RECYCLING INDUSTRY IN INDIA

The human race has had long experience and a fine tradition in surviving adversity. But we now face a task for which we have little experience; the task of surviving prosperity’.

                                                                  (Alan Gregg)

Municipal Solid Waste.

In today’s consumer-age, advertisements urge us to eat, drink, drive and ‘live’ more; whatever that means. Charming people seduce us to use loads of toothpaste, cupfuls of detergent, etc; where much less is actually enough. The logic is that since a little is good, more will be better. They aim to make us feel inferior if we do not conform. Speed-breakers in supermarkets slow down customers to ensure that they do not miss novel but non-essential goodies; lower shelves have children’s treats; and essentials can be reached only after rows of superfluous items. Growth is seen only in economic terms as larger sales and profits. The flip side is that the more we consume, the more waste we generate; which needs disposal of by-products, packaging and leftovers. Unfortunately, it is difficult to quantify the economic cost of environmental degradation. Despite all the advantages of modern synthetic materials, they are mostly non-biodegradable; smothering Indian cities with about 160,000 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) daily. Landfills are saturated and garbage trucks congest roads. On the other hand, Sweden recycles waste to generate electricity and even imports its shortfall; Sri Lanka recovers metals from electronic waste; and Bhutan paves durable green roads using plastic waste. Mahatma Gandhi said “the Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not for anybody’s greed”.

Our hotel basement meant for parking cars was unusable due to litter. So, we cleaned it up with a few hours of enthusiastic self-help. However, the results were short-lived and the exercise was repeated after two weeks. After the same outcome, we just gave up. Similarly, sweepers at Pune Railway Station went on strike when they were accused of shirking work; because people littered the platforms faster than they could clean them. A good doctor treats the cause of fever and not just its symptoms. Similarly, we need to address the root cause of dirty surroundings, which is habitual littering and dumping of mixed garbage. Manual scavenging of night-soil is banned, but manual clearing of litter that is equally dehumanizing, continues. Environmental degradation/ pollution are exacerbated by faulty waste management and deforestation. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has been allotted a budget of over $ 20 Billion over five years, but its results aren’t yet visible. Clean surroundings can be achieved by not littering in the first place; thereafter, only cleaning up inadvertent littering/ spillage will keep them clean. Albert Einstein rightly said ‘the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them’. There is no doubt that only better/ innovative ways can dispose of the ever increasing waste. The problems encountered and current methods are explained below.

Landfills

Landfills are outside city limits (Not in My Backyard) and their environmental degradation/ stench generates strong local opposition. New landfills are not available for all the money offered. Garbage brought by countless trucks is piled up by earthmovers into huge unstable mountains. Anaerobic decomposition of wet waste produces methane, feeding perpetually smouldering fires to produce toxic smoke. Human scavengers have to compete with vermin for scraps and suffer injuries from hazardous material. Buildings on reclaimed landfills suffer mysterious damage due to corrosive gases permeating through gaps. Chemicals and heavy metals leach into soil and contaminate groundwater. Clearly, landfills are the wrong way to dispose of (mixed) garbage.

Burning Waste

Burning garbage in the open is expedient wherever no one is responsible (e.g. city outskirts, railway lines and riversides). This is banned by National Green Tribunal with a fine of Rs 5000/-; but violators get away as no one really cares. Moisture, inadequate air and low temperature make burning piles smoulder for hours; producing toxic dioxins, furans and SPM (suspended particulate matter) that damage our health/ environment. Just as ‘Cost of Poor Quality’ affects profitability, ‘Cost of Poor Health/ Environmental Damage’ burdens a nation’s economy. The problem of burning garbage is like the tip of the iceberg, because small piles of mixed garbage/ leaf litter burn out quickly and the garbage burnt can never be quantified. Only an effective system for garbage collection and recycling can stop this practice. Air is noticeably clear during the rains (despite usual vehicle density) because soggy garbage cannot be burned. Garbage burning resumes after the rains and air pollution peaks in winter due to still air/ temperature inversion.

Solid Waste Management.

Our ancestors had no difficulty in disposing of natural biodegradable waste, but we need better ways for disposing of the current waste materials, which are as follows: -

1.      Wet waste and leaf litter (70%).

2.      Recyclable Dry Waste (25%).

§  Paper.

§  Plastics.

§  Metals.

§  Glass.

§  Food packaging.

3.      Miscellaneous Dry Waste (5%).

§  Combustible.

