AKVO AWG an Indian’s innovative answer to the global water crisis

~ AKVO is the most cost-efficient Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) generating drinking water from thin air ~ Kolkata, 21st February 2019:The topic of water scarcity has always been discussed from marking Day Zero in Cape Town, South Africa 2018to finding effective ways to transport drinkable water to regions affected by natural disasters.The primary requirement in equatorial regions during the summers.
In India, there is huge waterscarcity in primary cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Shimla and Chennai which are facing huge water shortages and are likely to run out of ground water by 2030—a study by Niti Aayog report has revealed.
In April this year water scarcity triggered mass migration in rural areas Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh.In the forthcoming summers, for the next 30 years, groundwater contribution to river Ganga will continue decreasing, it is observed.
The trend which can lead to disastrous effect on the riverine ecology and lead to food scarcity for 115 million people in the Ganga basin, according to an IIT Kharagpur study.
The machines come in different sizes from 100litres machines to 10,000 litres for community housing and Industrial use.AKVO AWG’s can generate up to 1000 litres of water in just 24 hours from the atmospheric moisture.
The marketable water is available from Rs 15 to Rs 20 per litre and always has the cleanliness suspicion tag attached with it.
Few months ago, an AKVO AWG 1000 litre machine was installed in Hardua Mangarh, in Madhya Pradesh.
To address Industrial demands by one of India’s largest Oil refineries of India, IOCL Haldia installed 6 AKVO AWG machines proving AKVO AWG’s various scenarios.
Using quick fire solutions such as transporting water to an affected region never solves the problem.
AKVO AWG’s have raised their voices and showcased their USP as the most cost-efficient source of water for two consecutive years at the International Water Summit in Abu Dhabi 2018 and 2019.

Flowing water bodies become parched lands: Where did the water go?

Situated 5 km apart in the commercially flourishing area, Pallavaram Periya eri and Keezhkattalai eri share similar problems: depleting groundwater table and dumping of untreated sewage and garbage.
“Even in summer, people who lived close to Pallavaram lake would draw water with a bucket from the open wells.
Both the lakes have shrunk significantly in size,” said Damodaran V, a retired government official, who has been living at Pallavaram for more than six decades.
Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam Radial Road reduced the commute time to OMR, which is the IT hotspot of Chennai.
Keezhkattalai lake: A sad tale of negligence The Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam road is constructed on the Keezhkattalai and Pallavaram lake areas, making it the biggest encroachment.
“The government is further expanding the Pallavaram Thoraipakkam road, a move that will further reduce the area holding water.
“The lake area has shrunk.
When the municipality favours encroachments The fact is that Pallavaram Municipality has itself provided water and sewage connections to the pucca houses constructed on the Periya Eri.
Even though the Public Works Department is the custodian of all lakes, Pallavaram Municipality has managed to get a No Objection Certificate for restoration work from the PWD.
“The Municipality is in-charge of the restoration works of these two lakes.

BMC must declare water crisis, say Mumbaikars

Even as lakes supplying water to Mumbai have their stocks down to 42 per cent, citizen groups across the city has expressed its concern over the fact that despite staring at a severe water scarcity this summer, the civic body is not taking any firm steps towards conserving water nor raising an alarm.
Conscious citizens are voicing the need for the city to initiate measures such as celebrating a waterless Holi and cutting down on water wastage.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is ensuring all leakages are plugged in to conserve water.
Harish Pandey, President of the New Link Road Residents Forum (NLRRF), which represents citizens from Dahisar and Borivali said that since the people of Mumbai are aware about the likelihood of an impending water crisis, they should not wait for the BMC to act; they must start conserving water at the community level.
“We can start with celebrating a dry Holi this year.
We can spread awareness in our own residential areas by apprising everyone of water scarcity,” he said.
Pandey also said the BMC must ensure that no damage should be caused to the civic water pipelines while taking up different infrastructure projects.

