Recycled wastewater from decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) across the city is turning out to be a hit in the construction industry. In a bid to promote the use of recycled water, Tankerwala, the mobile application startup to book freshwater through tankers on-demand in the city, released an option in the app to book recycled water tankers from June 5.
In just over one week, around 25 lakh liters of water has been lapped up for various purposes in the city. The majority of it is from the construction industry.
“We are swamped with requests for treated wastewater from across the city. Already around 25 lakh liters have been transported to various spots. Around 95% of this request has come from the construction industry,” said Shravanth Donthy, CEO, Tankerwala.
Currently, the project is doing pilots with different apartment complexes to make the process hyperlocal. While the demand and supply of treated water are high, transporting the recycled water through busy roads in the city is turning out to be a challenge.
“A lot of people are reaching out to us requesting to take their treated water. Demand is high as well. However, it is unpredictable and thus we are unable to align the supplies on those lines. We are trying to optimize root planning and analyse late traffic hours to make the process work,” added Donthy.
The demand from the construction industry can be attributed to the fact that the recycled water being procured by decentralised STPs is tested for suspended particulate matter to ensure it meets construction water quality specified by IS 456:2000 standards. IS 456:2000 standards indicate the quality of water that should be used in construction. As per the standards, the permissible limit for sulfate is 400 mg/litre; the permissible limit for chloride is 2,000 mg/litre for concrete not containing embedded steel and 500 mg/litre for reinforced concrete. “Water requirements of the construction companies range between five to ten lakh liters a day.
Moreover, the water we procure is being tested at multiple labs and they all confirmed that the water quality is per the guidelines specified by IS 456:2000 standards,” said Donthy.
Currently, the recycled water is being supplied to construction sites in Shivajinagar, Dairy Circle, and the Outer Ring Road areas.
According to the experts, it is vital to create supply and demand in the same area for optimal usage of recycled water from decentralised STPs housed in the apartment complexes. For instance, if all the extra water is with Whitefield, and construction is happening on MG Road, the logistics will not be feasible. We need to create demand for this water in different areas so it can be used locally. For central Bengaluru, we have zeroed in on the hotels around the area to procure the recycled water,” Donthy added.
