Zerodha Founder Nithin Kamath Takes Stand Against Bengaluru’s Water Woes (Image Source: Twitter)
In a recent social media post, Nithin Kamath, the founder of Zerodha and one of India’s youngest billionaires, highlighted the pressing issue of the water crisis in Bengaluru. Expressing concern over the likelihood of more frequent extreme weather events in the future, Kamath warned that such crises may recur if proactive measures are not taken.
Drawing attention to the potential of wastewater as a solution to this problem, Kamath pointed out that Bengaluru faces a significant gap between freshwater demand and wastewater generation. While the city’s freshwater demand stands at approximately 2632 million litres per day (MLD), it generates around 2000 MLD of wastewater.
According to Kamath, centralized sewage treatment plants currently handle about 1300 MLD of this wastewater, repurposing it for agricultural use. However, he highlighted a critical issue with nearly 80 per cent of the excess water from the approximately 3500 residential and commercial complexes with decentralized sewage treatment plants (STPs) going to waste. This excess STP water, Kamath noted, is of low quality and has limited usability beyond basic purposes like flushing and gardening.
He shared the video on X and wrote, “It just took one bad rainy season for Bengaluru to face a massive water shortage crisis. Given that extreme weather conditions will only become more common, this probably won’t be the last time we face this crisis. I learned recently that wastewater could be part of the solution. Bengaluru’s total freshwater demand is ~2632 (million litres a day) MLD, and it generates ~2000 MLD of wastewater. Of this, centralized sewage treatment plants treat ~1,300 MLD, and this water is used for agricultural purposes.”
Proposing a potential solution, Kamath suggested that if this excess STP water could be effectively converted into high-quality water, it could potentially satisfy around 450-500 MLD of the city’s water demand through decentralized treatment methods.
As the CEO of Rainmatter Foundation, Kamath shared a promotional video of Boson White Water, a startup focused on converting STP water to potable water. Emphasizing the urgency of addressing the water crisis, Kamath reiterated that with extreme weather conditions becoming more common, proactive measures like efficient wastewater management are crucial for mitigating future water shortages in Bengaluru.
