
European cities are currently
being developed as smart
cities, new semi-urban and
suburban communities are
being connected with decen-
tralized treatment systems.
This has helped reduce cost
and keep pace with urbaniza-
tion without stress on the
existing infrastructure.
Horizon 2020, an EU funded
program for research and
innovation emphases the need
for innovation in water man-
agement and efficiency in
water infrastructure to miti-
gate water stress. This has
MARKET INSIGHTS
brought decentralized solu-
tions to a spotlight in Europe.
The Middle East and
Africa are emerging markets
for decentralized treatment
systems. Gulf countries are
increasingly diversifying their
industrial base to reduce their
reliance on oil & gas. This will
lead to increased adoption of
decentralized treatment solu-
tions to serve industrial
needs. African governments
are looking towards desalina-
tion, recycling, and reuse of
water to mitigate water
scarcity.
The resurgence of manu-
facturing industries and the
growth of shale gas explo-
ration and production have
provided significant opportu-
nities in North America,
whereas increasing pressure
from the international organi-
zations to safeguard the envi-
ronment is gradually pushing
Latin American countries to
adopt decentralized solutions.
Countries such as Brazil,
Chile, Mexico, Columbia, and
Argentina are exploring
decentralized solutions for
municipal and industrial
requirements.
The decentralized treat-
ment systems market is highly
fragmented and end-users are
relatively price-sensitive.
Veolia and Suez are the global
market leaders with a large
municipal and industrial cus-
tomer base. Fluence, EEC
Global, MENA Water,
WesTech, and WPL are some
of the leading Tier-II compa-
nies that have a strong region-
al presence with a significant
installed base in America,
Europe, and the Middle East.
Other companies like Delphin,
Devise Engineering S.A,
Aqwise and Ion Exchange
have presence in multiple
regions and mostly cater to
industrial and commercial
end users.
Compact, modular, easily
transportable and scalable
features of decentralized
packaged/containerized treat-
ment systems has given rise
to the adoption of new busi-
ness models such as Water as
a Service (WaaS) and pay for
performance. Companies like
Clearford Inc. have success-
fully implemented the pay for
performance model for a sub-
urban community in Canada.
These innovative business
models prove highly beneficial
for both end user and the
manufacturer especially when
the end user does not have the
requisite funding.
Additionally, it incentivizes
treatment efficiency and pro-
motes the development of sus-
tainable technologies.
Smart-IoT enabled process
control and management is
the future of the decentralized
packaged/containerized treat-
ment systems. AI and cloud
computing are set to play a
significant role in the efficient
and fully automated operation
of the treatment system.
About the Author
Paul Hudson is a Senior
Research Analyst at Frost &
Sullivan
@FrostSullivanEE
May, 2018 63
 COLUMN MARKET INSIGHTS

The Case for Valuing Water in the Philippines

Discussing the importance of valuing water, as well as the development of economic and
policy frameworks developed by Aither for the Australian Water Partnership designed to
improve resource governance.
By Yang Villa, IWC for the Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Huw (Foreground, Back Turned) Presenting to Government Officials
During Our Meeting with NWRB in 2017
WHILE LISTENING TO this The example of the
interview, I was reminded of a National Water Resources
feeling I get at any major Board (NWRB), the agency
water conference that there responsible for allocating
are not enough economists water extraction and use in
present. Economics, after all, the Philippines, reflects the
is the study of maximizing and importance of economic valu-
allocating welfare given ation when allocating water.
scarce resources – the prob- Guided by the Water Code of
lem of optimization. There the Philippines, the NWRB
needs to be more discussion implements a rigid allocation
about optimized allocation protocol governed by type of
given all the talk about water water use. In decreasing
scarcity at these events. order, the hierarchy of water
When public policy on use prioritizes domestic
water resources is developed, potable use before irrigation,
it is also often the case that power generation, industrial
the economic viewpoint is use, and then recreation and
either not represented or fully other non-essential uses. This
understood. In the hierarchy is strictly observed
Philippines, where I work, regardless of seasonal condi-
regulatory bodies are domi- tions, physical constraints, or
nated by technical experts user demand.
whose contributions are no On several occasions, this
doubt essential to the function rigidity has given rise to con-
of public agencies. However, flict among competing water
without the work of econo- users. For example, farmers in
mists to weigh values, manage the Province of Bulacan have
trade-offs, and design incen- claimed damages against the
tive structures, the policies decision of the Metropolitan
and programs arising from Waterworks and Sewerage
the good work of technical System to increase domestic
professionals may be blind to bulk water allocations for
a myriad of socio-economic Metropolitan Manila from the
factors affecting resource gov- Angat Dam at the expense of
ernance. irrigators.
