ISSDA Seminar on‘Sustainable Stainless Steel Solutions for Water Management’
New
Delhi: A national
seminar on ‘Sustainable Stainless Steel Solutions for Water Management’
was organized in Delhi today by Indian Stainless Steel Development
Association (ISSDA), the apex body of the stainless steel industry. The seminar deliberated
on sustainable infrastructural solutions for the growing issue of safe water
management with OEMs and policymakers. Opening the event, Abhyuday Jindal, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless said, “The
Delhi Jal Board loses 48% of treated water. A significant reason for that is
attributed to leaky pipelines, which in turn also contaminates the water
through harmful pathogens entering the water supply. A Water Aid report
estimates that more than 500 children under the age of five die each day from
diarrhoea in India alone. To stop this loss of life and finances, it is
pertinent that we switch to stainless steel for integrated water management –
for treatment, storage, transmission and waste water management. Since the
metal is inherently corrosion-resistant and requires minimal maintenance, it’s
an optimum choice for water management.”
The event was organized under the aegis of Ministry of
Steel. Addressing the gathering, Secretary
(Steel) Dr Aruna Sharma said, “As second largest stainless steel producer
in the world, India is a point in time when it becomes mandatory to use
stainless steel in water management. In a panel discussion during the event, Secretary, Union Ministry of Water
Resources, Mr UP Singh said, “The health costs of impure
water are too high, and it therefore merits that we have an inter-departmental
discussion among related Secretaries to deliberate over this.” “Water leakage and water contamination are
major issues which cause huge loss of valuable natural resources and precious
lives as well. ISSDA has been working tirelessly to promote stainless steel
because it has proven to be the ideal material to ensure safety and purity of
water across the world,” said President
of ISSDA, Mr KK Pahuja.
Water pipes
made up of plastic and poor quality steel tend to leak or rust leading to the
contamination of treated water. As per a Wateraid report, about 37.3 million
lives are affected annually in India due to water borne-diseases. An integrated
wastewater treatment plant can lead to reclamation, recycling and re-treating
of water. World over, stainless steel is used for water management. Tokyo and Taipei,
after the adoption of stainless steel in their water management system have
saved nearly 37.5 billion and 38.6 billion of gallons of water respectively. Singapore has also dealt with water crisis
by adopting stainless steel water treatment plants.
Delhi Jal
Board is now adopting stainless steel tankers to transport water to ensure
hygiene. Stainless Steel water ATMs are also being installed in many cities to
maintain safe supply of water to all. ISSDA is actively working with the
Ministry of Drinking Water, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Health,
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to promote the use of stainless steel to
ensure sustainable water management practices.
Other
participants at the seminar included Joint Director & Nodal Officer, Vector
Borne Diseases control Program, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Dr
Kalpana Baruah and Additional Adviser, Ministry Of Drinking Water And
Sanitation, Dr Dinesh Chand, among others.
About
ISSDA: ISSDA is the apex body representing the stainless
steel industry in India. Founded in 1989 by leading stainless steel producers,
it was formed with the objective of diversifying the applications of stainless
steel in India. The association currently has a membership of over 145
companies engaged in the stainless steel business.
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