IPA Hyderabad uncorks plan to reuse wastewater for construction projects

Hyderabad: The Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), Hyderabad Chapter wants to rope in various stakeholders to formulate a plan to divert a minimum of 50 per cent of waste water from the city to be utilised for construction projects.

It is an extension of the IPA's 'I Save Water' campaign'. By this way, fresh water need not be used for construction purposes and would lead to a huge saving of water in the city.

Speaking to The Hans India, Bhaskar Katragadda, National Executive Committee Member, IPA's Hyderabad Chapter said,'' we have initiated talks with various stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study and way forward to utilise at least 50 per cent of wastewater for construction projects in the city.

Through this, treated wastewater can be utilised at construction sites instead of fresh water. It is taken up as part to further strengthen our 'I Save Water' campaign'. Under this campaign, we plan to save at least 130 crore liters of water.

During the current year, IPA plans to achieve a target of 5,250 members and launch two additional plumbing laboratories, planning for which is at its nascent stages.

We also plan to construct five toilets in needy schools with special focus on the girl child'', he added. He said that IPA has been involved in saving water since 2013 by launching a Water Efficient Products-India (WEP-I).

WEP-I is a recommendation to the industry and government on the water volumes required for different products- taps, showers, cisterns, urinals, washing machines etc., at par with international standards of other countries which practices water sustainability.

IPA national executive committee member, from Hyderabad chapter, Srinivas V said that the IPA has been rolling out various initiatives across the country.

The main focus is to redefine Plumbing Standards in India (PSIs) and strive for an overall improvement of the plumbing profession in India on par with international standards.

As part of this, IPA has installed a unique Plumbing Laboratory at the campus of College of Engineering, Pune – one of India's premier educational institutions.

The lab has live demonstrations of various plumbing systems including washrooms used at different places such as hotels, hospitals, residences etc, including one for the differently abled individuals, he said.

Nearly 25,000 professionals and students have visited the lab. The lab is funded by IPA with contributions from its members and several product manufacturers.

The lab is also used for the training/education programmes being conducted by IPA and IAPMO-India. Another Plumbing Lab with technical assistance from IPA has been installed at Sri Ramakrishna Advanced Training Institute (SRATI), Coimbatore. Currently, IPA is providing technical assistance for construction of another plumbing lab at CV Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar.

The association has also published 'A Guide to Good Plumbing Practices' (AGGPP) made available in English and six Indian regional languages. It is meant to help IPA in disseminating information regarding plumbing standards for better plumbing for a healthy life.