In cases such as this, econ-
The Need for Economic omists can contribute to poli-
Valuation in Resource Gov- cymaking by evaluating and
ernance weighing water-use values,
which consider the contextual
nature of water use and not
merely its type of use. When
resource allocation decisions
consider these values, water is
able to (quite literally) flow to
users who place higher impor-
tance on available water
resources at any given time.
For example, during cropping
seasons farmers place a high-
er value on water relative to
the use-value for domestic
potable water. Thus, this
approach enables flexibility
and compromise in order to
optimize water allocation.
Why Economic Valuation is
Important
Economic valuation is the
process of identifying, quanti-
fying, and comparing values of
one good to another, or the
multiple uses of a single prod-
uct. It is used as a tool for
making decisions about
resource allocation. Flexible
water allocation regimes, as
described above, require eco-
nomic valuation in order to
optimize resources at any
given time.
In his Kini interview, Huw
Pohlner suggested that there
is a need to inform resource
governance with economic
valuation. According to Huw,
economic valuation provides
governments with a “risk-
based approach to
identify...the core problems of
their water management poli-
cy, so that they can identify
opportunities to maximize the
resources that are available to
them.”
Valuation is also useful on
the project level. One method
employed to make decisions
on the project level is econom-
ic cost-benefit analysis (CBA),
which accounts and compares
all economic costs and bene-
fits to society. This whole-of-
society approach lends
greater weight to overall
social impact than typical
investment methods such as
capital budgeting which uses
metrics such as payback peri-
od and return on investment
to measure a project’s impact
only to the investor.
Economic CBA can help
decision-makers - whether
they are project proponents,
approving bodies, regulators,
or special interest groups -
make informed decisions by
presenting a broad and bal-
anced view that considers
project impact to a greater
number of stakeholders.
It also "gives voice" to non-
human stakeholders such as
animals, natural ecosystems,
and biodiversity. Techniques
such as shadow pricing, natu-
ral capital valuation, and will-
ingness-to-pay can enhance
the value of maintaining
ecosystem services, thereby
promoting protection and
conservation rather than
extraction or degradation. In
the case of NWRB's allocation
decisions, economic CBA
might actually reflect the need
to allocate more volume for
environmental flow relative to
currently allowed extraction
volumes.
Applying Economic Valua-
tion in the Philippines
Through a partnership
between Metro Pacific Water
and Aither, foreshadowed in
Huw’s Kini interview, I have
been working with Huw to
evaluate a water supply proj-
ect in the Philippines where
we employ economic valua-
tion and CBA to aid invest-
ment decisions. We compare
baseline (business-as-usual)
case with the proposed proj-
ect case to determine under
which scenario the benefici-
ary community is better or
worse off.
Economic CBA is useful in
this case because it identifies
multiple ways that the project
can benefit the community.
When the project’s benefits
exceed costs, the resulting
“net benefits” helps justify the
need for the project. Even a
CBA that initially results in
“net costs” is helpful because
it guides the project propo-
nent to re-calibrate the proj-
ect in such a way that it
results in a net benefit.
On the policy front, I am
also working with Huw to
introduce economic valuation
to Philippine regulatory bod-
ies, including the NWRB,
using Aither's WaterGuide.
This is timely because the
NWRB has recently conduct-
ed a series of national consul-
tations which will lead to the
development of a National
Water Security Roadmap. We
hope this will be shaped and
guided by the concepts and
tools of economic valuation.
Yang Villa is Senior
Manager for Public-Private
Partnerships & Lead for
Industry Innovation, Metro
Pacific Water and Co-Founder,
Philippines Young Water
Professionals.
The Australian Water
Partnership (AWP) is an
Australian Government devel-
opment initiative enhancing the
sustainable management of
water across the Indo-Pacific.
@WaterPartnersAU

64 May, 2018 EXPRESS WATER

 COLUMN
HowDo We Ensure Social AccountabilityIn Water
Sector: Lessons From AThinkShop
By Avinash Kumar
IN MY LAST COLUMN, I
talked about the centuries-old
vision of community-based
water management practices,
which can still enrich us pro-
vided we take lessons from it.