§  Derelict Vehicles.

§  Electronic/ electrical waste (including batteries).

§  Hygiene waste.

§  Demolition/ Construction Debris.

§  Non-recyclable (Inert) Waste.

WET WASTE (70%).

Wet waste makes up 70% of the solid waste generated (about 112,000 tons daily). It comprises of voluminous leaf litter and kitchen/ food waste having high moisture content. Daily doorstep collection will obviate its potential nuisance. Where this is not feasible, manned static collection points at convenient locations enable people to drop off segregated waste.

Aerobic Backyard Composting (ABC).

ABC is natural aerobic decomposition with adequate air, which can be done round the year with minimal space, expenditure and efforts. It has worked well on a small scale for more than five years in my backyard and better methods can be innovated to handle larger quantities. Local ABC of wet waste will reduce effort for handling/ transportation, as well as nuisance of odor/ pests. Fewer garbage trucks on the road will reduce traffic congestion and the carbon footprint. An ecosystem of microorganisms, insects and earthworms (sustained by the right conditions) produces odorless organic compost (presently a rare commodity available online @ Rs 200 / kg). It is an excellent substitute for chemical fertilizers and the best way for carbon sequestration. An output of 10% (valued at just Rs 50/ kg) will be worth Rs 56 Crores/ day.

ABC has two steps as follows: -

§  Step 1. (Decomposition). Wet waste is kept in perforated plastic/ stainless steel bins and watered/ loosened regularly. We need to avoid flooding/ drying and chemical pesticides/ herbicides, as they destroy the composting ecosystem. Natural bio-culture from an old batch facilitates decomposition of a fresh batch. Birds, attracted by a bird bath and the shelter of trees, help to control maggots/ flies. The organic waste loses food value for scavengers after decomposing for about 10 days. Housing Societies can have 10 such bins, one each for 10 days of daily wet waste, used in rotation. Such Housing Societies should be given incentive, like concession in property tax, etc. This can be done on a larger scale in the no-construction zones between Red and Blue flood-lines of rivers, where vegetation enables bio-filtration of wastewater.

§  Step 2. (Maturing by Earthworms). Decomposed matter from ‘Step-1’ is transferred to large plastic bags that are perforated at the bottom. These are placed around trees and watered/ loosened regularly. Earthworms appear from the soil and digest the decomposed waste into rich dark humus in about four months. Since there is no nuisance of odour or pests, an extended period only improves its quality. Costly earthworms need not be bought as they appear naturally. The compost can be consolidated into fewer bags as it gradually reduces in volume. By-products of decomposition drain into the soil and nourish plants. The compost manure improves the soil’s carbon content and water-holding capacity. Unwanted sprouting seeds are simply weeded out. The composting process of Step 2 would give full benefit of organic fertilizer to gardens maintained by the Municipal Corporation. Synergy between the Solid Waste Management and Garden Departments will be mutually beneficial.

RECYCLABLE DRY WASTE (25%).

Separate collection of dry waste every 3 - 4 days ensures its complete segregation/ recycling. Segregation, i.e. keeping different categories of dry waste separate, facilitates its recycling. Static manned collection points at convenient locations with separate bins for different waste materials will reduce rework in sorting. A system that is both easy and convenient will encourage people to cooperate. Dry waste can be recycled as follows: -

§  Paper. 8% i.e. 12800 tons daily. Paper mills reuse waste paper from educational institutions, offices and households to make new paper. Unskilled workers can salvage unused (blank) paper to be recycled into drafting pads. Sensitive documents with confidential information need to be shredded. However, fire safety precautions are vital. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 fully grown trees (intangible benefit); the value of waste paper @ Rs 15/ kg, gives a benefit of about Rs 19.2 Crores/ day.

§  Plastics. 7% i.e. 11200 tons daily; Plastic containers need to be cleaned of cosmetic/ food waste and sorted. Shredders/ compactors will optimize collection of plastic waste. Durable roads made with non-recyclable plastic waste will reduce the cost and inconvenience of frequent ‘Work-in-Progress’. Plastics can also be converted into bio-fuel and reusable polyethylene, PET, HDPE, LDPE, PVC, etc. @ Rs 100/ kg, giving a benefit of about Rs 112 Crores/ day.