Dry days ahead as Mumbai’s water stocks down to 42%

Even after implementing a 10 per cent water cut across the city, water stock in Mumbai’s lakes is down to 42 per cent.
As of February 17 last year, it was 57 per cent.
If the lakes are full by October 1, the city, which uses 10 per cent of the stock each month, will get uninterrupted supply till July.
However, as of October 1, 2018, the lakes only had 93 per cent water, forcing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare a 10 per cent water cut.
As of Sunday, February 17, 2019, there was 6.14 lakh litres of water in the seven lakes, or 42 per cent.
The corresponding figure for 2018 was 8.18 lakh litres (57 per cent) water stock.
In a normal year, the water stocks last till July, by when the monsoon is expected to refresh supply in the lakes.
But this year’s stocks are so critically low that even end-June seems like a real possibility.
"We are monitoring the situation every day.
The city has seven lakes and dams with storage of 14.50 lakh million litres.

Lahore High Court constitutes Punjab Water Commission

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered constitution of Punjab Water Commission while hearing petitions seeking court order to secure clean water.
The lawyer of Punjab government argued before the court that the Water Act has already been in effect in the province adding that there was no need of the water commission.
Justice Shahid Karim of LHC asked the counsel “why the government is opposing formation of the water commission and rejected the provincial government’s plea against the commission?” The court ordered the government to submit the first report of the water commission within 15 days.
The court will protect fundamental human rights.
Earlier, petitioner Barrister Salman Niazi contended that the formation of water commission has no link with the Water Act.
The government didn’t legislate over the loss of water so far.
He pleaded to the bench to form a water commission to secure the clean water.
The court after hearing arguments of the counsel rejected the government’s request and declared formation of Punjab Water Commission.
In a previous hearing the bench had summoned implementation report on the water policy and concerned report of the World Bank.
The court was informed that according to a World Bank report Pakistan loses water of around estimated value of 12 billion dollars’ every year.

Motor damage: Water shortage in SCB areas

HYDERABAD: Residents in several areas of Secunderabad Cantonment are facing acute water scarcity for the past one week.
According to sources, the Balamrai pump house water supply motors were damaged due to short circuit and there is no water supply for the past one week to the 3,000 families.
According to SCB authorities, they have been supplying water through tankers in the affected residential areas.
There are eight pump houses in the SCB jurisdiction it is supplying about 65 lakh gallons of water per day to its 4 lakh residents.
The decades-old Balamrai pump house, located near Paradise crossroads, with a capacity of 6 lakh gallons, supplies water to nearly one-third of the Cantonment area.
Meanwhile, SCB members alleged that due to negligence of employees in monitoring the pump house led to the crisis.
No water supply in parts of city today Due to maintenance work a shutdown has been proposed for 24 hours from 6 am on Feb 15 to 6 am on Feb 16.
There will be no water supply on Friday and delayed water supply on Saturday to the areas of Erragadda, Yellareddyguda, Vengalraonagar, Yousufguda, Ameerpet, SR Nagar, Somajiguda, Venkatagiri, Jublee Hills, Banjara Hills, Borabanda, etc.

Facing cutbacks on the Colorado River, Arizona farmers look to groundwater to stay in business

Under Arizona’s plan for coping with drought, farmers who’ve received Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project Canal for more than three decades now expect to see their allotment slashed more than 60 percent, from 275,000 acre-feet to 105,000 acre-feet per year for the first three years of a shortage.
After that, their supply of Colorado River water will be cut off and they plan to rely solely on pumping groundwater from wells.
“We’re going to have to lay off employees.” Thelander, who is 63, has been farming in Pinal County since 1995.
Mark Henle/The Republic Farmers in Pinal County have known for years that their supply of Colorado River water was temporary.
There is no way around it,” Thelander said.
I can tell you that,” Thelander said.
The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, which represents cities that supply water to more than half the state’s population, said in a Jan. 7 economic analysis that Pinal County agriculture represented about 0.2 percent of Arizona’s economy in 2016, and that about 11 percent of the county’s agriculture industry is at risk due to the water cutbacks under the Drought Contingency Plan.
“So, we are sure that we will keep that in production as long as we can.” How Pinal got Colorado River water In the 1930s, growers in Pinal County dug wells and began irrigating farms with groundwater.
This year, the district plans to deliver 43 percent of its water from the CAP canal and get the remaining 57 percent from groundwater pumping.
“We don’t want it to be a shot in the dark.” Leaving fields dry Standing on the edge of a cotton field, Thelander watched a tractor roll toward him.