However, today the world has
been evolving into far more
complex structures. The state
is now playing a far more cen-
tral role in our lives, where
societies have formalized a
comprehensive contract with
the same. As a result, the state
has become the ultimate duty
bearer to the people in terms
of providing basic services
including water. What does it
mean in terms of real transla-
tion of this social contract?
Does it simply mean an organ-
ized delivery of services over-
seen by the state or does it
also mean that people do have
a role to play in it? If the latter
is true, then how do we ensure
that? What kind of institution-
al structures, tools, and prac-
tices could make that happen,
so that this does not remain a
pipe dream, literally!
With these questions in
mind, more than 80 practi-
tioners and researchers from
20 countries attended a three-
EXPRESS WATER
day event ‘Think Shop’ in Dar-
es-Salaam (Tanzania) in
March 2018. The event was
co-hosted by Water Witness
International, Shahidi Wa
Maji, University of Glasgow,
University of Dar-es-Salaam,
Oxfam, WaterAid and Water
Integrity Network.
The overall event frame-
work was to organize these
thoughts under ‘social
accountability’, a term that
has increasingly gained coin in
development practitioner’s
world. According to a World
Bank e-guide, ‘Social
Accountability (SA) is an
approach to governance that
involves citizens and Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs)
in public decision making. SA
interventions can enable citi-
zens and civil society actors to
articulate their needs to gov-
ernments and service
providers on policy-making,
the management of public
finances and resources, serv-
ice delivery and also partici-
pate in monitoring the public
sector and giving feedback on
government performance.’
If we have to look at the rel-
evance of SA, then how do we
ensure that it does not merely
happen at the top, through a
political process, but ensures
everyday institutionalization
of such practices on the
ground. It would also mean a
critical shift in the role of non-
profit organizations and civil
society practitioners, who in
many circumstances have
been comfortable delivering
services rather than helping
people to ask questions.
The implicit belief in this
framework is that it will lead
to increased citizen empower-
ment by enabling the disad-
vantaged and marginalized to
express voice, claim rights
and balance power relation-
ships, lead to better gover-
nance, development, and
democracy through greater
transparency and integrity
within public institutions and
efficient last mile delivery of
quality services.
While numerous thought-
provoking examples of social
accountability measures were
shared at the workshop, in my
opinion, three of them stood
out, especially for the Indian
context. The first pertains to
budget advocacy. A standout
story was from Kenya where
consistent advocacy for peo-
ple’s participation in the budg-
eting process has led to the
government issuing formal
guidelines for public partici-
pation in the budgeting
process and also public shar-
ing of quarterly budget
spends. What came out very
clearly is that budget advoca-
cy needs to cover all levels,
from national to local and all
relevant institutions.
Hence, while the Finance
Ministry may be in charge of
allocations, it will be impor-
tant to engage relevant com-
mittees or technical working
groups of which would need to
be advised towards budget
asks. A critical group, which is
often missed out from the
oversight of CSOs is that of
audit agencies who are man-
dated to conduct periodic
audits of all the public servic-
es. The institutionalization of
this process has already
shown positive results in
terms of greater transparency
and prioritization of people’s
needs. A recent entry point
that has emerged in India in
this regard is thanks to the
financial devolution imple-
mented in the wake of 14th
Finance Commission recom-
mendations. The very process
of Gram Panchayat develop-
ment plans which are merging
as key documents for village
level annual budgeting will
need to be engaged with pro-
actively by CSOs. It will also
need a huge amount of invest-
ment in developing
Panchayats’ capacities to
identify issues, prioritize them
and ensure a robust planning
and tracking of their budgets.
The second interesting case
was also from Kenya, which
highlights how new technology
is not only there to command
and control but also to monitor
and hold agencies accountable.
An app-based real-time feed-
back mechanism on water
services, its availability and
quality directly fed by people
in Nairobi on a pilot basis is
leading to positive responses
from the public services
authorities in real time too. All
of this goes to a server, which
in turn is monitored by the
government agencies while the
local CSO provides them the
data, ensuring a transparent
third-party monitoring mecha-
nism. A larger scale-up of the
pilot is already being planned.
In India, it could be a game
changer for the larger swathes
of rural India if technology
could be simplified further to
include basic and not just
smartphones. After all, data
already says that there are
many more phones in India
than toilets.
The third presentation
worth mentioning here is
from India itself presented by
Public Affairs Centre, which
WATER WISE
with technical support from
WaterAid used the tool of
Citizen Report Cards (CRCs)
in two states of Tamil Nadu
and Odisha on water and san-
itation services.
