Israel, Denmark keen to partner in Narendra Modi's Ganga cleanup programme, water management

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi's pet Ganga cleanup programme and his mission for clean water has attracted interest from foreign nations. Israel and Denmark, global leaders in water technology and water management, say they can be part of this particular national mission.

Israeli ambassador Alon Ushpiz told TOI, "Think about the purification of the holy Ganges. I have a list of 200 Israeli companies that can do this." Already, a consortium of Danish water companies are operating in Gujarat, even conducting a pilot project for water management in Rajkot, Danish ambassador Freddy Svane said.

"If you go from Gujarat down to Tamil Nadu and up to Hyderabad, you will come across more than two dozen Israeli desalination plants. Some huge, others not so big. There are places in some cities where you probably will drink water from Israeli desalination plants, joint projects with state governments. This is good water, very good water. The plants are exactly the same as on the shores of the Mediterranean," Ushpiz said.

Svane said Copenhagen harbour was a perfect case study of implementation of new technologies for water management. Danish companies can undertake impact studies, cleaning up of water and even provide enzymatic solutions to reduce waste water in quantity and quality.

Ushpiz said, "Israel loses just about 8% of what we put in the pipes, the best figure in the world. Indian figures are higher. The beauty of water management is that you simply enlarge your water collection by saving water. I come from a society that has put water on a pedestal. It's not only a commodity, it's a cultural value."