Kemira selected for pilot water treatment project in India

The Indian Ministry of Rural Development has selected Finland-based water chemistry company, Kemira, to pilot a project treating arsenic contamination in water.

The company will employ its technology which uses oxidation and sedimentation, coagulation and filtration, adsorptive filtration and membrane filtration processes to treat the arsenic contents in water.

Aija Jaitunen, Kemira municipal and industrial general manager, was quoted by IANS as saying that it is a common practice for people to consume ground water.

"Kemira has technology for water desalination plants focused on reducing operating costs and energy consumption," Jaitunen added.

The company will start the water treatment programme in seven Indian states which have been identified as arsenic water-prone.

The seven states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Kemira is also constructing a manufacturing unit called Kemira Indus-Coagulant Manufacturing at an Indian city Vishakhapatnam to prepare chemicals that will be used in treating water.

The company is expecting to start operations by early 2013 and will also begin exporting the chemicals to other countries.

Kemira has formed a joint venture with Indian company IRVCL in 201, and provides chemicals for IRVCL’s water treatment plants.

Kemira, along with community development organisation Plan India, has started working on a sanitation project called WASH to maintain and expand water and sanitation provision in 30 target area schools and is being supported by public funded Finnish agency Tekes.

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Image: Kemira selected to treat arsenic contents in water in India. Photo: courtesy of Ildar Sagdejev.