National-level smart water infrastructure needed: Expert

Investment in efficient water management systems helps in cutting down health budget by curbing water-borne diseases, an expert said today.

He advocated replicating the 'Nagpur model' for the state capital (Bhopal), which has been chosen for the Centre's ambitious smart city project, to address challenges of supplying clean drinking water.

"We need to spread awareness on the current abysmal condition of water systems in India. More than 20 per cent of all diseases are related to water. One US dollar invested in water management saves USD 8 in health budget," Arun Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director of Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd (VIL), told PTI.
 

An estimated 850 million people are expected to live in Indian cities by 2050, up from 350 million now. A countrywide smart water infrastructure is an imperative. An integrated water management approach includes sewage treatment and re-use of waste water to develop a healthy, clean environment for citizens, he said.

"Like Nagpur, we need to have two approaches. One, supplying water to all households and convincing people to pay for it. Two, treating and using sewage water for industrial, agriculture and commercial purposes.

"When people get 24x7 clean water, they are willing to pay for the service which will generate revenue for the municipal corporation. This will also lead people to conserve water," Lakhani said.

He said Bhopal is the 17th largest city in the country and 131st in the world. Despite housing many natural and artificial lakes, it faces a major water crisis. It needs to adopt the Nagpur model to solve the crisis.

Madhya Pradesh has floods or drought-like conditions. Many districts face shortage of clean water throughout the year, Lakhani said.

Some panchayats in Jhabua, Ratlam and Satna districts did not vote during the recent by-elections to protest shortage or contamination of water said, Lakhani, who is also a member of Steering Committee on FICCI's Water Mission.

He said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about effective water management while identifying first 20 cities for the Smart Cities Mission in June.

VIL, a market leader in integrated water management systems, is best known for its round-the-clock water supply project in Nagpur, where it has brought radical changes and persuaded people to pay for water they use.