26^th April 2019, Roorkee- Prof. M L Kansal, Head of the Department of Water resources Development & Management, IIT Roorkee awarded an Indo-Netherland (DST-NWO) Project on Urban Water Systems named as “Water4Change – Integrative and fit-for-purpose water sensitive design framework for fast growing liveable cities”.

The core objective of Water4Change is to provide communities, city, regional and national authorities, NGOs & operators an integrative, fit for purpose and context sensitive design framework for livable fast growing secondary cities in India in a co creative manner.

A NWO-DST Sandpit was organized by DST, Govt. of India as a part of Indo-Netherland Support Program to identify the possible research proposals in the area of Urban Water Systems.  About 15 experts each from India and Netherland participated in 4 days program.  A budget of 12 crores from DST and equal amount of 1.5 million Euros (12 crores INR) was earmarked for this project with a time duration of 5 years. 

Prof. M L Kansal was chosen as the Principal Investigator for one of the 3 possible proposals and framed a consortium of 6 Indian organizations, namely IIT Roorkee; IIT Gandhinagar; MANIT, Bhopal; CEPT, Ahmedabad; Centre for Water Resources Development & Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode (Calicut) and CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh as well as 6 organizations from Netherland, namely Delft University of Technology, Delft; Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT); University of Twente; IHE Delft Institute for Water Technology; IRC Wash and Deltares

Expressing his joy Prof Kansal said “It’s an honor that our work and ideas have been acknowledged and appreciated at such a big level. We will work our best to achieve the objective of our proposed proposal and can contribute to give our country a proper framework with the help of technology and policy options.”

In the research proposal 4 work packages are suggested involving secondary cities of Shimla, Bhuj and Kozhikode (Calicut).  Each of these work packages will be coordinated by one of the coordinator at each of the institute.  All the 4 work packages will be further integrated and coordinated by IIT Roorkee.

About IIT Roorkee (https://www.iitr.ac.in/)

IIT Roorkee is an Institute of national importance imparting higher education in engineering, sciences, management, architecture and planning, and humanities and social sciences. Since its establishment in 1847, the Institute has played a vital role in providing technical manpower and know-how to the country. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019, the Institute has been ranked 3rd among the IITs.  IIT Roorkee is an institution with pioneering contribution in the field of education, training, research and development, advisory services in various fields including hydrology, water resources, geology, earthquake, renewable energy and environmental management advisory and has world class laboratories related to hydropower and water sector.

IIT Roorkee Website: https://www.iitr.ac.in/

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Washington, DC— Carnegie geochemist Erik Hauri, whose work upended our understanding of the Moon’s formation and the importance of water in Earth’s interior, died Wednesday in North Potomac, MD, following a battle with cancer. He was 52.

Hauri joined Carnegie as a staff scientist in 1994 and spent nearly 25 years investigating the geochemistry of the Earth, Moon, and other celestial objects.  Hauri had a particular interest in water, which he called the most-important molecule in our Solar System, saying that understanding where it came from and how it got distributed among the planets and various other bodies would unlock the secrets of how our Solar System evolved.

Scientists had long thought that the Moon was “bone dry”—depleted of water by the violent events of its formation. In 2008, Hauri and his colleagues revealed that tiny beads of lunar volcanic glass collected during the Apollo missions contained water. Three years later, he led the team that discovered water in the Moon’s interior—and not just a little bit of water. In fact, they found that the lunar mantle is as wet as our own and went on to demonstrate in 2013 that the Moon’s abundant water supply originated from the Earth.

These findings called into question longstanding theories of the Moon’s formation and researchers, including Hauri’s colleagues at Carnegie’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, are still working to reconcile a wet Moon with the prevailing lunar origin story.

“Erik’s dedication to advancing the capabilities of modern instrumentation allowed him to disprove a 40-year-old assumption that the Moon contained no water,” said Richard Carlson, Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. “His work on the water contents of a variety of samples from the Earth, Moon and meteorites greatly advanced our understanding of the important role that water plays not only in biological life, but in the dynamics of planetary interiors.  His insight into these questions will be sorely missed”

Although Hauri was the first member of his family to attend college, he graduated with honors from the University of Miami and went on to complete a Ph.D. in geochemistry from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in just four years.

