Clean Water for Anybody, Anytime

[box type=”shadow” align=”alignleft” ]CSR funds today are being largely utilised towards meeting the most pressing requirement of India – toilets Another burning issue affecting the very life force and which also needs collective attention is the source for clean and safe drinking water for every individual. Giving another dimension to CSR, A.V. Suresh, President – International Operations; CEO – Forbes Professional, Eureka Forbes Limited discusses a responsible and sustainable business model for safe drinking water in an exclusive interview with Mohana M.[/box]

Water shops are places where anyone can buy safe drinking water for as low as 20 paise per litre or swipe a smart card to fill a bottle of clean and safe drinking water anytime of the day or night. A country where there is no direct supply of clean drinking water, water shops can provide drinking water to anyone and everyone; even to the ones living in the remote areas of India. “Eureka Forbes, which has been in the water field for over three decades, introduced water ATMs to provide all time clean and safe drinking water for those who did not have suitable access or had to travel long distances,” says A.V. Suresh.

Run by a team of eight housewives-turned-entrepreneurs working in shifts, the month-old Water Shop installed in Govandi, Mumbai, already has more than 300 members. Selling at `10 for a 20 liter bottle of clean water, the nearby slums have come to depend on the water shop for drinking water. While the members seeking clean water are growing rapidly, there are enquirers from surrounding areas too for home delivery of Ultra filtered and Ultra-violet treated purified water.

The water shop members are provided 20 litre refill bottles on a deposit and educated to keep them. The bottles brought fto the shop are washed in a special washer, and then refilled. Members can also get smart cards to obtain water from the ATM at any time.

“Most of the machines installed are automated and the functioning of the plant is centrally monitored resulting in good quality water at all times. We guarantee the quality of water.”

“It is after the 2005 Tsunami that Eureka Forbes ventured into setting up drinking water plants for the common people. There are multiple ways in which we can set up a plant. We work along with NGOs, Corporates, PSUs, and like-minded people who do the funding for the water treatment plant/solutions. Eureka Forbes, as a technical partner, provides the water treatment plant at cost price, customizes it to suit the specific conditions of the area and maintains the plant in good running condition,” explains Suresh.

Sustainability of any project depends on the ownership that one takes in running it. Ownership, again comes when there is a contribution made by the people who run the project. “We at Eureka Forbes not only provide the training, expertise and assistance but also take a partial pay back. If we are setting up 10 such plants today, four years down the line, 20 such plants can be set up with the pay back system of sustainable model.

“We have created a business model for water shops where water is sold between 20 to 50 paise a litre, depending on the area & affordability, and on the NGO or company funding the project. Even if the plant is used at 40% efficiency for 10 hours a day, money invested can be paid back in about four years’ time. We educate the people on how to convert the water shop into a business model, how to provide service cost, make it run efficiently and effectively and how to distribute water. We also test the water every month and give certificates. Training programmes are conducted to teach the art of advocacy of safe drinking water. We always work with a ground level partner and in the case of Rafi Nagar plant at Govandi, it is a self-help group and Apnalaya.”

The plant is based on UF-UV filtration system which has been designed to work at a particular TDS of water. The solutions are based on the water input quality. Typically,if the TDS is more than 400, then it requires an RO. At Govandi, the water is 120-140 TDS. If the water is sourced from a bore well, a different purification system is required. Eureka Forbes has customised solutions based on quality of input water and tailor made the plant based on water testing and water quantity requirements to serve the community.

In affected areas where there is a need for safe drinking water, Eureka Forbes’ approach is different. This is especially where the water contains Fluoride, Arsenic, Lead, etc., and has led to physical deformation in the community, who have been drinking the polluted ground water unaware of its impact. Being a need-based solution, the education is much more than creating awareness on safe drinking water.

“Eureka Forbes works along with companies, Corporates, PSUs, Rotary Clubs and other NGOs who believe in providing safe drinking water for the community, as part of their CSR projects, by setting up water plants in their surrounding areas. This way the 2% CSR funds can be spent on activities like constructing Water Shops.

The non-profit wing of the organization, Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment, which undertakes such projects, is setting up five water plants in a bus stop for the public at large. Here the water is being sold at `1 per litre against the `20 sold in the market. We have three different models for rural-rural, urban-slum and public places. In Kolkata, we have a 1000-litre per hour capacity plant which is solar driven. We are planning to set up many more such plants across the lengths and breadths of the country.

“Some women empowerment groups have also bought such plants from us and they will repay over a period of three years. At some places where coolers have been placed, water is sold at `2 per litre and where water is delivered within a radius of 10km, water is sold at `3 per litre. There is a business model attached with such water shops. We make this as a livelihood model, whereby the people who run the water shop are able to earn `2000 to `5000 per month.”

Even on an investment of say `600,000 for a 1000-litre per hour RO plant, If water is sold at 30 paise per litre, working at 40% efficiency and optimum usage of 10 hours (4000 litres per day), one can break even within the first year in terms of paying back the plant cost within a four year period.

“Eureka
Forbes Institute of Environment would be very happy to partner with NGOs, other like-minded people for setting up such plants in joint collaboration for rural, urban slums and public places. We would be delighted to work with corporates who want to spend their CSR money on setting up safe drinking water plants for the people, as it is one of the most critical issues today. We commit that the plants will be sold at the cost price and they run for a minimum of 10 years or more. Our strength is in providing after sales service to the plant irrespective of where it is installed across the country. We have more than 500 customer response centres across the country and several franchisees to cater to each of these plants,” says Suresh.