Two CRCs were conducted
within a gap of two years’ time
in the same locations to (a)
compare the performance of
the districts currently under
Swachh Bharat Mission -
Rural or SBM-G, (b) assess
whether any of the issues and
bottlenecks flagged in the first
phase showed any improve-
ment, and (c) measure citizen
engagement and satisfaction
of the beneficiaries with the
process of building individual
household latrines under
SBM-G.
While the findings brought
forth critical gaps in the
framework and implementa-
tion of the government
scheme, its applicability at a
larger scale on a regular basis
needs to be explored further.
Citizen Report Cards,
Social Audits are among tools
which various social sector
organizations have been exper-
imenting with across sectors
for a while. It is here that the
mandated Panchayati Raj
Committees like Village Water
and Sanitation Committee’s
role becomes critical to ensure
innovative community-based
planning, management and
monitoring of services. A good
amount of such work has hap-
pened in the health sector and
in education. Perhaps, now is
the time to ensure the same for
water.
Avinash Kumar is Director -
Programme, and Policy at
WaterAid India.
@Avinashkoomar
May, 2018 65
 COLUMN
PolicyTools to Achieve Urban Water Security
By Robert C Brears
TRADITIONALLY, URBAN
WATER managers, faced with
increasing demand for water
alongside varying levels of
supplies, have relied on large-
scale, supply-side infrastruc-
tural projects, such as dams
and reservoirs, to meet
increased demands for water.
This supply-side approach,
however, is under increasing
pressure from climate change,
rapid population and econom-
ic growth and even land-use
changes impacting the avail-
ability of good quality water of
sufficient quantities.
To enhance urban water
security, water managers are
turning towards demand-side
management which aims to
improve the provisions of
existing water supplies before
new supplies are developed.
There are two types of policy
tools available to achieve
urban water security: fiscal
tools and non-fiscal tools.
Fiscal Tools to Achieve Ur-
ban Water Security
Fiscal tools include water
pricing and the use of subsi-
dies and rebates to modify
water users’ behavior in a pre-
dictable, cost-effective way.
Urban water managers typi-
cally price water using
increasing block tariff rates,
which contain different prices
for two or more pre-specified
quantities (blocks) of water
66 May, 2018
with the price increasing with
each successive block, or two-
part tariff systems which con-
tain a fixed charge and vari-
able charge. Subsidies and
rebates meanwhile are used to
encourage water users to
make sustainable consump-
tion choices, for instance, sub-
sidies are commonly used to
encourage the uptake of
water-saving devices and
water-efficient appliances or
technologies while rebates are
commonly used to accelerate
the replacement of old water-
using fixtures and appliances.
Overall, positive incentives
are found to be more effective
than disincentives in promot-
ing water conservation.
Cape Town Hiking Its Water
Tariffs
The City of Cape Town has
a block rate tariff structure
for water consumption. Due to
the drought, the city has
announced it is increasing its
water prices in a bid to reduce
water consumption. The price
for water will increase by 27%
from July 1, 2018, and increase
by another 30.45% in 2019 fol-
lowed by a 22% rise in
2020/2021. This will result in
the price of water more than
doubling between July 1, 2018,
and July 1, 2020. In the first
round of tariff increases, the
new tariffs on a monthly bill
for non-indigent persons will
range from R179.58 for the
first 6 kilolitres of water con-
sumed (with indigent people
receiving the first 6 kilolitres
free per month) to R20,365.56
for consumption over 50 kilo-
litres.
New York City’s On-Site
Water Reuse Grant Pilot
Program
New York City’s
Department of Environmental
Protection has launched its
On-Site Water Reuse Grant
Pilot Program to provide com-
mercial, mixed-use, and multi-
family residential property
owners with incentives to
install water reuse systems.
Grants are available for water
reuse systems at the individ-
ual building and district level,
with district-scale projects
involving two or more parcels
of land such as a housing
development, where the proj-
ect reduces demand in the
shared distribution system.
Individual building-scale proj-
ects can receive up to
$250,000 in reimbursement
for a system designed to save
at least 32,000 gallons per day
(GPD), and district-scale proj-
ects are eligible to receive up
to $500,000 in reimbursement
for a system designed to save
at least 94,000 GPD. The NYC
Construction Code regulates
two types of on-site water
reuse systems that can be
installed: wastewater reuse
systems (black water, grey
water, rainwater) for non-
potable uses including flush-
ing of toilets and urinals, laun-
dry, and subsurface drip irri-
gation systems and rainwater
reuse systems for non-potable
uses including subsurface drip
irrigation.
