Mr. Sudhakaran Nair, Chairman, World Plumbing Council and President, Indian Plumbing Association

	Safe plumbing standards for a better environment Collection, storage, transportation and distribution of water require substantial use of energy.  Therefore, when water is wasted, the other scarce resource, energy, too gets wasted.
In this scenario, Mr. Sudhakaran Nair, Chairman, World Plumbing Council and President, Indian Plumbing Association shares with Built Expressions that considering the enormity of the task for safe plumbing and the huge investments needed, public-private partnership can be the answer.

BE: The Government of India under Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has set a mandate of environment clearance before the establishment of a construction project. Also, it recommends recycle and reuse of the treated water. In view of this, what are the proactive steps taken by Indian Plumbing Association?

SN: Almost every major project involving reputed plumbing consultants and contractors have been implementing these requirements for several years now.  Alternative water sources including treated effluent from on-site Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and harvested rain water are used for non-potable applications such as flushing of toilets, landscape irrigation, HVAC make-up water etc.  While these are welcome initiatives, we lack monitoring mechanisms to ensure adequate quality of alternative water sources, especially treated effluent from STPs owned and operated by private bodies such as building societies.

Storing unsafe quality treated effluents in cisterns of water closets can cause serious un-sanitary conditions including the associated spread of dangerous bacteria in living spaces.  The problem becomes more severe if the spaces are un-occupied for long durations and the polluted water remains stagnant.

Dual piping systems for potable and non-potable water have to be installed by competent personnel to avoid instances of back-syphonage, back flow, cross connections etc which will result in contamination of potable water distribution systems.

Indian Plumbing Association (IPA - www.indianplumbing.org ) in collaboration with International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) of USA has published plumbing codes of current international standards  such as Uniform Plumbing Code-India (UPC-I) and Green Plumbing Code Supplement-India (GPCS-I) which provide guidelines to achieve technically correct and safe installations.

BE: Water management is also one of the key parameters to rate as a green building. What are your views on this? In what best manner can this be implemented?

Apart from use of alternative water sources for non-potable applications, use of water efficient plumbing products, tested and certified by an approved third party, must be made mandatory.  These are standard norms in most developed nations.  The current trend of blindly using high end imported sanitary fixtures, faucets, showers etc should be reviewed.  It is often found that India is becoming a dumping ground for water guzzling products not permitted for use in their country of origin!  Everything that is imported need not be good!

Plumbing engineers across the globe are also concerned about the possible ill effects on drainage systems due to usage of low flow fixtures.  Gravity drainage systems depend on liquids discharged into them to carry the solids with a “self cleansing velocity".  What is termed as "Dry Drain Phenomenon" can cause hazardous unsanitary conditions if our focus remains only on water conservation.

GPCS-I and Water Efficient Products-India (WEP-I) published by the IPA-IAPMO partnership offer guidelines on safe usage of Low Flow Plumbing Products.  These guidelines are particularly critical in retro-fit installations when low flow fixtures replace the existing ones, without an inspection of the drainage system.

BE: It is generally said that the infrastructure planning does not keep in mind the increasing population, overloading of sewer lines and increased demand for water. What are your views on this and how do you think this issue can be addressed?

Very true!  This is a huge challenge that the government alone will find hard to address quickly.  Most of our urban centres do not have water distribution systems or sewerage networks and where they exist; they are dilapidated, under-sized and out-dated.  It is a known fact that no less than forty percent of water supplied to Bangalore city is lost through leaking pipes and unauthorised tappings.  Collection, storage, transportation and distribution of water require substantial use of energy.  Therefore, when water is wasted, the other scarce resource, energy, too gets wasted.

Considering the enormity of the task and the huge investments needed, public-private partnership can be the answer.  The price we pay for municipal water, when it is available, does not even cover the cost of making it available to us.  Anything that comes free or cheap will not be valued.  Governments should not provide water at subsidized cost to someone washing two cars every morning with running water!  Users should be required to pay a fair price for the water they consume.  This should not become a political issue!

BE: National building code prescribes standards for design of water supply for different building typologies which has to be adhered to for necessary building permissions. Should this be extended to design of water supply based on reduced anticipated consumption?

Currently, our codes are only recommendatory in most cases with few welcome exceptions such as electrical and fire protection installations.  As bulk of the plumbing installations in our country is handled by the unorganised sector consisting of uneducated and untrained personnel, codes and standards are seldom implemented.  A building permit may carry the stipulations but their implementation is not monitored.  The National Building Code (NBC) too does not get revised and republished frequently enough to keep pace with the advancement of plumbing technologies across the globe.

BE: As World Plumbing Council’s Chairman, what are your recommendations towards sustainable development and what are the innovations in the field of waste water management?

During the 10th World Plumbing Conference at New Delhi in November 2013, the WPC publication "Environmental Aspects of Plumbing (EAP)" was published.  HAP and EAP offer simple guidelines to ensure safe plumbing standards.  Answers to your questions are embodied in these two publications.

In 2010, the WPC declared 11th March as "World Plumbing Day" with the message "Plumbing-Vital to Global Health".  Since its launch, the day is celebrated by the plumbing fraternity all over the world, to highlight the fact that the plumber is the frontline worker striving to protect the health of citizens!