Bengaluru 12th September 2019: The Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) today announced that it will be hosting the 26th INDIAN PLUMBING CONFERENCE (IPC) in Bengaluru on 11th and 12th October at Palace Grounds. IPC is the national conference of the Indian plumbing fraternity. As part of IPC, seminars, exhibitions, technical symposiums etc. are to be held to educate and share knowledge on latest products, installations and technologies for the benefit of members and general public. In an effort to create a connect between the common man and strengthen IPA’s ‘I Save Water’ campaign, a special IPA – ‘I Save Water’ Mascot was unveiled by Gurmit Singh Arora, National President, Indian Plumbing Association and B.O. Prasanna Kumar, Chairman, Bengaluru Chapter, Indian Plumbing Association in the presence of C.S. Gupta, National Secretary, Indian Plumbing Association. In the run up to the Conference, IPA will be conducting an open to all walkathon to create awareness on water management and sustainability on 29th September 2019.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, Gurmit Singh Arora, National President, Indian Plumbing Association said, “The central theme of this year’s two day conference is ‘H2–WOE, Wat-er Way to Go’. Through a series of Technical Sessions and Panel Discussions, the event will focus and draw attention towards the emergent need to conserve water and highlight how the right plumbing practices can play a significant role in this task. IPA has also planned to hold a concurrent Exhibition of plumbing and allied products as well as the Grand Finale of IPPL 2019 on 12th October 2019. The mega event is expected to be attended by more than 800 delegates and around 5,000 trade visitors. We have also signed an MoU with CREDAI, wherein the two organizations will promote plumbing practices as referred in National Building Code of India (NBC) and Uniform Illustrated Plumbing Code – India (UIPC-I) and work with Central and State Governments for mandatory application to the building construction industry, to ensure that plumbing standards are at par with international standards. IPA in joint co-operation with CREDAI will organize workshops for capacity building training for engineers and architects covering various subjects on plumbing.”
IPA has been involved in saving water since 2013 by launching a Water Efficient Products-India (WEP-I). WEP-I is a recommendation to the industry and Government on the water volumes required for different products- Taps, Showers, Cisterns, Urinals, Washing Machines etc. at par with international standards of other countries which practices water sustainability.
According to B.O. Prasanna Kumar, Chairman, Bengaluru Chapter, Indian Plumbing Association, “This premier event brings together Plumbing consultants, contractors, architects, interior designers, urban planners and academicians from across India and the world. IPC has established itself as a popular forum to exchange information and ideas, inviting active participation from domain experts and audiences, across the globe. Themes of the conferences and seminars are related to prevalent trends and issues in the industry. These conferences have become a must-attend for professionals from building services and plumbing community including students.”
“We are organizing a dedicated walkathon to enhance our ‘I Save Water’ campaign. We are hoping that people will participate in large numbers to spread the message. As part of our ‘I Save Water’ Campaign, we are also involved in propagating the reuse of treated wastewater in construction projects. In most apartment complexes in the city, there is an excess of treated waste water even after it being used for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing needs. A minimum of 50% of this treated waste water is therefore surplus and can be diverted for use in construction sites. This will reduce the burden on the use of freshwater for construction.” Gurmit Singh said.
IPA has installed a unique Plumbing Laboratory at the campus of College of Engineering, Pune – one of India’s premier educational institutions. The lab has live demonstrations of various plumbing systems including washrooms used at different occupancies such as hotels, hospitals, residences etc, including one for the differently abled individuals. Nearly 25000 professionals and students have visited the Lab. The lab is funded by IPA with contributions from its members and several product manufacturers, the lab is also used for the training/education programmes being conducted by IPA and IAPMO-India. Another Plumbing Lab with technical assistance from IPA has been installed at Sri Ramakrishna Advanced Training Institute (SRATI), Coimbatore. Currently, IPA is providing technical assistance for construction of another Plumbing Lab at CV Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar.
“IPA is bridging the gap to create water efficient rating for fixtures on the lines of Bureau of Energy Efficiency star rating which is a measure of energy efficiency of an appliance. Water savings can be achieved throughout industry by a combination of behavioural change, modifying and/or replacing equipment with tested and certified water saving equipment and reducing overall water consumption.” Prasanna Kumar said.
