Water Neutrality, Water positivity and Water circularity

Fresh water availability and Groundwater preservation are the needs of the day. To fight the Water scarcity problem, the major sustainability concept today is ‘Water Neutrality’ – which means that Organisation gives back to nature as much as it takes from nature. Add to it, the quality of water given back to nature should be equal to or better than that withdrawn from nature and it should be in the same watershed area or the same aquifers from which it has withdrawn the water.

As defined by Niti Ayog, ‘Water Neutral' may not only imply that freshwater use is reduced to zero, but rather that the negative economic, social, and environmental externalities are reduced to a large extent and that the remaining impacts are fully compensated.

Some organisations have taken it one step ahead, by opting for ‘Water positivity’, where you give back to nature more than what you withdraw.

Water positivity is measured through the ‘Water positivity index’ which is calculated as:

Water positivity index = Water Credit/Water debit.

Sometimes it is expressed in percentage.

Water debit is calculated based on water withdrawal from nature during the reporting period. Even if it is not consumed and simply stored in the facility, the debit calculation accounts for it.

Water credit is calculated based on specific criteria like:

1. What quality of water is returned to nature?
2. Where and how is it returned to nature?
3. During which period is it returned to nature and how much?
4. For Rainwater harvesting,  it also looks into the fact that if the organization hadn’t taken the actions, what would have happened to the water naturally?

Governed by Niti Ayog’s proposed definition, organization’s status on water neutrality can be categorized into three different categories:

1)      Water neutrality/positivity ‘Aspiring company’

 An organisation, that assesses and improves water use efficiency and quality by measuring real water consumption, enhancing operations via the 3M7R approach, defining water offsets, mapping the watershed, and comparing treated wastewater with the quality and intended use of the receiving ecosystem. Here 3M7R means ‘Map’, ‘Monitor’, ‘Measure’, ‘Reduce’, ‘Recycle’, ‘Recover’, ‘Replenish’, ‘Recharge’, ‘Rejuvenate’ and ‘Recognize/Respect’.

2)      Water neutrality/positivity ‘Rising plant company’

An Organization, that evaluates and manages both quantity and quality of water use across plant and key supply chain watersheds by mapping hydrological variables, identifying critical supply chains, estimating virtual water, defining and balancing combined and quality offsets, and ensuring treated wastewater meets or exceeds the quality of the receiving ecosystem.

3)      Water neutrality/positivity ‘Achieved company’

An Organization, that ensures effective implementation through validation, monitoring, and verification of strategies, confirming source diversification, reduced freshwater consumption, robust reporting systems, and sustained ecosystem health.

Any organization aiming for ‘Water neutrality or Water positivity’ opt for the following:

• Reduce water debit (fresh water intake) by:

1. Reducing water consumption through efficient water management
2. Reusing and Recycling waste water into internal processes and sanitation.
3. Partially or completely replacing fresh water by taking into desalinated sea water or other’s treated water for internal process requirements.
4. Collecting rainwater, storing and utilizing it in processes/ relevant uses
5. Cover treated water reservoirs to reduce loss and make more water available for return or reuse.

• Increase water credit by:

1. To qualify as credit, organizations must undertake interventions where offsetting of impacts is to be done within the same hydrological and underlying hydrogeological unit where the impacts take place due to their activities. So, first step is to Map the area where they have created hydrological impacts.
2. Create interventions to return water to nature in the mapped area:

• By collecting rain water and recharging ground water or surface water
• Developing collection system for run off water and preventing runoff from existing water bodies
• Building ground water recharging mechanism using recharge wells, percolation tanks, check dams, or recharge pits to direct treated water back into aquifers.
• Rejuvenating and restoring water bodies to increase their water storage capacity

• The following options can also help in saving fresh water withdrawal by the people in the same hydrological area, however, the credit sharing may be agreed upon before claiming the benefit by the organization:

1. Share treated wastewater with other industries or nearby communities for reuse.
2. Provide treated effluent for agricultural or landscape irrigation.

The ratio of internal water reuse or recirculation compares the total water use from all processes and operations within the facility to the amount of water withdrawn from all sources. This ratio is more than 1 for the organizations where water is reused or recirculated within the facility.

Any organization, who are measuring and recycling water and following reasonable level of water management processes can opt for monitoring their water circularity performance through these three indicators. It is also a tool to measure and monitor to demonstrate continuous improvement.