Exposé – SA’s water scarcity set to match electricity woes

South Africa is warming at twice the global average, according to the Department of Environmental Affairs.
This story provides striking examples pointing to a national crisis right up there with Eskom.
Enter the charity, Gift of the Givers, which has come to the aid of other South African towns in similar water-strapped states, including Beaufort West in the Western Cape.
“There are many grateful people in this town today,” Maclennan told Daily Maverick.
“In Beaufort West, leaks are estimated to see 40% of water waste away,” Western Cape local government spokesperson James-Brent Styan told Daily Maverick.
“These are, in my opinion, merely symptoms, not unlike Eskom, of the onset of total collapse of water infrastructure in SA,” Le Roy told Daily Maverick.
We are water-scarce in the entirety (of) South Africa,” he says.
Grahamstown / Makhanda residents queued patiently for their bottled water from Gift of the Givers.
“The establishment of an independent water regulator — like the National Energy Regulator for South Africa (Nersa) in the energy sector — is long overdue.” Le Roy says this body would be the first step towards “reinstating governance in the water sector”.
“Without these three steps we cannot arrest the implosion of SA’s water resources,” Le Roy warns.

State to draw Rs 2,000 crore to tackle drought

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to draw an additional Rs 2,000 crore from the state contingency fund (CF) to undertake drought-relief measures in 151 tehsils that have been declared as drought-hit.
The decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mantralaya on Tuesday.
The government can now withdraw Rs 2,150 crore for drought mitigation.
Officials said that this is a temporary arrangement made from time to time to draw funds to support the drought-affected people.
The funds will be used for basic support like supplying water tankers and other programmes to be undertaken to tackle water scarcity till June.
An official from chief minister office (CMO) said that Kharif crops in 2018 had been badly damaged owing to the natural conditions.
Drought has been declared in 151 talukas.
Jain, chief secretary of the state said that total 9,000 crores would be needed for the drought relief measures in the state.
On Tuesday, the state handed over Rs 2,000 crore from its coffer for the drought relief.
The Central government had already sanctioned Rs 4,714 crore for the drought mitigation.

South Asia’s water battles

The region’s 1.7 billion people face rapidly dwindling water resources, pushing South Asia on top of water stressed regions in the world.
About 4,500 years ago, the Indus Valley civilization that had flourished in northern and western parts of the Indian subcontinent disappeared.
Almost four millennia later, the area that was home to this civilization is facing another existential threat and once again due to scarcity of water and climate change.
On top of the increased consumption, global warming and climate change has led to erratic rainfall and melting of the hundreds of glaciers that feed the rivers flowing through the basin, dramatically reducing the availability of fresh water in the entire Indian subcontinent.
As a result, the three countries in northern part of the subcontinent, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, are now amongst the eight most water stressed countries in the entire world.
Measuring the waters For South Asia, the Himalayas are the only permanent reservoir of water, ensuring year-round flow in dozens of rivers that flow through these countries and provide water to the hundreds of millions of people living in the Indo-Gangetic river basin for all their needs.
Even under the most conservative climate change scenarios, net cereal production for South Asian countries is expected to tumble by at least 4 to 10 percent.
The worsening water shortage is likely to heighten tensions between India and Pakistan and water could turn into a flashpoint between the two nations, who have had trouble over sharing natural water resources, especially of the six rivers flowing from India into Pakistan, from the time of independence.
Now, the two countries are battling over a couple of hydroelectric projects that India is constructing over the Chenab river, even though the waters of the Chenab were meant to be exclusively for use by Pakistan.
While the two nations are trying to resolve the dispute over Chenab, a planned dam in Afghanistan has again dragged the two nations in a verbal duel.