Non-Fiscal Tools to
Achieve Urban Water Secu-
rity
Urban water managers
often rely on a range of non-
fiscal tools to achieve urban
water security including regu-
lations as well as education
and public awareness.
Regulations often used
include permanent and tem-
porary ordinances that
restrict certain types of water
use during specified times
and/or restrict the level of
water use to a specific
amount. Temporary and per-
manent ordinances are often
used for a variety of purposes
including restricting water
levels during droughts as well
as for ensuring new develop-
ments and renovations imple-
ment water-efficient fixtures
and appliances. Meanwhile,
education and public aware-
ness are important to gener-
ate an understanding of water
scarcity and create the
acceptance of the need to
implement water conserva-
tion programmes.
City of Lancaster’s
Ordinances to Combat
Water Wastage
The City of Lancaster in
Canada has adopted two ordi-
nances to conserve local
water resources and protect
the city from future shortages.
The first ordinance is the
‘Prohibition of Wasting Water’
which cautions residents
against misusing water that is
supplied by a public water
system. The code identifies a
range of acts that wastewater
including allowing a faucet to
leak after having been told to
fix the problem by a public
official and allowing water to
leak for an unreasonable
length of time. The second
ordinance, called ‘Water
Efficient Landscape’ restricts
the planting of trees and other
plants that use large amounts
of water and requires the use
of ‘smart’ irrigation con-
trollers on new development
contracts. This ensures land-
scape designs are appropriate
to the city’s climate and
resources.
Scottish Water’s Water and
Wastewater-Related Games
Scottish Water has devel-
oped three fun water and
wastewater-related games as
part of its “Making It Clear”
programme. The “Pipeline
Challenge” lets the players lay
water supply and sewer pipes
to complete a water and
URBAN WATER
wastewater network as fast as
they can. This fun and educa-
tional game takes users on a
journey building the water
supply and wastewater net-
works from the source to tap
and then the wastewater back
to the natural environment.
The “Clean It Up” game lets
users discover the treatment
stages at a wastewater treat-
ment plant with players taken
through two key stages in a
plant: the screening stage and
the activated sludge stage.
Finally, the “Pumping Station”
game involves users control-
ling the water supply to all the
people living in a block of flats
with users experiencing the
effort and energy required to
supply clean tap water. As
more people use the water, the
more water needs supplying,
but users will have to make
sure they are not using too
much energy in the process.
To achieve water security,
urban water utilities can use a
variety of fiscal and non-fiscal
demand management tools to
balance rising demand with
limited and at times variable
supplies.
Cities, for instance, can
develop water pricing struc-
tures to encourage water con-
servation and offer financial
incentives to install water-sav-
ing technologies such as water
reuse systems.
They can also use a variety
of non-fiscal tools to encour-
age water conservation and
efficiency such as ordinances
to ensure water is not wasted
as well as educational pro-
grammes to encourage young
people to understand the
water cycle and use water
wisely.
Robert Brears is the author
of Urban Water Security,
Founder of Mitidaption, and
Our Future Water."
@Mitidaption
EXPRESS WATER
 PRODUCTS

Endress+Hauser
KSB SE & Co. KGaA
Endress+Hauser has
introduced the water projects, KSB SE & Co. ing pumps in back pull-out
Proline Prosonic KGaA, Frankenthal, Germany, design. Depending on the fluid
Flow E 100 ultrasonic has significantly extended its handled they can be fitted with a
flowmeters for meas- range of large dry-installed variety of impeller types, such as
urement of flow, tem- wastewater pumps. The pump multi-channel impellers and
perature, and volume manufacturer has developed an free-flow impellers or single-
of process water - extra 15 sizes to add to its vane impellers.
regardless of conduc- Sewatec Pumps series. The A worldwide trend towards larg-
tivity, pressure, densi- maximum flow rate of the largest er and larger wastewater proj-
ty or temperature. version will be up to 33, 000 ects, for example in Mexico City
The Prosonic Flow E 100 is ideal for use in industrial, m³/h with a drive rating exceed- or London, sees gigantic tunnels
process, power utility, fresh water, steam circuits and ing one megawatt. of unprecedented dimensions
boiler feedwater systems. It can measure flow in both The Sewatec type series com- being built. This has given rise to
directions as well as water temperature, making it In response to the worldwide prises horizontally or vertically a demand for larger and larger
ideal for measuring demineralized water in boiler increase in extra large waste- installed, single-stage volute cas- wastewater pumps.
