International colloquium on advance technology for wastewater treatment
Aligarh : The Department of Civil Engineering, Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University organized an International Colloquium of Stakeholders and Business Match-making on January 24, 2023, under the aegis of PAVITR Research Project and India-Europe Water Technology R and D Project supported by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and European Commission.
In his presidential remarks, AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor said that the water problem can be solved by using water-purifying natural technologies promoted by the Pavitr project and it can become a powerful medium to make the contaminated water usable.
He stressed that research work should not be confined to educational institutions only, and serious efforts should be made to ensure that this technology is available for its wider use to serve the interests of the common people. Apart from providing land for the innovative project, AMU is providing academic and intellectual assistance to the ambitious project.
He also highlighted the water recycling project undertaken by AMU several years ago, to clean the contaminated water.
The Europen Union Coordinator of the project, Mirko Hanel (TTZ Bremerhaven, Germany) highlighted the various aspects of research and innovation in nature-based solutions and advanced technology for wastewater treatment, faecal sludge management and resource recovery covered under the EU and India collaboration.
He said that by planting bamboo, willow and popular trees, better use of dirty water can be made and farmers’ yields can also be increased this way.
Dr S K Varshney (Advisor, DST, New Delhi) who spoke on “International scientific cooperation: An overview and way forward” stated that an agreement has been signed by the Government of India with 84 countries in this regard. Discussing the details of the research work being carried out in this field, he said that the government is trying its best to ensure that its benefits reach the common people.
Er. D P Mathuria (Executive Director, NMCG, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India) spoke on “Restoration and Rejuvenation of River Ganga: An overview”.
Earlier, welcoming the guests and participants, the Lead India Coordinator, PAVITR Research Project, AMU, Prof Nadeem Khalil (Department of Civil Engineering) said PAVITR research project is a community impact project involving Research & Development to address the environmental challenges in India.
“Since 2019, a total of 14 pilot plants for water, wastewater and sludge treatment are being implemented at different places in India for local conditions. It was started in 2019 with a duration of 4 years. The total cost of the project is approximate Rs. 28 Crores out of which about Rs. 8.0 Crores is Indian contribution”, he added.
Ms. Enrica Uggetti and Mr. Antonio Ruiz (Univesity Catalunya, Spain), Mr. Carlos Arias (Aarhus University, Denmark), Mr. Mirko Hanel and Mr. Andres Acosta (Technology Transfer Centre, Germany), Mr. Michael Parth (PESSL, Australia), Mr. Fabio Masi and Mr. Ricardo Bresciani (IRIDRA, Italy), Mr. Antonia Lorenzo (BIOAZUL, Spain), Mr. Khaja Zillur Rahman, Mr. Ganbaatar Khurelbaatar and Mr. Jan Friesen (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany), Mr. Simon Joncourt (SEECON, Switzerland), Ms. Sandra Nicolics (BOKU University, Austria), Mr. Santiago Cuervo and Mr. Miguel Placer (AIMEN, Spain) and Mr. Max Odenthal (Kreta, Germany) participated in the International Colloquium.