§  Metals. 4% i.e. 6400 tons daily; Recycling metals (iron/ steel, copper, brass, aluminum, titanium, etc.) will reduce pressure on mines. Magnetic collectors can pick up ferrous metal scrap. Since alloys are mostly used, electrolysis of scrap metal placed at positive electrode will produce nodules of mixed metals at the negative electrode. Benefits @ Rs 100/ kg will be around Rs 64 Crores/ day. Recycling metals will also save coal/ coke for smelting.

§  Glass. 6% i.e. 9600 tons daily; Recycled glass (segregated by color) reduces 315 kg carbon emissions/ ton (about 1100,000 tons of carbon emissions every year for India alone); reduced fuel consumption gives a benefit of about Rs 9 Crores/ day.

§  Food Packaging. Tin cans, tetra packs, PET bottles, aluminum/ plastic foil, etc, should be cleaned of food waste and recycled in respective categories.

§  Transportation of garbage is reduced by 60%, which saves Rs 5.5 Crores/ day. It also eases traffic congestion and reduces the carbon footprint.

§  Daily Benefits. Rs 265.7 Crores. (Rs 96980.5 Crores/ Year).

MISCELLANEOUS DRY WASTE (5%). This is 8000 tons daily and consists of the following: -

§  Combustible Matter. Thermal power plants can incinerate this material (with sufficient air and heat) and harness its thermal potential to generate electricity. Samuchit Enviro Tech in Pune has devised innovative methods to convert garden and coconut waste into char-briquettes (ideal for barbeques and improvised cookers), which converts waste into wealth.

§  Derelict Vehicles.  Abandoned derelict vehicles block prime space and are a health/ security hazard. The Odd/ Even Dates parking on opposite sides of the road ensure that only running vehicles are parked temporarily on the designated side. A Red-Tag system can be used to mark derelict/ abandoned (possibly ownerless) vehicles prominently. If the owner fails to dispose of the same in one month (a reasonable time), the vehicle should be impounded and taken to a dump yard. The owner can reclaim it by paying a fine not less than the scrap value of the vehicle (for reconditioning into a vintage vehicle). If it is still unclaimed after (say) two months, it should be scrapped with proper records. Skilled workers can dismantle them in scrap yards to recover metal, plastic and useful components. Regional Transport Officers should streamline the process of scrapping old vehicles to obviate legal hurdles.

§  Electronic/ electrical waste (including batteries). Skilled workers dismantle e-waste (PCBs, wires, mobile phones, CFLs, etc) in special facilities to recover glass, plastics, chemicals and metals (aluminum, lead, rare metals, etc). This prevents contamination of soil and water by chemicals in batteries, mercury in CFLs and lead in PCBs. Batteries generate electricity from a reaction between chemicals and metal components. The components of spent batteries are only in a chemically altered form and can be recovered by a reverse electro-chemical process.

§  Hygiene waste. Diapers, sanitary napkins, condoms, razor blades, etc should be segregated in easily identifiable disposal bags (to be supplied with the product). They should be dried/ incinerated locally (with adequate heat/ air) to obviate smoke and health hazards.

§  Demolition/ Construction Debris. This should be recycled for new construction works.

§  Non-recyclable (Inert) Waste. This goes into landfills as it does not pollute land/ water.

Changing Habits.

A culture of ‘keeping it clean’ rather than ‘keep cleaning it’, ‘recycle’ instead of ‘dump’ and ‘create wealth’ instead of ‘allot funds’ through a culture of ‘Segregate & Donate’ will result in clean air, water and public places. Initially, awareness and persuasion can help to win over cooperation of most people; later, fines and punishment may be needed to deter compulsive violators. Reverse logistics and buy-back offers will help to recycle packing material, batteries, derelict vehicles, e-waste, etc. Reduce; reuse; repair; recycle and reinvent will conserve resources. Resistance/ mental inertia can be expected for something initially perceived as harsh, but it can be preempted with feedback to streamline processes. Sharing best practices and rewarding/ celebrating success will hasten change for the better.

People’s Participation. People’s involvement in spreading awareness, root cause analysis, identifying solutions and their implementation is crucial for clean pollution free surroundings. Outsourcing this process denies them a sense of ownership and participation.

Salvage Concept. An ideal work station has a place for everything and everything in its place. A disciplined workforce must unlearn wrong practices and follow a good work culture to reduce waste/ salvage the full value of waste generated.

Conclusion.

