Groundwater Degradation and Human Health:

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Groundwater Degradation and Human Health The
Rise of Reverse Osmosis Plants in North Gujarats
Cottage Industry by Rajnarayan Indu
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Fluoride-Free Drinking Water Supply in North
Gujarat

The Rise of Reverse Osmosis Plants as a Cottage
Industry
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Fluoride-Free Drinking Water Meaning
here Water with Required Amount of Fluoride 0.6
mg/litre to 1.2 mg/litre (IS10500 -1983) or,
1.5 mg/litre (IS 14543 - 1998) ? Zero
Fluoride causes caries to children ? More
Fluoride causes Fluorosis or Musculo-skeletal
disease to adults
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Part I Background, Methodology, Development of
the Market
Part II Field Survey
Part III Conclusions and Further Questions
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Background
1. Excessive Extraction of Groundwater for
Domestic and
Irrigation Purposes
2. Caused water Table go down
3. Making water Brackish due to salinity ingress
4. Caused Fluoride Contamination up to 25-35
mg/litre in summer
5. Government Effort of Supplying Safe Drinking
Water Failed
6. Private Entrepreneurs entered the field and a
Market for Packaged Water Emerged
7. They serve better drinking water with
permissible amount of TDS and Fluoride made
from Cottage Type Reverse Osmosis Plants
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Objectives
1. Estimate of RO Plants in Mahesana and Patan
Districts of North Gujarat, their Capacity,
Investment made
2. Detailed Study of 8-10 Plants, their
Economics, Volumes of Business, Price
Charged, and Nature and Economic Profile of
their Clientele
3. Assess the Future Prospects of this Sun-Rise
Industry
4. Identifying Questions for Interesting Further
Research in this field
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Methodology
1. Detailed Interview Conducted and Information
Collected through A Structured Questionnaire
from selected 14 Plants spread over 8 Towns
in Mahesana and Patan Districts
2. Interview with Officers in GWSSB, NGOs and
Village Sarpanchs
3. A Survey was conducted using a Structured
Questionnaire of 60 Customers from the same 8
market-towns served by the Selected Cottage RO
plants
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Processes Techniques of Purifying Brackish Water
Process Distillation, Freezing,
Humidification, Chemical and Membrane
Techniques Under Distillation
Long-Tube-Vertical, Multi-Stage-Flash, Vapour
Compressor etc Under Chemical Alum and Ion
Exchange Under Membrane Reverse Osmosis and
Electrodialysis
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Popularly used Chemical Method for Removing
Fluoride is Nalgonda Technique by Alum.
Sometimes Ion Exchange Method in combination with
Nalgonda Technique is also used.
Both are Popularly Used for De-Fluoridation in
Large Scale and also in Domestic Bucket Model.
The Nalgonda Model found to be ineffective such
as, in Ismailpur near Patan and Methan near
Siddhpur
Reasons Maintanence is Expensive and Cumbersome
and in some opinions it is found to be
erroneous one and not desirable. It converts
-ionic fluoride into soluble aluminium
fluoride complex ion -- removes only a smaller
portion of fluoride ion as precipitate the
presence of fluoride in complex aluminium
fluoride anion can not be detected by usual
testing method and this leads to believe the
absence of fluoride in water. Discuss here
Methan and Bramhanwada.
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Under Membrane Technique Reverse Osmosis is
proved to be the Most Effective now, for Removing
Brackishness of Water like TDS, Chemicals,
Bacteria and also Fluoride proportionately.
Osmosis is a natural diffusional process through
a semipermeable membrane, driven by concentration
difference and pressure.
In Osmosis water flows to salt-water solution if
separated by a semipermeable membrane under
natural pressure. In Reverse Osmosis, it is
opposite, water from salt-water solution flows
to water through a semipermeable membrane under
generated pressure.