In nominating Hauri for an early career achievement recognition from the American Geophysical Union, one of his thesis advisors, Stanley Hart, said that during the graduate school interview process, he confided in Hauri that he would be leaving MIT in two years. According to Hart, Hauri responded: “Oh, that’s OK. … I think I can learn all you have to teach in two years!”

In 2000, Hauri won that award—the James B. Macelwane Medal—in addition to the Houtermans Award from the European Association of Geochemistry in 1999. He later was named a fellow of both organizations, as well as of the Geochemical Society.

Hauri was known in the scientific community for his instrumentation expertise. This reputation for precision extended into his hobbies, which included designing and building custom guitars.

He is survived by his wife, Tracy, and three children: Kevin, Matthew, and Michaela, as well as his father, Larry Hauri, sister, Stacy Mariano, brother, Roger Hauri, and their families.

The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.

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Mumbai,  March, 2018 – Access to good health is about ensuring that every person is entitled to quality health services, anytime, anywhere. This World Health Day, reward yourself and your loved ones with a nkd pod+ and witness the pleasure of clean, healthy drinking water. Celebrate the wellness with the help of the next generation filtration brought to you by nkdLIFE that will revolutionize the way you drink water.

Clean water means good health. More than a million people don’t have adequate access to clean drinking water. On the celebrated event of World Health Day, lets spread awareness about how the next generation filtration can clean water from the dirtiest water sources and provide you with the safest, cleanest drinking water.

As you drink, the state-of-the-art technology, from the NASA space programme, immediately filters out up to 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The pod shaped water bottle is impact resistant and leak proof while the fully attached cap protects the mouthpiece from exposure to dirt or germs.

With nkd, don’t just ensure good health for yourself and your loved ones but also for the underprivileged. For every liter of water a pod+ consumer enjoys, nkd provides clean and safe drinking water to the people in need in developing countries.

Set to change the way we drink – and how we protect our world, the pod+ has been a massive success since its launch with Harrods in London and has quickly become the fastest selling water filter bottle in the UK.

Now available in INDIA the nkd pod+ is available from Croma, Relay Airport Stores, Amazon, Flipkart and Croma Retail Online across India.

The bottle is priced at Rs. 2499 and the filter is Rs. 999.

For further information and stockist details please visit www.nkdlife.com

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Pardon me if my figures are not bang on, for I am neither an expert in steel, nor an economist with a major in statistics. I am an ad guy and the figures that I quote are NOT to flaunt my knowledge, but to underscore basic points that have occurred to me as an advertising professional. My apologies are therefore upfront and unconditional.

Per Capita consumption of steel (total finished steel) in India is about 65 kgs. The world average is about 225 kgs. India was the world’s third largest steel producer with roughly 122 million tons crude steel making capacity. Actual production is about 90 million tons. The gap – roughly 32 million tons, is something that is conveniently overlooked. It can either be looked as a National Wastage (inefficiency) or a National Source of Corruption.

If India were to aim for the World average, we have to make 1,34,51,60,900 Indian consume (roughly) an additional 160 kgs of steel every year.Oh, BTW, Japan, Germany, Korea and China are WAY beyond our reach. So, let’s concentrate on the World AVERAGE.

That means, we have to set up and additional X Million tons of greenfield steel-making capacity – considering that the plants run at 70 percent of their rated production capability. Again, forget about what we have achieved so far, when we paint pictures, we Indians go easy on the facts and let the colours roll.

By the Rule of the Thumb, the additional required capacity will require a direct investment of INR X crores. To put things in the right perspective, that is … you do the Maths, its way beyond me! Point is, where will the money come from?

Now suppose we overcome that “little” problem of financial resources, do you think the world has enough ready coal (of the Coking variety) and iron ore to meet the demand in the medium term? I say medium term, as “we will all be dead in the long run”. And Engineers? Technicians? Accountants? LAND? Environmental clearances? Water?

