IFAT India 2016 lays the roadmap for environmental technologies

Mumbai, 28^th Septemeber 2016: IFAT India, the leading trade fair for environmental technology in India kicked off, with its fourth edition on September 28th 2016 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. This year, the trade fair focuses on environmental technologies for India like Water Scarcity, Water Management & Solutions etc. This exhibition infused the most updated technologies with an amalgamation of superior quality services across sectors of the environment industry.

IFAT India 2016 was inaugurated by Shri Vijay Shivtare, Honourable Minister of State for Water Resource along with industrial dignitaries and Government officials. The trade fair opened it’s doors to exhibitors and visitors of future-oriented technologies, science experts, government officials and education institutes from the environmental technology sector.

One of the key highlights of the exhibition is the Innovation Exchange Forum, which would deliberate, exchange ideas and highlight solutions over the three days, for sustainable Water, Waste& Resource Management in India. Besides key notes by the Minister and government officials, there were panel discussions and presentations with contributions from notable local and international partners, such as German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste; German Water Partnership, GIZ –Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, German and Indian Biogas Association, Indus Media, International Solid Waste Association, University of Applied Sciences Hof and from various companies as well.

In order to facilitate bilateral cooperation and enhance communications between Chinese and Indian Industries, the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP/FECO) and Messe München India, organised the Sino-Indian Environmental Protection Technology and Industry Dialogue within the framework of IFAT India in Mumbai on Day 1. The expected outcome of this event is matchmaking between India and Chinese companies to promote mutually beneficial efforts for environmental initiatives and growth in the environmental sector.

Apart from various conferences and supporting programmes, this year IFAT India  added  a unique platform, which  benefited both visitors and exhibitors. Messe München India along with their cooperation Partner DWA, the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste, presented “The Active Learning Center” (ALC). The Active Learning Centre consisted of The University Challenge India, Water Skills India and a special live demonstration called Products in Practice, which together offered the trade-fair visitors an interesting insight into the special abilities and knowhow needed in the environmental sector.

IFAT India witnessed key Speakers such as Mr. K  Ashok Natarajan, Chief Executive Officer, Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company Ltd., Mr. Sajid Hussain, Chief Operating Officer, Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company Ltd., Mr. Umesh Krishna Shenoy, Vice – President – Works, Jk Tyres Vikrant Plant Mysore, Dr. Prasad Modak, IL&FS Academy of Applied Development (IAAD), Mumbai, India , Dr. Uttam Kumar Sinha, Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann, President of the University for Applied Sciences Hof, Mr. Michael Kuhn, Head of Country Section India of German Water Partnership and Mr. Michael Dörr, Head of trainingcenter Sewage treatment plant Nuremberg, Germany.

Key dignitaries like Christine von Lonski, General Manager, German Water Partnership, Dipl. Geol. Roland Knitschky, DWA German Association for Water, Dr. Jürgen Morhard, German Consul General, Stefan Rummel, Managing Director, Messe München GmbH, Dr. Suresh Kulkarni, Secretary, Maharashtra Water Resouces Regulatory Authority (MWRRA), Dr. Vivek Agrawal, International Solid Waste Association were present for the current edition of IFAT India.

Dr. Suresh Kulkarni, Secretary, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) said, “Trade fairs like IFAT India help in creating awareness about the issues of waste water management, and Messe Muenchen  India is taking a great initiative by organizing such trade fairs which address these challenges. We are looking forward to wider participation and in the coming years we are looking at including a larger segment of the business eco-system which includes people, companies and policy makers.”

Mr. Igor Palka, COO of Messe München India said, “One of our main objectives at IFAT India is to inspire practitioners and decision makers to share knowledge and experiences on reliable, approved and innovative environmental technologies. Our supporting program will perfectly complement IFAT India which will showcase proven and innovative solutions for metropolitan, industrial and rural regions likewise.”

By Lokesh Shastri