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NATURAL PRESSURE
GENERATED PRESSURE
Salt solution
Salt solution
Water
Water
Water
REVERSE OSMOSIS
OSMOSIS
Fig. 1. Osmosis Reverse Osmosis Process
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CE Conductivity Electrode CI Conductivity
Meter PI Pressure Gauge A Differential Pressure
Gauge PS2 Pressure Switch
CV Control Valve FE Flow Sensor FI Flow
Indicator PE Product Flow Sensor PI Product Flow
Indicator
Fig. 2. Typical Reverse Osmosis System
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Fig. 3. Spiral Wound Module
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E. AUTO SHUT-OFF VALVE
A. STOP COCK
F. PUMP for 500 LPH / 3.5 hp pump /Rs 10 ph
Wkg 6 hpd
B. ACTIVATED CARBON BLOCK FILTER
G. RO MODULE takes away 90 TDS
H. SILVER IMPREGNATED ACTIVATED CARBON making
Organoleptic / mineralized
C. GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER
I. WASTE WATER OUT LET
D. ANTISCALANT
Fig. 4. A Typical Cottage RO Plant
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Large Scale Fluoride-Free Establishment of
Gujarat Governemt 1. Ismailpur near Patan
Nalgonda Model (Rs 9.34 lac) 1999 2. Methan
near Siddhpur Nalgonda Model (Rs 1.30lac)
1997 3. There are 11 RO Plants established in
villages of Gujarat during 1990-92.. 4 of them
are not working now
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Reasons for Failure 1. Ismailpur Lack of
Initiative, Less Fund, Govt. is to do all
idea 2. Methan Lack of Management, Expectation
to get Dharoi water 3. Other 4 plants Initial
Investigation of Raw Water -- not done -- so
later it is found that the Raw Water is too
brackish to the capacity of plant -- thus left
idle -- plus weak management Consequence to
these is the Growth of Private-owned RO Plants
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RO Technology Developed from Big to Medium to
Mini Plants
1960 -80 Big Plants for Industrial purpose for
large supply capacity from 10 M3/day
to 100 M3/day (CSMCRI )
1980 -90 and onwards Medium Plants
helpedCottage type plants to grow capacity
from 500 litre/hour to 2000 litre/hour. During
this time, particularly between 1995 and 2000
largest development of Cottage Plant Market
took place. And, Liquid Packaging Machine came to
the Market in a large scale
1995 - onwards Mini Plants helped domestic
kitchen model to grow from 6 litre/hour to 30
litre/hour capacity
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Making Mandatory the ISI Mark of Standardization
for Quality of Packaged Drinking Water brought
a set back to the business of this Sun-Rise
Industry from April 2001. The Circular came on
29 March 2001. Discuss ISI PFA
The Un-Sealed Packed Water in Jerry Can has no
problem. Sealed PET-bottle and Pouch Packed
Drinking Water should carry the ISI Mark. MNCs
have it in their PET pack.
Production of Pouch Packed Drinking Water got
affected. Many Plant Owners stopped or producing
through job work or producing clandestinely in
their plants. The Pouch Packed Drinking Water
has the Largest Profit. It has Seasonal Variation
in Demand. Peak Season March, April, May and
June. Lean Season has Approximately 40 Less
Demand of the Peak Season.
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Field Survey
Plants of Visnagar, Sidhppur, Maktupur and
Chanasma are in Rural Areas
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All Plants have License from Local Health
Department
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13 plants used to produce Pouches of 250 ml Pack
(under individual Brand Name) ranging form 5,000
to 75,000 in Numbers in a day. Only One Plant at
Khali, Sidhpur has the ISI Certification. This
Plant is producing 75,000 pouch a day Job Work
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Capacity is Under Utilized in general, reasons
1. Availability of Raw Water Price of one
Tanker of Raw Water (4000 litres) is Rs 100
(sometimes Rs 200) 2. Supply of Electricity 3.
Problem Distribution if it is gt 10 km 4.
Seasonal Variation in Demand
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Plant Economy
Three Types of Customers for these Producers 1.
10 LPD Customers paying Monthly or Yearly or
Advance 2. 20 LPD Customers paying Monthly or
Yearly or Advance 3. Sales Proceed from
Pouches, which has seasonal variation So, Annual
Sales has been calculated accordingly.