Forget that. In the future, even if everything becomes possible . But then again, what will be the Carbon Footprint of the additional capacity that will be set up? What will be the per ton SOCIAL cost of the additional production that the NATION and OUR CHILDREN will have to bear? Any Guesses? Who cares?

And yes, when we do get to that magic figure, will the Industry become self-reliant? Mature enough to face global gluts? Strong enough to absorb “dumping” and NOT run to the Government clamouring for protection? Remember it is one thing to make jingoistic noises from your drawing room, and a completely different thing to fight it out in the market.

Let’s get back to the beginning. 122 million tons of Steel.

Average per ton Advertising spend by Indian companies? No one knows.

A cricketer Selling TMT bars from a hoarding behind a bus? Bas sirf, itna? And we are talking of competing globally?

Name one Indian Steel Company that is as big a brand as it is a company? If we have to increase our consumption by 160 kgs per head, we the industry have to ensure that such a demand is generated. Or will we continue to do what we have been doing so long – wait for the Government to kick-start the economy by pumping “huge” amounts into the core sector which will revive the dormant steel sector and generate demand in its wake? Talk about molten metal as pipe dreams.

Friends, let us not talk of things that are beyond our grasp. Instead, focus on what we have. Instead, focus on effectively utilising the dormant capacity. Focus on cutting costs, on reducing the carbon footprints. Focus on sustainable operations.

And while you are at it, you can trust us to help you with the branding.

So that, together, we can ensure that India walk the talk – towards decent consumption figures, per capita.

Come let us resolve in steel to say Jai Hind!

Anup Kumar Agarwalla is the founder-owner of Azure Communication a boutique Advertising Agency based out of Kolkata. He is the man behind some highly visible and terribly effective campaigns whose achievements are celebrated in the bottom lines of the brands they refurbish.  

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Washington, DC—A joint study between Carnegie and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has determined that the average temperature of Earth’s mantle beneath ocean basins is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius) higher than previously thought, due to water present in deep minerals. The results are published in Science.

Earth’s mantle, the layer just beneath the crust, is the source of most of the magma that erupts at volcanoes. Minerals that make up the mantle contain small amounts of water, not as a liquid, but as individual molecules in the mineral’s atomic structure.  Mid-ocean ridges, volcanic undersea mountain ranges, are formed when these mantle minerals exceed their melting point, become partially molten, and produce magma that ascends to the surface. As the magmas cool, they form basalt, the most-common rock on Earth and the basis of oceanic crust. In these oceanic ridges, basalt can be three to four miles thick.

Studying these undersea ranges can teach scientists about what is happening in the mantle, and about the Earth’s subsurface geochemistry.

One longstanding question has been a measurement of what’s called the mantle’s potential temperature. Potential temperature is a quantification of the average temperature of a dynamic system if every part of it were theoretically brought to the same pressure. Determining the potential temperature of a mantle system allows scientists better to understand flow pathways and conductivity beneath the Earth’s crust. The potential temperature of an area of the mantle can be more closely estimated by knowing the melting point of the mantle rocks that eventually erupt as magma and then cool to form the oceanic crust.

In damp conditions, the melting point of peridotite, which melts to form the bulk of mid-ocean ridge basalts, is dramatically lower than in dry conditions, regardless of pressure. This means that the depth at which the mantle rocks start to melt and well up to the surface will be different if the peridotite contains water, and beneath the oceanic crust, the upper mantle is thought to contain small amounts of water—between 50 and 200 parts per million in the minerals of mantle rock.

So lead author Emily Sarafian of Woods Hole, Carnegie’s Erik Hauri, and their team set out to use lab experiments in order to determine the melting point of peridotite under mantle-like pressures in the presence of known amounts of water.

“Small amounts of water have a big effect on melting temperature, and this is the first time experiments have ever been conducted to determine precisely how the mantle’s melting temperature depends on such small amounts of water,” Hauri said.