Waste is ‘wealth at the wrong place’. ABC of wet waste is the first step of MSW management to tackles 70% of the waste having all the nuisance value, followed by recycling dry waste into value-added products. Administrators, political leaders and NGOs should garner people’s participation and optimize available resources. Waste recycling and thermal power plants should be efficient and profitable endeavours for private enterprise. Private agencies should focus on R & D for better recycling methods rather than take up the Municipal Corporation’s primary role of cleaning areas, which is duplication of effort and no one remains accountable. Profit generated should be ploughed back into civic infrastructure and public transport.

A ‘Recycling Industry’ for 160,000 tons of Municipal Solid Waste daily, has potential benefit of Rs 96980.5 Crores/ Year. ‘Swachh Bharat’ will be achieved as bonus, saving its annual outlay of Rs 62009 Crores. Since money saved is money earned, the benefits for India will be Rs 158990 Crores (approx US$ 24.5 Billion) annually. The intangible benefits of a healthy environment (reduced health costs/ damage from environmental disasters) are a bonus. The Alappuzha model of waste recycling is already well established. This can be replicated with some modifications to suit local conditions. ‘Triple Bottom-Line’ benefits are as follows

·         Social. Gainful employment for uneducated and unskilled workers.

·         Economic. Generating wealth out of waste.

·         Environmental. Clean/ healthy surroundings.

‘Environmental amnesia’ makes it difficult to acknowledge something that has ceased to exist; just like the Pied Piper of Hamlin was denied his dues when the rat nuisance disappeared. We must be efficient like nature, which recycles everything and leaves no waste. Only complete waste recycling can conserve resources for sustainable development. Six Sigma methods will be useful to quantify/ track benefits through data and feedback. It is futile to look for other habitable planets while simultaneously destroying our own home. Remember, ‘we have not inherited earth from our forefathers; we are merely borrowing it from future generations’.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR WATER

·         Water is the petroleum of the 21^st century.  (Yao Graham)

Mughal emperor Akbar built a majestic fort at Sikri near Agra, India and named it ‘Fatehpur Sikri’ (City of Victory) after Emperor Babur’s victory over Rana Sanga. It was his headquarters for 14 years from 1571 until 1585. Ironically, the fort built after victory in battle was abandoned due to lack of water and Akbar relocated to Agra Fort near the Yamuna River. Similarly, Kampuchea’s Angkor-Wat civilization thrived for centuries, but ultimately collapsed when its elaborate water storage/ supply system broke down. Water has been the lifeblood of all civilizations and remains vital. The water supply/ drainage system of Indus Valley civilization was commendable for that period, but the same will not work now.

Water (covering 70% surface) and clouds give Earth a bluish-white appearance from outer space. Of all water on earth, 97.19% is saline and 2.2% is underground or in polar ice-caps; leaving only 0.61% as fresh usable water. It exists as ice (solid), water (liquid) and vapor (gas); and its constant conversion from one form to another moderates the climate and gives our familiar seasons. Water cools, refreshes and rejuvenates. This universal solvent cleans everything by getting itself dirty, but leaves no taste, smell or color. Water is a living magic and sustains life. When cooled, it gradually contracts and is most dense at 4˚C; on further cooling it expands and freezes at 0˚C. Floating ice insulates the relatively warm water beneath, helping aquatic life to thrive even when the air above is far below freezing.  Water cannons break up violent mobs; the term ‘hydraulics’ comes from incompressibility of water; and ‘hydroelectricity’ is generated from potential energy of water. Water is taken for granted and the terms ‘On Tap’ for ‘freely available’ and ‘Down the Drain’ for ‘sheer waste’ come from its abundance; but a crisis is imminent.

A privileged few have purified water for everything; from cooking and bathing, to flushing toilets. Common drains take wastewater to effluent treatment plants (if existing), otherwise directly into rivers. Indian cities produce about 62000 MLD (million liters daily) of sewage, of which 39000 MLD is released untreated for want of infrastructure, time or energy. A fast growing population needs increasing amounts of good freshwater, but sources are limited/ polluted. Mumbai gets over 3000 MLD of water, and this requirement may increase to 6300 MLD by 2021. Tankers supply water worth Rs 3600 Crores a year in Mumbai alone and 20-50 liter packs of drinking water sell for Rs 40-200 each. Saudi Arabia relies solely on groundwater, which may run out in the next 13 years. Cape Town is the world’s first big city to run out of water now. Diverting water only for human consumption degrades the natural habitat of a variety of flora and fauna; causing a severe environmental impact. People waste water as heavily subsidized water purification and supply system (with neither punishment for waste nor incentive for saving) makes them unaware of its true worth. Lack of water in inhospitable terrain constrains military operations, which I experienced during a competition run of Camp Rover in NDA.  My squadron mates and I had started the cross-country march before dawn; with my only water-bottle empty, fatigue and dehydration seemed inevitable. Around sunrise we reached a hill where tall dew-laden grass soaked me up to the chest and water dripped off my fingertips. Dew, being almost like rainwater, I quenched my thirst by drinking the water that dripped off my little finger on lifting my elbow.

