Company: THAL ENGINEERING
Country: Pakistan
Project Name: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Project
Category: Environment
Website:
Objective:
The project aimed to minimize fresh water consumption by 15 percent through the reuse and recycling of wastewater.
Details of the project:
The world water crisis was one of the largest public health issues. Nearly 1.1 billion people (or roughly 20 percent of the world’s population) lacked access to safe drinking water.
The UN prioritized water access among its Millennium Development Goals because the lack of it contributed to widespread suffering, including increased poverty, high child mortality rates, depressed education levels, and political instability. Without question, the world water crisis condemned billions of people to a perpetual struggle to survive at the subsistence level.
Water was essential to the treatment of diseases, making it especially critical for children. Further, the lack of clean water, coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and a dearth of hygiene education, was one of the largest obstacles to progress and development.
The lack of clean, safe drinking water was estimated to kill almost 4,500 children per day. In fact, out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, approximately 90 percent involved children under the age of five.
Some years back, Pakistan had abundant water resources flowing down the Himalayas and the Karakorum Heights. As a result, 16 million hectares of its 34 million hectares of cultivable land available were irrigated.
But water had since grown scarce especially because Pakistan’s population surpassed the 140 million mark and continued to increase at the alarming rate of 3 percent. The growth rate of agriculture in the country, on the other hand, was decreasing due to water shortage.
To keep the pace of agricultural growth at par with population growth, more lands had to be cultivated. To achieve the required growth targets in agriculture, Pakistan needed an estimated 149 maf in 2000 and 215 maf in year 2013, and about 277 maf by year 2025.
Apparently, in Pakistan, there was a shortage of over 40 maf that could grow bigger over time. This water shortage did not only threaten agriculture but also the federal structure of the country. Unaddressed, the problem could lead to water riots and finally to social, if not political, catastrophe.
When an analysis of fresh water consumption was done in Pakistan, it appeared that 18 to 19 percent of fresh water was used in gardening. It was then decided that a feasibility analysis on the putting up of a wastewater treatment plant be done.
The feasibility report showed that with an initial investment of Rs.1,004,795/- (USD 1300), fresh water consumption could be reduced by 20 percent. Consequently, a wastewater treatment plant was initiated as a CSR Project.
Not long after Thal Engineering used treated water for gardening, the Horticultural Society of Pakistan awarded it number one in Karachi for best gardening practices.
Thal Engineering also had the honor of hosting the CSR Business Talk on the Environment for the UNGC local network. It exhibited best practices in improving the environment.