They found that the potential temperature of the mantle beneath the oceanic crust is hotter than had previously been estimated.

“These results may change our understanding of the mantle’s viscosity and how it influences some tectonic plate movements,” Sarafian added.

The study’s other co-authors are Glenn Gaetani and Adam Sarafian, also of Woods Hole.

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Deep Ocean Exploration Institute.

The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Trump administration ordered a review of the Clean Water Rule, which could roll back critical protections for streams and wetlands and put the drinking water sources for millions of Americans at risk from pollution. Finalized in 2015, the Clean Water Rule clearly defined the waterways subject to protection under the Clean Water Act, in order to prevent their pollution and destruction and provide clean water for drinking, agriculture, and forestry. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt sued the agency he now governs to stop implementation of the Clean Water Rule.

It will take more than an executive order, however, to undo the Clean Water Rule. The Obama administration held more than 400 stakeholder meetings and reviewed over 1,200 scientific studies to develop the 408-page technical report that accompanied the Rule, and the Trump administration will have to justify any changes with science and the law.

Friends of the Earth Oceans Campaigner Marissa Knodel issued the following response:

Water is life, and Trump’s dirty water order puts our environment and millions of American lives at risk so that polluters can profit from the destruction of our waterways. The Clean Water Rule is grounded in science and the law so that our streams and wetlands can keep us healthy and safe, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, and beautiful places to recreate. In contrast, Trump’s dirty water order is dangerous and illegal, based on corporate greed and unlawful environmental pollution.

Friends of the Earth fights to create a more healthy and just world. Our current campaigns focus on promoting clean energy and solutions to climate change, ensuring the food we eat and products we use are safe and sustainable, and protecting marine ecosystems and the people who live and work near them.

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• First place in “companies with 1,000+ employees” category
• Sustainability as an integral element of company strategy
• Poised to emerge as the global sanitary sector’s most sustainable company by 2020

Grohe AG, the world’s leading provider of sanitary fittings, received the CSR Award of the German Federal Government 2017 in the “companies with 1000+ employees” category on 24 January. The decision by the eleven expert judges expressly lauded the role taken by GROHE’s management team who have made sustainability a top management issue, acting as role models and trailblazers both for their own workforce and for other companies. Other nominees in this category included Unilever Deutschland GmbH, Flughafen München GmbH, Ford-Werke GmbH and FRoSTA AG. The award was presented by Professor Josef Wieland, juror and expert in business ethics at Zeppelin Universität in Friedrichshafen.

“Sustainability is our passion and remains deeply rooted in our DNA. We are delighted to see the world around us acknowledge our enthusiasm for, and commitment to, corporate social responsibility (CSR). Our 360-degree approach to sustainability embraces our employees, suppliers, factories, processes and our contribution to society in equal measure. Seeing our policies being accepted as a standard of reference for our industry and inspiring others as well, we feel vindicated and honoured at the same time,” said Grohe AG CEO Michael Rauterkus when receiving the award at the event in Berlin’s Humboldt Carré.

Products for a sustainable future – Championship ‘Made in Germany’

The sustainability strategy pursued by this global company is primarily reflected in its products. One example is the GROHE Blue Home water system, which transforms tap water into a filtered, chilled and great tasting – and even bubbly – refreshment. This system obviates the need for bottled mineral water and the associated processing, bottling and transport activities. According to a study conducted at Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen, GROHE Blue Home contributes approximately 60 percent less to a household’s carbon footprint compared to conventional bottled water.

Management Board member Thomas Fuhr explains: “Our understanding of quality and our advances in terms of sustainability are very much driven by our commitment to manufacturing in Germany. In order to secure our company’s competitiveness going forward, we continue to invest heavily in our German locations, which set the standards for our international factories. As of 2011, we have launched regularly our GROHE Sustainability Trophy as an internal competition between our manufacturing sites. This trophy acknowledges our employees’ efforts and incentivises them to continue working on their ideas and solutions for even more sustainable production processes and even more resource efficient manufacturing of a given product.”

