Reclaiming the water | Chat with Vikas Brahmavar and Gowthaman Desingh, Co-founders at Boson White Water

The wastewater treated by the STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) isn’t potable; a small portion is used for flushing or gardening, with the rest disposed of.

BOSON White Water is a Bangalore-based organisation focused on treating and converting STP treated water into potable water.

In most areas, we rely on two primary sources of water. The first source comes from above the ground and is supplied through municipal systems. The second source is groundwater, extracted from wells or boreholes, especially in areas without access to surface water. Traditional freshwater sources are finite and unpredictable, leading to depletion and exploitation.

“Finding a third water source is important due to unpredictable monsoons and population growth. Wastewater presents a potential solution. We treat wastewater to produce potable water, creating a new avenue, which we call the “third source” of water.”

What are the regulatory requirements for setting up STPs?

Each state’s pollution control board sets regulations for establishing wastewater treatment plants (STPs), tailored for industries and residential complexes.

In Karnataka, STPs are required for apartment complexes with 20 or more families or 2000 square meters or more of area. Commercial properties with a total built-up area of more than 5000 square meters should also have their own STP. Property developers are mandated to implement STPs for residential complexes, and industries must also have STPs for waste management.

Despite undergoing treatment, the utilization of STP-treated wastewater is limited. Guidelines suggest using it for toilet flushing, gardening, and occasional cleaning, depending on the technology used. However, challenges arise due to inadequate infrastructure, preventing the safe transportation of treated wastewater to nearby water bodies for disposal. As a result, it often mixes with untreated waste, contaminating lakes and worsening environmental issues.

“Additionally, smaller communities struggle to maintain sewage treatment plants due to high operational costs”, says Gowthaman Desingh.

This is where BOSON White Water comes in.

We target complexes with over 200 families and install our BOSON White Water System, a tertiary treatment plant on-site. These plants improve water quality, meeting the BIS 10500: 2012 standards. This helps the residential complexes achieve zero liquid discharge norms. Such a system allows them to access treated water for applications like swimming pools without requiring a significant upfront investment.

Residential complexes sometimes hesitate to adopt reclaimed water due to psychological barriers. In such cases, we redirect the treated water to nearby industries and commercial buildings. IT parks and malls utilize the recovered BOSON White Water for boilers, cooling towers, steam generation, laundry washing, etc.

These entities typically face challenges sourcing high-quality water and often resort to purchasing and treating regular water. Supplying treated water addresses their wastewater disposal issues and fulfils their need for quality water.

We strategically select residential complexes close to these commercial buildings and industries to minimise logistics challenges. Based on the distance, we can sell the water between 8 to 20 paise/litre.

here are no charges for installing the system in the residential complex. Approximately 250 to 300 square feet of space is needed for installations serving 200-plus families. Power consumption is around 25 to 30 kilowatts per day, which we compensate for. A portion of the revenue from selling the water externally is returned to the RWA.

Economics of Water Treatment for Commercial Buildings

Investing in the tertiary treatment after the functional STPs can significantly benefit commercial buildings, resulting in a direct return on investment. However, not all are willing to bear the cost of setting up and operating these systems without the necessary technical expertise.

“In such cases, we offer an outsourcing solution, where we operate the system and charge our customers for the water supplied based on volume”, says Gowthaman Desingh.

Recovering drinking-quality water from wastewater is possible with proper treatment. This reclaimed water can also serve various secondary purposes, paving the way for sustainable water management in urban areas.

Boson White Water’s system can yield 55 to 75 litres for every 100 litres of input water. Larger volumes generally result in lower recovery costs.

• Setting up a system to recover 50 kilolitres of water per day from treated wastewater would cost between INR 20 to 25 lakhs.

• The cost would range between INR 40 and 45 lakhs for a larger volume of 100 kilolitres per day.

How many projects have you undertaken thus far?

We began our journey and officially registered the company in 2011. Initially, we focused on conventional water treatment systems. Around 2017, we shifted our focus towards water recovery in response to growing inquiries about wastewater management solutions. We researched how developed countries handle wastewater and the technologies they employ to achieve potable standards. Subsequently, we adapted our systems accordingly with an innovative patented pre-treatment process.

We have installed approximately 17 such systems across Bangalore, producing an average of around 8.5 lakh litres per day of potable-quality water from wastewater. We are now expanding our reach to other cities. This month, we are set to establish a plant in Coimbatore, with plans to expand to Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad by the end of the year.