Singapore, German firms join hands to build water infra in India

Singapore-based Meinhardt Group has partnered with Germany's SKion Water to build net zero water infrastructure and harness carbon from water in markets such as India where large-scale environmental management projects are being implemented, the two companies said here on Tuesday.

Announcing the partnership, Meinhardt Group CEO Omar Shahzad said: "We are excited about working with SKion Water to develop the utilities infrastructure that will enable cities to decarbonise and transform. It will be a big step towards building a resilient and circular economy."

Citing challenges of managing water resources, he pointed out that India has 16 per cent of the world's population but only four per cent of the world's freshwater resources.


"SKion and Meinhardt are exploring opportunities in markets to be able to capture carbon from water and to translate it to various other uses including calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a crucial component of the cement industry," Omar said, adding that India is one of the leading markets for his group.

Meinhardt has been undertaking engineering projects for more than two decades in India, a market where challenges are turned into opportunities, he said.

According to India's latest biennial report, in 2016 the country emitted 2.8 billion tonnes of Co2, an increase of almost one billion tonnes in over a decade.

Experts project that India's emissions could double by 2030, to more than 4 billion tonnes while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated his government's commitment to reduce one billion tonnes of carbon emissions in the coming decade.

SKion Water CEO Dr. Reinhard Hübner said the company is committed to ambitious sustainability targets and is piloting and acquiring innovative water technologies and solutions to help accelerate the net zero water and carbon transition, the release said.

He added, “SKion Water and Meinhardt are both committed to providing net zero outcomes for clients and will collaborate to decarbonize the utilities sector.”

“Meinhardt's goal of becoming a net zero engineering firm is intrinsically linked to this partnership,” said Dr. Shahzad Nasim, Group Executive Chairman.

With its advisory services arm, MGI Capital, it is also setting out how it can assist countries in delivering their net zero commitments and developing new decarbonisation strategies.

The partnership was confirmed with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday following a Meinhardt Closed-Door Roundtable Session with SKion Water and participants from Singapore's sovereign investor Temasek Holding and Public Utilities Board, one of Asia's largest water management groups.

SKion Water is a global water and wastewater technology solution provider for water and wastewater treatment solutions to municipal utilities as well as industrial and commercial water users.

It also aims at the development and implementation of innovative water technologies, it added.