Beyond day-to-day business

GROHE’s belief in corporate citizenship is encapsulated in GROHE Dual Tech, a programme jointly undertaken with Don Bosco Mondo e.V. The two partners have teamed up to offer professional training for disadvantaged youths in emerging economies. Three training workshops in India and the Philippines assist young people in improving their life chances by learning a trade in the sanitary sector. This makes them eligible for employment in an industry with great promise and will even enable some of them to set up their own businesses in the future.

Moving forward with clearly defined sustainability targets

GROHE has set itself the target of raising energy efficiency by 20% and shrinking its carbon footprint by 20% by the year 2020. Among other things, this will be achieved by two new cogeneration plants commissioned in Hemer and Lahr and by converting lighting equipment to LED operation. Another milestone on this journey was marked in December when the company’s energy management system was certified to ISO 50001; it will be instrumental in improving the overall energy efficiency on a sustained basis. Moreover, the company has committed itself to becoming the global sanitary industry’s sustainability leader by 2020.

GROHE’s stance and actions on sustainability are laid out in greater detail in the company’s sustainability brochure. Titled “WATER ENJOYMENT – A CLEAN CONSCIENCE WITH EVERY DROP”, it can be downloaded from http:// www.grohe.com/sustainability

About GROHE India Pvt. Ltd. (GIPL):

GROHE India Pvt. Ltd. (GIPL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of GROHE AG. With a decade of its presence in the Indian market, it has acquired a dominant position in the market as one of the largest selling international brands.  GROHE recently launched its state-of- the-art ‘GROHELive! Centre’ in Bengaluru. The centre offers a great opportunity for people to come and experience the world of GROHE. Besides featuring the entire range of GROHE products, the Live! Centre also showcases the GROHE elements.

 GROHE India also recently announced the launch of its second GROHE Dual Tech in India, in New Delhi in association with Don Bosco Learning Center. The two centres in Mumbai and New Delhi train young people from economically challenged backgrounds, imparting them high-quality training programme in certified plumbing. The programme addresses the dual need of the industry – on one hand it supports the youth with skill development, while on the other, fill the skilled-labour supply gap.

About GROHE

 GROHE is the world’s leading provider of sanitary fittings. Since many decades, the global brand GROHE relies on the brand values of quality, technology, design and sustainability, to deliver “Pure Freude an Wasser”. GROHE is part of the LIXIL Group Corporation and benefits from the active knowledge transfer within the group and the opportunity to open up new product segments and develop innovations faster and more efficiently. LIXIL is the global market leader in the sanitary ware industry as well as Japan’s leading provider of housing and building materials, products and services.

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Finolex Industries Ltd., in collaboration with Indian Plumbing Association Pune Chapter (IPAPC) is on a mission to save more than one crore litres of water before monsoons. The initiative which was first announced on 11^th March reached its second phase with the awareness campaign in Bhavdhan today where prominent speakers and industry experts from IPA and Finolex Industries Ltd. addressed audience from Institute of Indian Interior Design (IIID) and Indian Institute of Architects (IIA). The event was well attended by members from the architecture community, MEP Consultants along with architecture students from IIID and IIA.

During the event, prominent speakers from IPA – Pune Mr. Pravin Bora (Chairman IPA Pune Chapter) and Mr. Rahul Dhadphale (NEC member),  interacted with the audience and explained to them efficient water utilization technique through simple adoption of green products without changes in everyday lifestyle and living habits and water replenishment techniques to be used. These minor changes will go a long way in taking a giant step to solve the drinking water problem faced by people in Maharashtra.  The IPA in Pune has implemented 90% of the model projects planned where the annual water saving will be approximately 5.0 crore litres. The major landmark projects taken up by IPAPC are Phoenix Mall, DAV Public School, City Pride Kothrud Multiplex and the Domestic Airport to name a few all of them based out of Pune.

