The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) held a national seminar on ‘Industrial Water Treatment: Challenges and Opportunities’ here to have a high-level thinking on efficient and rational use of water. The seminar was organised under the chairmanship of Vivekanda Pattanaik, who is an experienced industrial executive and expert in the field.
Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra inaugurated the seminar as the chief guest. Mohapatra said that growing urbanisation, industrialisation and diversified food production will create pressure on availability of water in future days. Ensuring zero discharge of water through use and re-use of water is one important answer to the problem. Harvesting of rain water and recharging of ground water level are highly necessary for present and future generation, he said.
Mohapatra suggested that appropriate technology needs to be adopted soon for recycling of waste water. Regulatory frame work needs to be developed to maintain equilibrium in supply and consumption among different sectors, while the problem has to be viewed from intergenerational perspective, he suggested.
Guest of honour Development Commissioner Injeti Srinivas said Odisha is emerging as a thermal power hub, and a steel hub. In addition, we have to augment agricultural and industrial resources. All these need heavy quantity of water. Technology is the only answer to bring a balance between demand and supply, he said. The technical session of the seminar included discussion on eight thought provoking seminar papers presented by scientists, experts and technicians. The issues relating to effluent treatment, industrial cooling water treatment, water quality, boiler water treatment in power plant, water chemistry for super-critical boilers and plant operating problems were discussed in the meeting. The industrialists, experts and scientists shared their experiences regarding treatment of water by industrial houses.
Chairman CESU and former member OERC Bijoy Chandra Jena along with other dignitaries and senior officers from departments of industry, technical education, labour, SPCB, OERC and different industrial houses participated. It was proposed to bring out a volume on best practices for water treatment with the inputs.