Solving a Complex Sustainability Challenge

India has a complex water system comprised of monsoon

rains, freshwater reservoirs, rivers crisscrossing the country

and a long coastline. This network is essential for the

country’s sustainable growth. The 20 major river systems that

spread throughout the country have been important for

transportation, irrigation, trade, and drinking water, and as

the cultural headsprings for the societies that developed

along their banks.

By 2025, India’s population is expected to hit 1.4 billion. The Water Resources Group estimates that the country’s

available water supply will only meet about half the demand within 18 years. India needs secure and safe supplies of

water for sustained growth.

That’s why GE is at work to help India efficiently use available water resources. Our products and services provide

safe, clean water for citizens and businesses, treat wastewater for reuse and help create resource and

environmental sustainability for the country.

Topographic differences, temporal uncertainties and rapid economic growth over the last decade have brought

water-related issues to the forefront. India today faces several major challenges: citizens’ access to quality drinking

water; increasing salinity in groundwater supplies; reliable water sources for industrial growth; and public health

crises due to untreated sewage and polluted rivers. While water stress is the concern at the national level, many

communities and regions are already battling more serious crises.

Strong Growth Stresses Water Supplies

Fourteen of India’s major river systems are already stressed

due to overconsumption and a 2010 World Bank study

estimated that some 20 million wells in the country are

causing the same pressure on groundwater supplies. Nearly

three-quarters of India’s population lives in water-stressed

regions.

Topographic differences, temporal uncertainties and rapid economic growth over the last decade have brought

water-related issues to the forefront. India today faces several major challenges: citizens’ access to quality drinking

water; increasing salinity in groundwater supplies; reliable water sources for industrial growth; and public health

crises due to untreated sewage and polluted rivers. While water stress is the concern at the national level, many

communities and regions are already battling more serious crises.

To close the gap between demand and supply for water in India means solutions for wastewater reuse are needed in

the urban, municipal and industrial environment. Wastewater can be safely reused for multiple purposes—vehicle

washing, toilet flushing, gardening, industrial processes and for direct and indirect potable uses. Appropriate

treatment and monitoring technology can substantiality reduce the burden of wastewater disposal and create

reliable and sustainable water supplies for urban and industrial users.

Wastewater Treatment & Reuse

Urbanization in India is projected to increase from the current

level of 30% to 40% by 2030. This trend is causing increased

water demand and problems with proper sewage disposal.

India’s current sewage treatment capacity is able to meet only

a third of its requirements. Meanwhile, industrial water users

in the metals, power, hydrocarbon processing, food &

beverage, and other sectors are facing increasing competition

for scarce water resources.

GE’s commitment to India

GE's Water & Process Technologies business provides water and wastewater treatment and process solutions. Its

goal is to help solve complex challenges related to water availability and quality, to increase productivity, reduce

costs and help our customers meet environmental regulations. GE's portfolio of water and process technologies

includes separation equipment, membrane and filtration technology, monitoring solutions, analytical instruments,

specialty chemicals, mobile water capabilities and services.

GE Water & Process Technologies has a team of more than 150 people in India dedicated to meeting local customer

needs.

Here are just a few ways in which GE Water & Process Technologies is helping Indian customers:

Customers in India have adopted GE Water & Process Technologies’s solutions across multiple sectors to efficiently

manage water resources, protect assets and secure growth. GE Water & Process Technologies’s installed base of

more than 50 projects in the country and service teams at more than 20 large customer sites reflects its

commitment to water sustainability in India.

1. Minimizing cooling water requirements with our superior GenGard technology - Leading Metals Company,

Rajasthan.

2. Reducing dependency on freshwater sources by reusing industrial wastewater with our ZeeWeed

Membrane Bioreactor technology: Global automobile manufacturer, Bangalore.

3. Reducing dependency on freshwater sources by reusing wastewater in an urban setting with our

ZeeWeed Membrane Bioreactor technology: National IT company, Pune and Mysore.

4. Protecting the environment by treating chemical industry wastewater using our Zero Liquid Discharge

technology: International chemical company, Madhya Pradesh.