Wastewater. The more water we use, the more wastewater we produce; one liter of sewage pollutes eight liters of water and contaminates groundwater. Water purification is both difficult and costly downstream of polluted rivers (e.g. Ganges and Yamuna). Wastewater can be reduced by reusing water in laundry washing machines (reusing first rinse for prewash and second rinse for wash cycles to save 50%) and recycling to recover pure water and concentrated residue. Green Buildings require minimal resources (including water) and produce little or no waste. Water should ideally be supplied by separate pipes for the required use (purified for drinking, cooking and bathing; and raw for flushing and horticulture). Wastewater should be segregated into separate drains for reuse/ recycling as follows: ­-

§  Green Water. It is the bulk of wastewater from kitchens/ bathrooms. Suspended non-toxic bio-degradable organic matter settles down on river/ lake beds. Methane produced by anaerobic decomposition is probably the cause of fires on Bengaluru lakes. Roots of Cannas/ banana/ bulrushes/ grass planted between the Blue and Red flood-lines of rivers (where construction is banned) bio-filter this sewage and the clarified water can be used for horticulture/ flushing or released safely into water bodies. The perennial greenery sequesters carbon dioxide and acts as the city’s lungs.

§  Gutter Grease. Cooking oils and fats coagulate in cold weather and putrefy during warm weather to produce methane. Gutter grease can be collected in grease traps and converted into bio-fuel.

§  Fecal Matter. There is a mental block against treatment facilities for fecal matter near habitation. This can be bio-filtered in isolated vegetation patches between the Blue and Red flood-lines and the clarified water released into the river. Aerobic composting eliminates methane and makes energy intensive STPs redundant.

§  Red Water. This wastewater has a high proportion of potentially toxic TDS (total dissolved solids); detergents from domestic sewage and chemicals from industrial effluents. Zero-discharge of Red Water by segregation and complete recycling prevents water pollution.

The Natural Water Cycle. The water cycle creates rivers (conveyor belts of life) that deposit silt to make the plains fertile. Water vapor is produced in summer when temperature is far below the boiling point of water; and precipitation occurs during the (heat-index-wise) hottest part of the year. The water cycle replenishes reservoirs whose capacity is reduced by silt. Most underground aquifers are depleted faster than natural percolation can replenish them. The summer flow of glacier-fed perennial rivers is reduced as glaciers recede due to global warming. Climate change causes floods, droughts or untimely precipitation, which affect food production adversely.

One evening we had a good shower at our campsite in the midst of a 1000 m wide tree belt planted all along Indira Gandhi Canal. Surprisingly, not a drop fell on barren sand dunes just a few kilometers away; proving that the trees had facilitated the precipitation. Reforestation of barren land will check climate change and prevent drought. Forests prevent soil erosion, facilitate subsoil percolation and sequester carbon dioxide.

Traditional houses in semi-desert Rajasthan store rooftop rainwater in underground tanks for the year’s drinking and cooking. However, Rainwater Harvesting is possible only during the monsoon and is limited to storage and treatment facilities. It will help to understand how the Bishnois’ sustainable lifestyle has conserved the delicate environment of Rajasthan’s desert. Weather is a complex phenomenon that depends on numerous variables. Environmental amnesia makes us forget that there was no atmospheric haze before climate change became a serious problem. A simultaneous increase in fossil fuel consumption and deforestation (reduced carbon sink) has compounded the problem. Nano-particles of SPM being dark absorb solar radiation and contribute directly to global warming. Warm air holds more moisture to cause cloudbursts, storms and cyclones. Ionization effect of vegetation will reduce suspended particulate matter (SPM). Unnecessary burning of garbage and biomass should stop. The poor who rely on solid fuels would benefit from improved smokeless stoves.

