Wastewater treatment is important and a major challenge for the industry. Technological development must be used for the benefit of the industry and society as well, said Satish Panchal, former Managing Director of Vadodara Enviro Channel Ltd.
Panchal was the chief guest for the National Technology Day at CSIR-NEERI. Director of NEERI Dr Atul Vaidya as seated on the dais.
Briefing about Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), he underscored the necessity to think differently to protect water bodies for future generations, emphasizing the crucial roles of wastewater treatment and recycling. He stressed upon the need to adopt automation, digitization, and Internet of Things (IoT), which include sensors and software, for the smart functioning of wastewater treatment plants in industries.
Panchal urged researchers to comprehensively study the material balance, including input and output, for effective wastewater treatment. He advised scientists to follow the principle of Research, Development, and Demonstration (R&D&D) instead of Research and Development (R&D) for the benefit of industry and society. He briefed about recent technological developments in wastewater treatment, emphasizing automation, digitization, and IoT. He expressed hope that artificial intelligence and machine learning will also play a major role in industrial wastewater treatment. Panchal raised concerns over the operation and maintenance of effluent treatment plants across various parts of the country.
Dr Vaidya, in his welcome address, briefed about the significance of National Technology Day. He also highlighted the contributions of Prof P Khanna, Former Director of NEERI in the development of environmental technologies.
Dr Kavita Gandhi, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, conducted the proceedings. Prakash Kumbhare, Senior. Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, proposed the vote of thanks.