Benjamin Franklin once said, “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”
Water is one of the most basic yet most crucial means for our survival. The subject of water management and conservation in India has been on the radar for quite some time. This has, however, gained a significant amount of spotlight in the last few decades because of the erratic water cycle and climate change. Regardless of their size and scale, industries anticipate a heavy negative impact, given their dependability on the water in their day-to-day manufacturing processes. As a community of responsible individuals, now is the time to diligently address the issue of water scarcity and take small yet significant steps to monitor the efficient and sustainable utilisation of water resources.
Organisations across industries have begun to implement strategies to ensure efficient use of water resources through behavioural, operational or equipment changes. Efficient water use also can have significant environmental and economic benefits by helping to improve water quality, maintain aquatic ecosystems, and protect drinking water resources. The significance of water footprint as a driving force to water conservation is spotlighted with severe water scarcity. According to a report by the UN, by 2025, 1,800 million people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water-stressed conditions. This year, the theme for World Water Day is “Groundwater: making the invisible visible,” highlighting the need to realign our focus towards enhancing awareness around the recycling and replenishment of groundwater and bring to light the overexploitation an invaluable resource.
Sustainability in automotive manufacturing
Automotive industries are now implementing water conservation strategies that require marginal investment and offer a long-term solution to achieving efficiency in operations. Organisations need to increase their efforts to enable effective waste management systems and efficient irrigation facilities to ensure the cleanliness of groundwater. A monitoring tool to regulate water usage is a necessity at this point to achieve sustainability targets. As reservoirs of water, aquifers should be protected and preserved to contain or transmit groundwater.
Observer Research Foundation last year published an article on India’s water crisis wherein research also pointed out that if India reuses 80 per cent of its untreated wastewater from 110 of its most populous cities, 75 per cent of projected industrial water demand can be met by 2025. This is a significant insight and an opportunity to innovate for all industries.
In its endeavour to become a ‘Water Positive’ company, TVS Motor Company has a dedicated dashboard for accurate accounting of withdrawal and consumption of water at the Hosur manufacturing plant. This IoT system helps identify abnormalities in the water consumption & take corrective actions immediately. Hence, initiatives like these will prevent unnecessary wastage and help mitigate the future risks associated with the shortage of water resources.
Furthermore, rains are one such resource that plays a pivotal role in replenishing the groundwater, especially during the drought season or El Nino phase in particular season/s, wherein water scarcity is a pre-dominant calamity. At TVS Motor, rainwater harvesting is done through direct collection and reuse, percolation ponds, contour trenches, stormwater drain with recharge pits and earth check dams.
Today, the total quantity of rainwater recharged into an aquifer at the company’s Hosur plant exceeds the total groundwater withdrawal in the one-rainfall year, which has led the company to achieve a 21 per cent reduction in specific water consumption during 2020-21. In addition to rainwater harvesting, TVS Motor Company has introduced multiple proactive process improvements to conserve, reduce and reuse water in all the plants to make it ‘Water Positive’.
Future outlook on mitigating water crisis
Climate change is happening at an unprecedented rate, and the recent IPCC report confirms the impacted quality of groundwater resources in our country. Substantial investments in innovative technologies to ensure resources efficiency in operations reducing pressure on groundwater for production and manufacturing are the need of the hour. The emerging crisis demands collaborative measures with government and key stakeholders to develop end-to-end sustainability measures that integrate process optimisation.
(S Devarajan, is the Senior Vice President, Advanced Manufacturing at TVS Motor Company)