condensate return lines, or monitoring and control-
ling feedwater temperature. It can also measure flow
in water containing magnetite, often found in closed a new mobile app, ModuleTrac, for water treatment features has been added
hot water systems for nuclear reactors, wet central to this renowned circu-
heating systems, and boilers. Heartbeat Technology lator for residential
is integrated into the flowmeter, providing self-diag- buildings. In addition to
nostics, extensive monitoring of the values measured, energy performance,
and a certified and metrologically traceable verifica- ease of use also plays a
tion during operation. The operator does not need to major role: Its new fea-
be present in the field for most commissioning and tures reinforce the tra-
operations activities, improving safety. The Prosonic ditional qualities.
Flow E 100 also has the HistoROM function, which Thanks to the Green
ensures maximum data safety before, during and Button Technology and
after a service call. All calibration data and transmit- to the use of symbols, it is simple for the customer to
ter parameters are stored securely on the HistoROM set the pump. A push button has been added to sepa-
data memory and are automatically reloaded after a rate the setting operation and the functions activa-
maintenance event. tion. Together with the new functions, the compact-
plant operators to track, monitor and analyze their ness of Wilo-Yonos PICO has been dramatically
ZeeWeed ultrafiltration membranes. The app is the improved to make it easy to install and use in any
Mueller Water Products latest offering in SUEZ’s set of digital solutions, application. Front access to motor screws and the
The Mueller® which aim to improve customer operations and out- Wilo connector position, contribute to the adaptabil-
Encoder Eight comes using data and analytics. ModuleTrac drives ity of the pump in any installation. The new ease of
(ME-8) Register efficiency and productivity for drinking water and use functions makes its maintenance far easier.
combines proven wastewater treatment plant operators by simplifying
reliable mechanical data collection and record-keeping activities related
components with to ZeeWeed membranes. It also provides enhanced Xylem
an innovative new visibility into data at the module, cassette and train Xylem Inc. has launched
automated data levels through InSight, a secure Asset Performance a compact submersible
acquisition system Management (APM) solution for monitoring and wastewater mixer fea-
that improves optimizing water treatment systems. The turing easily adaptable
meter accuracy ModuleTrac app uses an operator’s mobile device to output capabilities and
and functionality scan and track the location and maintenance history delivering energy sav-
for utilities. of ZeeWeed membranes using a unique barcode ings of approximately 50
Utilizing a heat-treated tempered glass lens and cor- placed on each module. This information is then fed percent. Xylem’s new
rosion resistant copper can house the register light into InSight, which analyzes, archives and reports on Flygt 4220 Mixers enhance the resilience and sus-
tubes, electronics, self-lubricating gearing and drive the data at a train, cassette or module level. From tainability of wastewater treatment plants, enabling
magnet, the ME-8 register is designed to provide 20 there, users can view data, run reports and create operators to easily manage the mixing conditions by
years of dependable service with no maintenance graphics and charts to monitor and optimize their simply adjusting the mixer output. As the Flygt 4220
required. It is available for use on all current Mueller water treatment systems. Available for iOS and can be controlled to deliver only the output required,
Systems positive displacement meters from 5/8” Android devices, the app also utilizes an “offline” a plant’s energy consumption can be significantly
through 2” sizes. The ME-8 register delivers extraor- mode to capture data without an Internet connec- reduced. The Flygt 4220 mixer is based on Xylem’s
dinary functionality and value when paired with the tion, offering users the additional flexibility to work Flygt Dirigo platform of integrated power electron-
latest Mueller Systems metrology and AMR/AMI anytime, anywhere. ics, including an IE4 super premium efficiency motor
solutions. that delivers market-leading efficiency, and is avail-
able in 1.5, two, three and four horsepower versions.
WILO Flygt 4220 also offers lower investment for rebuild or
SUEZ Wilo is bringing a new generation of Wilo-Yonos replacement as it can be redeployed across different
SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions has unveiled PICO series pumps to the market. A range of new tanks and applications.

EXPRESS WATER May, 2018 67

REGD.NO.MCS/219/2018-20, PUBLISHED ON 5TH OF EVERY MONTH & POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL
SORTING OFFICE, DUE DATE 07, 08 & 09 OF EVERY MONTH, REGD. WITH RNI UNDER NO. MAHENG/2017/74894