Adapting Projects to the Ongoing Public Health Situation: Clearford India Q1 2020 Update
By Sanjay Deshpande, Executive Director & Head of Operations, Clearford India
In early 2020, the Clearford India team focused on completing four projects that were scheduled to finish by the end of the Indian financial year on March 31st, while seeking approvals for new projects.
In the State of Gujarat at the Palavasna Village and Alwa Village project sites, villagers faced daily challenges due to the absence of a sewer network, broken toilets or no toilets at all. Our team worked with the clients and communities to develop a multiyear plan to implement Clearford One™ solutions that would help to improve the lives of villagers.
Shortly after construction was completed for the on-site pre-treatment stage, known as ClearDigest™, the Clearford team completed installation of the second stage ClearConvey™ small bore sewer pipes optimized for the community requirements. With dedication and drive to provide a working solution to the villagers, our team quickly moved to the final stage of construction for the ClearRecover™ wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).
In Maharashtra, at the Mahindra Automotive Unit site in Pune, the SOLIDO Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) WWTP unit was successfully installed by Clearford’s technology partner, Canada-based PremierTech. Meanwhile near Mumbai, Clearford helped build bathrooms and ClearDigest treatment units for all 76 houses in the Plot Pada Village.
Work was proceeding smoothly until the CoVid-19 pandemic hit…
In March, the Indian government began to ban travel into India for people arriving from countries where CoVid-19 was highly active. Soon after, the ban was expanded for all travel into India. The initial lockdown in Pune and Gurajat was just the tip of the iceberg for the restrictions to come in response to the virus. Only a few days later, India went into a country-wide lockdown.
The strict travel bans have made it challenging to move forward with projects. Not only are all of Clearford India’s projects located in areas where the virus has hit, but the Indian government has stopped all project work until the lockdowns are lifted. To minimize community spread and flatten the curve, detailed guidelines have been issued to distinguish what activities will be permitted country-wide starting on May 18th.
The Clearford India team remains committed to following the emergency measures and adapting to the developing public health challenges.