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Some Important Findings
1. At Rs 1500 annual fee for 10 LPD, sale price
per litre 0.41 paise
2. At Rs 2500 annual fee for 20 LPD, sale price
per litre 0.34 paise
3. And, 250 ml Pouch ex-factory price
0.30 paise
ie., 4 Pouch 1 litre Rs 1.20 per litre
4. Average Cost of one litre of treated water
0.19 paise
5. Average Sale Price of one litre treated water
(0.41 0.34 1.20)/3

0.65 paise ie., Return per litre of Sale
of water 0.65 - 0.19 0.46 paise
Plants under Loss 3 Plants lt 3 Lac Profit 2.
Between 4 to 5 lac Profit 1. Between 6 to 10
Lac Profit 2. Between 10 to 15 Lac Profit 4
and Above 15 lac 2 Plants . Total 14. That
is, 6 or 43 Plants are making Profit of gt 6
Lac. Average Investment on Plant and Machinery
about 6 lacs. Meaning 100 Profit for 43 Plants
over Plant and Machinery Investment
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Raw water TDS in Mahesana Area 1600 to 2000 ppm
other places 800 to 1000 ppm. After treatment
they supply water with 150 to 300 ppm. Fluoride
is around 2.5 to 3.0 mg/litre, after treatment
0.26 to 0.50 mg/litre
In RO system, 30 to 50 per cent wastewater is
generated while processing the raw water. Means,
to make ONE litre of safe drinking water requires
TWO litres of raw water. That is, Trade off
between 3 litres of Bad water and 1 litre of Good
water
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Wastewater can be used after softening for
washing and cleaning and bathing and also to
re-use in RO. In Ahmedabad one captive plant has
this arrangement.
These 14 plants are supplying good water to only
3.41 population of their location.
The door to door distribution is tough but that
has a fixed regular income. Pouch has no
responsibility after sale. It gives much more
profit than 10 or 20 litre sale.
This industry has good future growth, so long
good drinking water supply is not available
otherwise
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About Clientele/Consumers
1. 60 Annual-Customers from 8 Production-Towns
out of 4890 Total Customer-Base
2. These families have 300 members. Sample is
very small.
3. Of the 60 Respondents 53 Male and 7 Female
Average Age of 40 years
4. Graduate 27 Post-Graduate 13 ie, 40 or gt
66 have High Education
5. Families from Monthly Income Group lt 5000
4 5 - 10 K 15 10 - 15 K 18 15 - 20 K 16
and gt 20 K 7 ie, 34 Or, nearly 57 are bet.
10 - 20 K group
7. 20 using treated water on Doctors advice
rest friends advice/ just like that
8. 86 using this water for gt 2 years
9. 77 said ISI Mark be Mandatory but 63
said NO to Assured Guarantee
10. 18 of 60 ie, 30 had evidence of recovering
Fluorosis using treated water
11. 85 used treated drinking water for
precaution of their health
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To Conclude
1. Rapid growth of market between 1996 to 2000
from Jerry Can, PET Bottle to Pouch.
2. Pouch Packed Water has more Profit margin - no
maintenance like Cans/Bottles - Pouch can reach a
long distance place - its plastic is recycled -
it generates a temporary employment in summers
for hawkers.
3. Making ISI Certification Mandatory - the
numbers of cottage plants have gone down to
less than 100 in 2002 from 300 in 2001- in our
first visit to Mahesana the number was 42 and in
the second visit after two weeks the number came
down to nearly 25 - of which we have the data of
14 plants.
4. So long the groundwater has high TDS and
Fluoride, and Local Government can not supply
good drinking water, this cottage industry
does have a good market.
5. Even if they have to follow ISI
certification, the present plant owners will
definitely take chance to invest 3 to 4 lac
rupees extra - for they know they can get the
return of this value addition, which we have seen
two plant owners have already started.
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Identifying Questions for Further Research in
this field
?
1. Can we not provide two litres of good and
safe drinking water daily to all?
2. Can Government take up this issue through
Municipality and Local Self
Government/Panchayats
3. If Government can not, can we make regulated
cottage industry to grow more with ISI
Certification? Because Strict Law can make
better Competition.
THANK YOU