Confederation of Indian Industry

As India's economic boom gathers more and more momentum with each passing year, industrial water and energy use and related environmental impacts are going to be among the most critical factors in resource sustainability debates in the country and elsewhere. The companies portrayed represent a wide spectrum of industry: paper, metals, agro-processing, synthetic fibre, petroleum, transport, cement, energy, fertilizer, soft drinks and more.

Made available to us by the CII, the presentations offered here describe in detail just how these varied companies have undertaken wide ranging and often innovative eco-friendly modifications to equipment and procedures both within the their plants and in the townships around them. Technical parameters, financial implications and gains/savings are all clearly documented, making them valuable resource materials for study amongst the industrial community in India and elsewhere. While specific industries can of course gain from the sector specific innovations, there is also a wealth of material on ideas whose utility cuts across sectors, potentially benefiting industry as a whole.

• Click here to view all the presentations
• Read a description of the event by S. Vishwanath of the Rainwater Club who was on the jury
• Click here to visit CII-GBC website

As a major user of water and generator of effluents, the corporate sector has a tremendous impact on India's water and sanitation situation, especially in the current context of accelerating growth and industrial development.

As the Indian economy grows at a rapid 9 per cent, the use of water by industries will also grow at 9 per cent. While agricultural use of water will continue to remain the largest consumer, it is expected that the demand from industries will show a rapid increase. Industries demand water at a point and also discharge water at a point and therefore sustainable management of water by industries is not only crucial to the industry itself but to the neighbourhood where the ind ustry is located. The Confederation of Indian Industries , CII , recently organised its National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007 competition in the Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad (http://www.ciionline.org/, www.ciigbc.org) . A range of industries participated in the competition organised in two categories - 'Within the fence' and 'Beyond the fence'. The way many industries highlighted their projects was an indication on how serious they consider the management of water resources. That it is identified as one of the key resources, apart from energy to be looked at as a critical input for sustaining growth, doesn't come as a surprise. Source to sink