7th Everything About Water Expo 2010 : Overwhelming response to the South Asia’s largest water event
The 7th International EverythingAboutWater Expo 2010 and International Exhibition and Conference on Water and Wastewater Management was officially inaugurated by Mr. A.C. Muthiah, Chairman, SPIC Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the country at the Chennai Trade Centre on January 7, 2010. Dr. KK Nohria, Chairman of the National Board for Quality Promotion was the Guest of Honour. The event was co-organized by ASSOCHAM and supported by Indian Environmental Association (IEA), The Indian Water Works Association (IWWA) and the Indian Desalination Association (IDA). The Show drew tremendous response from the exhibitors and visitors with 252 exhibitors from 25 countries across the globe and an overflowing footfall of 16,129 business visitors.
The inaugural day hosted a panel discussion on ‘How can the water reuse and recycle concept grow in India’. Eminent industry experts comprised the panelists including Mr. N.K. Ranganath, Managing Director, Grundfos Pumps India Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Pramod Bapna, President, Degremont India Ltd; Mr. Prerak Goel, Director, Rochem Separation Systems and Dr. Sundaramoorthy, Independent Consultant. Mr. Ranganath spoke of the criticality of water reuse and recycle as the country has no option with the economic sectors growing rapidly. Mr. Bapna mentioned about the sewage recycling efforts being promoted in Bangalore and many other cities as a means to conserve water for future generations. Mr. Prerak Goel gave an account of the numerous distillery, pharmaceutical and textile industries that are recycling difficult effluent through new advanced technologies easily available now, driven by the regulatory environment. Dr. Sundaramoorthy gave a historic evolution of the water reuse sector in India, showing how economics would drive the adoption of new practices. All the panelists were optimistic about adoption of water reuse practices in India and stressed on the importance of bringing about awareness and public pressure.
The Expo hosted an international conference on water and Waste water management, a conference on advancements in sea water desalination technologies and a training workshop on water reuse and recycle conducted by international water & wastewater treatment expert Dr. Peter Cartwright. The presenters included some of the eminent names of the international water companies such as Arad Technologies, Israel; Ribeka GmbH, Germany; Underwriters Laboratories Water Program, USA; Lanxess GmbH, Germany; Siemens Ionpure Products, UK; Maxit AS, Norway and VaTech Wabag. In addition, a conference on non-chemical disinfection technologies: Ozone & UV was held with the support of the Ozone Association of India which was conducted by three knowledgeable experts in the ozone sector – Dr. Kirit Patel, Mr. Baratharaj and Mr. Murugesh. A phenomenal 656 delegates participated in the conference and training workshops.
Special attractions in the exhibition include free advisory services on water and wastewater, a unique initiative in any exhibition. Named the ‘Dr.H2O Pavilion’, the consultants that would provide free consultancy include Dr. Sundarmurthy, retired chief engineer, Chennai Metro, a specialist on water conservation, recycle and industrial effluent treatment; N. Kuttiappan, an independent consultant who promotes decentralized water management & biological treatment technologies for wastewater recycle; Mnthippeswamy, retired chief engineer from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and a leading consultant on integrated water management; Manivasakam, leading consultant in water quality, drinking water management, water testing and author of numerous books on the subject; Dr. Peter Cartwright, leading international water & wastewater treatment expert, technical consultant to the Canadian Water Quality Association and author of several books and V. Bharatraj, leading expert in water disinfection technologies and president of the Ozone association of India.
EverythingAboutWater had a designated space in the exhibition hall named the ‘EA Water Forum’ that allowed exhibitors to book time slots and make presentations to the visitors who got the opportunity to walk the exhibition floor and listen to informed high-quality technical and product presentations by industry experts. This value added service helped exhibitors make a lasting impression and addressing a focused audience. One-2-one meetings were prefixed for specific exhibitors and visitors enabling visitors to have the meaningful discussions with the exhibitors of their choice. Many innovative products were on display at the Product Launch Zone which provided opportunity for the visitors to interact with the manufacturers to know about the features of these new products and their applications for their water and wastewater requirements. EverythingAboutWater instituted Best Stall Awards to encourage and acknowledge the efforts of the exhibitors. Fivebro Water Services was awarded the Best Stall Award in the Raw Space Category while Jain Irrigation Systems won the award for the Best Stall in the Built-Up Stall Category. An eminent jury comprising of Dr. Peter Cartwright, International Expert on water and wastewater treatment and technical consultant to the Canadian Water Quality Association; Dr. P K Tiwari, President, Indian Desalination Association and Dr. K. Chandrasekhar, Head of India Operations, Water Quality Association evaluated the awards based on criteria like Concept/Theme, overall appearance, space planning, branding and product display.
