The water treatment market is currently undergoing huge expansion in India. Concentrated largely in the country’s urban areas, the water and wastewater treatment market is growing significantly. This is particularly true of wastewater recycling and zero discharge systems. The government sector is involved primarily in raw water treatment and sewage treatment operations. The private industrial sector includes equipment for clarification, sludge treatment, aeration, disinfection and filtration. Conventionally, the market has used demineralisers for treatment; however, more recently reverse osmosis technology has grown in the market and replaced DM. Newer technologies like ultra filtration and electro dialysis are also entering the Indian market.

India’s urban water requirements are expected to double from 25 billion cubic meters (BCM) in 1990, to 52 BCM by the year 2025. A joint 1998 report by UNICEF and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) predicted that India will be water stressed by 2017. This stress will be of a heightened nature in urban areas, as urban conglomerations are water intensive by their very nature. Lifestyles adopted by their inhabitants (piped water supply, flush toilets etc.) only add to the woes.

Though they face a variety of disadvantages, larger cities also have greater capacity and access to funds. It is thus small towns that are in greatest need of assistance to provide adequate water to their residents. Many of these towns are not able to meet even the minimum norm of providing 70 litres per person per day to their residents, who rely heavily on informal sources such as hand-pumps, wells and ponds. Small towns are also often rural in character and hence have water needs related to animal husbandry and agriculture, creating additional pressure on demand. Vagaries of weather add to the problems of these towns, as water sources may dry up and financial constraints prevent the initiation new schemes. It is estimated that the funds required for 100 percent coverage of India’s urban population under safe water supply and sanitation services by the year 2021 is Rs.172, 905 crores.

India serves as a prime example for other countries seeking new technologies to solve problems of water availability, access, and quality. In order to address all the challenges and possibilities, Kenes Exhibitions and Radeecal Communications present Watech Asia 2013.