 “The problem of water scarcity is global, national as well as on Pune city level. With the current water crisis, not only do we require to use Water Efficient Plumbing Fixtures (WEPF) but also bring about a behavioural change in how we consume water in our everyday life,”said Mr. Nitin Kulkarni, President –  Sales & Marketing, Finolex Industries Ltd.He further added, “The Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) and Finolex Industries Ltd. have some common objectives such as promoting good plumbing techniques to protect health and safety of people and water conservation by avoiding unnecessary use of water and rain water harvesting.”

The company (FIL) spoke about their products which aid in optimum utilization of water both from a plumbing and sanitation point of view. Finolex Industries Limited also highlighted on the awareness campaigns that they have taken up on this theme in the past few years to the young architects at the event and urged them to use water efficient techniques in their design.

“We are glad to have found a partner in Finolex Industries.” Said Mr. Pravin Bora, IPA. “There are limitations to assured availability, treatment and storage of alternate sources of water. It can thus be limited, seasonal and expensive. So our effort is to sensitize people on how best to use what we have and to avoid wastage. The twin cities Pune/ Pimpri-Chinchwad have a collective population of 50 lakhs. If 5% of them adopt these practices and save 10 litres water daily, the collective saving will be 50 lakh litres on daily basis.”

According to the United Nations, water use in India has grown at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century. By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in water scarcity, with 2/3^rd of the world’s population living in water-stressed regions as a result of increased usage, growth, and climate change.

The challenge the state now faces is how to effectively conserve, manage, and distribute the water we have.Every year, about 40% of water is lost due to leaking pipes. The average 720 mm of rainfall per year is wasted without ground water recharge, as the city is highly paved.

Through the ambitious Mission: ‘I Save Water’, IPA Pune Chapter and Finolex aims to save more than 1 crore litres of water in Pune city before the onset of monsoon and have already overachieved the goals of the mission. The company had launched water saving initiative last year through the campaigns “#PaaniKoPaaniKitarahMatBahao” and “#EveryDropCounts” which questioned citizens on their attitude and conversation around water and urged them to pledge for the cause.

Water can be conserved by few different ways such as:

Ø  Use of alternate source of water.

Ø  Reducing the use by changing habits.

Ø  Using Water Efficient Plumbing Fixtures and

Ø  Reducing the excessive pressure of water.

The company demonstrated the changing habits that result in water conservation – keeping the taps closed while shaving, brushing, cleaning utensils, taking shorter showers etc. We, the grown-ups, have tried and failed in changing habits. However, we must generate awareness at the school levels which is what Finolex Industries and IPA envisage to do in the third level of awareness drive.

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Company to deliver a district cooling plant and undertake Engineering scope of works for 4 hotels and 12 villas

[UAE, June 1, 2014] – Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI PJSC), a regional market leader in the integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of General Contracting, Engineering, Rail, Oil and Gas, Water and Wastewater Treatment, announced that its subsidiary Drake & Scull Engineering (DSE), has recently won two major contracts for the Saraya Aqaba Resort, a mixed-used, themed development around a man-made lagoon in Aqaba, Jordan for a combined value of AED 259 Million.

A consortium comprising Arabtec – the UAE’s leading construction company, Consolidated Contractors Company – the largest engineering and construction company in the Middle East , and Drake & Scull Construction – the General Contracting business stream of DSI, is the main contractor for the Saraya Aqaba Resort. The consortium awarded the sub-contracting deals worth AED 259 million to Drake & Scull Engineering.

Under the terms of the agreement, DSE will provide complete MEP services for two 5-star hotels managed by Dubai-based international hospitality chain – Jumeirah Group, two 5-star hotels run by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a leading global chain of hotels, and 12 uniquely designed luxury villas. Additionally, DSE will undertake the complete design, supply and installation work for a district cooling plant with a total capacity of 8,000 TR along with the seawater intake and pumping station for the entire resort. Both projects are already under progress and are expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

Khaldoun Tabari, DSI PJSC CEO and Vice-Chairman, said: “The project award demonstrates our expertise and capability in delivering projects of large scale and prestige all across the region. Drake & Scull Construction is currently undertaking the general contracting works at Saraya Aqaba which is progressing on schedule, and the additional scope for Drake & Scull Engineering demonstrates our capability to develop projects in the greater Levant region. The project win is key to our strategic expansion plans in Jordan, which is currently witnessing a resurgence in the real estate sector. We expect to be among the key players in the country’s construction sector as we consolidate our position as preferred partners through all our business streamlines.”

