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Water Solutions: Challenges, Models & Case Study of Piramal Sarvajal

1. Water Scarcity, Usage, and Quality (Context)

Key Definitions:

  • Water Shortage: Lack of water to meet daily needs (even if saline water is available).
  • Water Scarcity: Inadequate freshwater sources to meet demand.
  • Water Stress: Demand is met, but sources are depleting (<1700 m³/person/year).
    • India: ~1400 m³/person/year → water-stressed.

Global Freshwater Availability:

  • 71% of Earth is water, but:
    • 97.5% is saline
    • 2.5% is freshwater → <1% is accessible

Water Usage in India:

SectorUsageKey Insights
Agriculture91%Rice, sugarcane, wheat, cotton use 90% of irrigation water
Household5%Urban: 135 LPCD; Rural: 55 LPCD (Jal Jeevan Mission)
Industry2–4%Power generation and AI have high water footprints

Water Quality & Contamination:

TypeExamplesImpact & Treatment
PathogenicCholera, TyphoidFast-acting; easier to treat
GeogenicArsenic, FluorideSlow, long-term; hard to treat

Regulatory Bodies:

  • Central & State Pollution Control Boards
  • Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission
  • NABL-accredited labs for testing

2. Piramal Sarvajal: A Decentralized Water Solution

Background:

  • Mission: "Water for all" – reduce waterborne diseases via affordable, safe drinking water.
  • Origin: Started in Shekhawati, Rajasthan (fluoride-affected area).
  • Problem: 50% of doctor visits due to waterborne diseases.

Rejected Solutions:

  • Piped water → high infrastructure cost
  • Packaged water → plastic waste, unaffordable
  • Domestic purifiers → high cost, wasteful, no service support
  • Water tankers → high cost, carbon footprint

Adopted Model: Decentralized Community-Level Purification

Key Features:

  • Product-as-a-Service: Pay-per-use (like Ola/Netflix)
  • Local Entrepreneurs: Franchisee-based operation
  • Remote Monitoring: Machine health, water quality, volume tracking
  • Tech-Agnostic: adaptable to local contamination (fluoride, arsenic, bacteria)

Economic Model:

  • Price: 25–30 paise/liter
  • Revenue share: 10 paise/liter to Sarvajal; reduced if franchisee owns machine
  • Breakeven: ~125 households daily
  • Target: Villages with 1000+ households (5000+ people)

Challenges & Innovations:

  • Consumer Awareness: Rural India unfamiliar with paying for water
  • Seasonal Demand: Higher in summer, lower in winter
  • Quality Assurance: Brand trust via remote monitoring and service support
  • Incentive Alignment: Franchisee profit linked to volume & quality

Impact:

  • Reduced water wastage (8:1 efficiency vs. household RO)
  • Created local entrepreneurship
  • Improved health outcomes in served communities

Exam Tip

Focus on differentiating water scarcity terms and understanding the Piramal Sarvajal model’s innovation: decentralized, tech-agnostic, franchisee-based, pay-per-use. Link it to sustainability, affordability, and scalability. Use data points (e.g., 91% agri usage, 55 LPCD rural supply) to support answers. Highlight how the model aligns incentives and uses remote monitoring for quality assurance.

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