India Water Week, getting private players involved

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, National Water Development Agency and Central Water Commission has organised India Water Week (IWW) 2016 from April 4 to April 8, 2016 on the theme Water for all: Striving together.

This is a great effort by the government to create an extensive force of bureaucracies from the public and private sectors to introduce ways create awareness through a multi-disciplinary conference. It will also showcase technologies as well as solutions available for the areas under deliberation.

On its website it writes "The event is targeted at international and national audience comprising of policy planners and technologists involved with water resources management in all the key sectors of economy like Agriculture and Irrigation, Energy Industry and Drinking Water Supply."

In India, this is the India Water Week’s fourth outing, since it was initially started for the first time in 2012. The India Water Week is an annual forum where the government discusses key strategies with eminent stakeholders for conservation, preservation and optimum use of available water.

Arun Lakhani, Vishwaraj Infrastructure Limited’s chairman and managing director who won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Water will be a part of the event. Arun Lakhani has also been an ardent supporter of water privatisation.

And so has been his reasoning for pushing such a belief.

Firstly, the level of efficiency is much better in the private sector. VIL can source the much needed currency for water management and can discard any inadequacies currently faced in the sector. More relevantly, VIL can bring about sufficient and experienced organisation through private intervention.

Such a move, would avert the risk from the government to the private sector by transferring projects. PPPs, like the one with VIL and Veolia Water can also bring new and cost effective technology for creation of infrastructure, managerial efficiency, competency for operation and maintenance and the contractual accountability.

VIL provides global solutions that contribute to sustainable development in the water sector through innovation in the design, construction and operation of drinking water treatment plants, distribution system reforms, etc. The Company has executed or in execution projects worth approximately Rs 27,500 million across the three sectors primarily through PPP contracting and few through EPC route.