Replication of Water Cycle. A survival technique (Solar Still) replicates the water cycle on a small scale, where a clear plastic sheet over a pit produces water vapor by day and water at night. During monsoons in Mumbai, water condenses on single-sheet glass windows of AC rooms with the inner surface barely 5 – 6°C cooler than the outside. Water also condenses inside discarded PET water-bottles over a day/ night cycle. This phenomenon is attributable to high relative humidity and a small temperature difference. The myth that distilled water is completely de-mineralized and hence not potable lacks credibility, because simply adding the required quantity of essential minerals gives ideal drinking water.

Water cannot be produced/ manufactured, but reduce (usage), reuse and recycle (by an artificial water cycle) is imperative. Distillation and Reverse Osmosis involve huge infrastructure/ energy and are unviable. Innovations like Atmospheric Water Generator and Seawater Greenhouse have limited output. During Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Israel visit, he was shown the GALMobile, a Jeep-like vehicle that produces pure water from wastewater/ seawater.

Problems. Huge quantities of wastewater and low-grade waste heat need considerable energy and infrastructure for treatment/ disposal. Cooling tower of chillers/ central AC plants consume about 1000 KwH of electricity each and treating 300 KL effluent costs about Rs 6000/- per day.

Proposed Concept. A hermetically sealed system for vacuum-aided low-temperature distillation of liquids called RENEWATE gives a continuous supply of clean freshwater (in compressed time/ space). A warm evaporator contains a batch of saline/ wastewater and the relatively cool condenser collects pure distillate. An active system helps to maintain the maximum possible temperature difference between the evaporator and condenser. Low-grade waste heat from compressors, engines, etc makes the system work as a super conductor for rapid heat exchange. Pure water can be recovered from seawater, industrial effluents and sewage; and solvents from chemical processes. A small-scale working model has proved the concept and can be scaled up. Working conditions in the system are created and maintained with very little energy; and the power saved is power generated. Patent applied for vide 1186/MUM/2010 dated 09 April 2010 and Trademark RENEWATE on 10 November 2011.

Comparison with Existing Systems.

§  Works as advanced radiators and cooling towers.

§  Works as a combined water purification and effluent treatment plant.

§  It is an advanced version of Seawater Greenhouse and Atmospheric Water Generator.

Possible Variations. Various possible applications of RENEWATE are as follows: -

§  Produce pure distillate and concentrated residue to recover chemicals.

§  Concentrate seawater into brine/ salt.

§  Symbiotic functioning of cold storage chillers with sugar mills uses waste heat to concentrate sugarcane juice.

§  Concentrate milk and fruit juices in food processing.

§  Work as a home heating system in extremely cold climates.

§  Produce freshwater in ships.

§  Provide efficient heat sink for compressors in green buildings.

Advantages/ Benefits.

§  Low-grade waste heat/ solar heat and wastewater/ seawater are utilized as resources to produce concentrated residue and pure water, which are both useful.

§  Water purification/ effluent treatment plants and inefficient radiators/ cooling towers become redundant.

§  Provision of pure water to survivors of natural calamities prevents waterborne diseases, which cause 88% of avoidable deaths. Pure water is produced from brackish and arsenic/ fluoride contaminated water.

§  Reforestation of barren areas alleviates climate change and sequesters carbon dioxide.

§  Bottled water is redundant, eliminating the environmental cost of packaging, transport and waste disposal.

Conclusion:  RENEWATE converts abundantly available wastewater/ seawater into pure water at virtually no cost, using up low-grade solar/ waste heat. Existing aquifers are already inadequate and new dams that submerge forests, agriculture/ grasslands and displace people are not needed. Mass migrations from water-stressed areas (like Syria) can make situations like Angkor Wat possible. Clean water from RENEWATE can make coastal areas self reliant round the year. Industrial effluents are converted from a liability into assets (pure water and recovered chemicals) and zero-discharge eliminates pollution. RENEWATE can be the foundation for ‘green’ sustainable development by recycling waste and reducing cost. Its potential benefits, like the value of a head load of water carried over long distances by women in water deficient areas, are difficult to quantify. RENEWATE integrates ‘Ecology’ with ‘Economy’ with great potential for long-term financial benefits, plus intangible benefits of improved health and environment.

Forestalling environmental crises can be a thankless job. People won’t realize that a problem has been solved/ averted because they can’t see it anymore; just like the people of Hamlin, who forgot their promises after Pied Piper got rid of the rats.

·         When the well is dry we know the worth of water.  (Benjamin Franklin)

·         We have not inherited Earth from our ancestors; we are merely borrowing it from future generations.