Benchmarking water use for efficient deployment in industries

The proposed scope of work for the study includes the following:

A secondary-data-based preliminary baseline assessment of current water use practices in selected water intensive industries (viz. thermal power plants, textile, pulp and paper, and steel industries) in India.

Conduct sample-based comprehensive water audits of selected water intensive industries to estimate their water consumption/use through flow measurement and secondary data as well as assess water quality of different processes (e.g. raw water, process water, and wastewater) through water quality monitoring and testing.

Based on water audits and available secondary data identify specific interventions and suggest recommendations to reduce water consumption and losses (if any) and improve water use efficiency within each selected water intensive industrial sector (viz. thermal power plants, textile, pulp and paper, and steel industries). These would include focus in the following areas: (i)Possibilities for reduction in fresh water consumption through water conservation and improvements in process water use; (ii) Possibilities of reuse and recycle of wastewater including zero discharge; (iii) Attempt for cost benefit evaluation for selected interventions with suggestions on improvement in industrial economic value creation; (iv) Identification of potential benchmarks of water use and specific water consumption for each selected industrial sectors.

Suggest relevant policy recommendations to assist enhancement in the water use efficiency of selected industrial sectors. This shall include: (i) Policy interventions to facilitate improvement in industrial water use efficiency; (ii) Recommendations for water pricing for selected industrial sector; (iii) Develop potential guidelines for reuse/recycle wastewater for selected industrial sector.

Conduct stakeholder consultation(s) for inputs during the course of the study as well as an outreach and dissemination workshop/conference for sharing the study outcomes involving the relevant stakeholders from industries and government agencies.