After green rating for buildings, it is time for blue rating. With water fast becoming a scarce resource for industries, the Union ministry of water resources has decided to implement strict measures to improve its usage in factories and corporate houses.
And helping it in this task is industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The ministry has asked CII to come up with guidelines for increasing water efficiency in Indian industries.
“The ministry has asked us to develop a blue rating, on the lines of green rating, for industries to track their water management activities and water footprinting activities,” said Mr S. Raghupathy, executive director, CII, who is heading the project.
This will be an entirely voluntary initiative and the companies will be tracked on water usage in the entire chain of product from raw material to consumption stage.
“Industry should not compete with society for water. So, whatever they draw from the common pool should be recharged by activities such as rainwater harvesting or other water recycling methods,” he explained.
Initially, the standards for industry will be framed and they will be extended to cities, buildings, housing societies and civic authorities later.
“There is a huge potential for saving water in Indian industry and we are aiming at reducing water consumption by 20-25 percent in next 3-4 years,” Mr Raghupathy hoped.
The discussions, which are only at a draft stage, are expected to take shape by March next year. If this comes through, India will be the first country in the world to come up with such a rating for enhancing water management.
Jaipur-based Triveni Water Institute, a joint venture of CII and the Rajasthan government, is expected to issue water ratings.