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The French connection to
opportunities in India’s
nascent water sector
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Apart from the French, the Australians have also stepped in with interest on the
Ganga water cleaning initiative.
Written by Anil Sasi | New Delhi | Updated: March 30, 2015 1:05 am
Investor interest in India’s water sector, which has
traditionally been way down in the pecking order of sectors
drawing foreign investments, is seeing a sharp uptick, thanks
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largely to the NDA government’s two flagship schemes – the
Swachh Bharat campaign and the Clean Ganga initiative. The
French seem to be leading the charge, with two of the world’s
biggest water utilities – the euro 29.4 billion Veolia
Environnement SA and the euro 14.3 billion Suez
Environnement Co – stepping up their India play.
“The Ganga Action Plan appears to be a promising campaign
in terms of business opportunities. Suez Environnement will
actively look at how it can participate in such government
initiatives as part of our overall aspiration to provide smart
utilities in waste, water distribution and waste water
treatment … We look forward to not only setting up
treatment plants, but long-term, sustainable Ganga clean up
with professional operation and maintenance services,”
Shyam J. Bhan, managing director of Gurgaon-based SEI
(Suez Environnement’s India arms), told The Indian Express.
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the wake of a contract to design,
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treatment plant in Delhi, Veolia is reported to be working on
consolidating its urban projects in India, which include a
joint venture company, Orange City Water, in Nagpur and
five pilot projects and two demonstration contracts in the
towns of Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bijapur and a
part of Bangalore in Karnataka. The company also operates
water and wastewater treatment plants in Multi-modal
International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN),
Maharashtra.
Suez’s Bhan said that French firm is “closely studying all
opportunities relevant to SEI’s expertise in water and waste
in the country” and the opportunities that it’s eyeing include
“large sewage recycling projects proposed for Chennai;
potential solid waste projects across India… several
unaccounted for water (UFW) and distribution improvement
projects proposed across India, specifically in Karnataka,
which are of interest to us”. While citing the need for faster
decision-making and administrative processes in India for
pushing through these projects, Bhan cited the approval
accorded by the government to local bodies to issue
municipal bonds as a “positive step” in the long run that will
“create an eco-system of fiscal discipline and faster
implementation of projects to accrue benefits and quicker
revenue to meet debt servicing”.
In 2014, as against Suez’s international division revenue
growth of 2.7 per cent at Euro 3,422 million, the company’s
Africa, Middle East and India zone saw a 10.3 per cent
growth in revenues last year, thanks largely due to “the good
level of water and waste activity in Morocco and continued
development in India”. In absolute terms, though, Suez’s
India revenues clocked in at a modest Euro 100 million,
something that is likely to grow in excess of 10 per cent,
according to the company’s estimates.
Apart from the French, the Australians have also stepped in
with interest on the Ganga water cleaning initiative,
specifically with the intention of replicating its experience
with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The Murray-Darling
Basin Plan entailed cutting existing water allocations and
increasing environmental flows to the basin, something
that’s has a resonance in the Indian context. The Germans
too have evinced interest in the clean Ganga initiative.
First Published on: March 30, 201512:52 am
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