The Saraya Aqaba Resort is a premium hotel and leisure development located on the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. The man-made lagoon will add almost 1.5 km of beachfront to Aqaba city lying on the Red Sea. The massive project encompasses luxurious hotels managed by world-class hospitality operators, upscale retail outlets at Souk Saraya, specialty restaurants, a beach club, a kids club, Wild Wadi Aqaba Water Park by Jumeirah Group, and sports complex, among others.

Drake & Scull Engineering is currently executing the MEP scope of services at the St Regis Hotel, Amman for a value of AED 160 Million which is scheduled for completion in 2016. DSI continues to enhance and strengthen its services offerings with unmatched vertical integration and global footprint. Total project awards to date reached approximately AED 4 billion in KSA, UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Jordan, India Romania, Turkey and Egypt.

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Complete chain of waste monitoring green technologies to be covered through three new launches

Messe Frankfurt India for the third edition of Watertech India 2014 will take up an environmental initiative addressing concerns of the four major sectors in resource conservation and waste management. Drawing from an over-whelming response in the last two editions, the next edition of Watertech India will see the launch of three concurrent shows – Wastetech India, Cleantech India and Pollutech India, thus covering the entire chain of waste, water, pollution and energy management.

Scheduled to be held from 10 – 12 September 2014 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Watertech India 2014 will provide an unique opportunity to showcase products and best practices in the control and re-utilisation of waste in these core sectors. Mr Raj Manek, Managing Director, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India commented: “The four co-jointly held environmental shows will not only create opportunities for the exhibiting companies but also encourage public and private sector professionals to change their outlook on the future by bringing business and sustainability at the forefront.”

Over the last two years, Watertech India has been identified as the leading trade fair, providing innovative products that help businesses reduce pollution generated through their production centers and plants. . Now, with the introduction of the three sector-focused shows, the fair will set the stage for economically viable and green solutions for wastewater treatment, resource recycling, clean energy and pollution management.

The previous edition of Watertech India drew to a very satisfying close with over 3,000 sqm of exhibition space, attracting over 1,400 trade visitors. The concurrent conference on Drinking Water, Sanitation, Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment saw active involvement of municipal representatives from 18 states & union territories across India, representing different water supply and sanitation schemes implemented by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The third edition of the trade fair once again endeavours to unite an intelligent mix of professionals from industries, research organisations, government associations along with a display of innovative technologies and best practices. Looking forward to the 2014 edition of Watertech India, Yasmin Dubash, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada remarked: “The exhibition last year was very useful and we saw some very innovative solutions which has prompted us to participate again this year. We will be bringing our new technologies this year, that have practical applications in the industry. We hope to see all the latest developments in India’s wastewater management sector.

Messe Frankfurt has a successful history of hosting global trade fairs such as Water Expo China, Canadian Waste & Recycling Exp, Eco Expo Asia and Building Solar China. The company will announce the launch of a new portal based on its environmental technology exhibitions & conferences as well as its environment-focused initiatives around the world.

With the concurrent launch of  Wastetech India, Cleantech India and Pollutech India with Watertech India 2014, Messe Frankfurt further extends its portfolio of fairs focused on addressing environmental concerns and underlines its position as a leading exhibition organiser for ‘Green industry’ global professionals. The show is poised to become India’s most comprehensive trade and networking arena for economically-efficient and sustainable technologies.

For more information about these events, please visit respective event websites:  www.watertechindia.com; www.wastetech-india.com; www.pollutech-india.in; www.cleantech-india.in  

Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s leading trade show organisers with 543* million euros in sales and 2,026* employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approx. 50 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2013, Messe Frankfurt organised 114* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com

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