About 5,000 trade visitors (which is 23 per cent more than last year) recently came to the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai to see the latest products and services for water, sewage, refuse and recycling. One of the key themes at IFAT India this year was the acute water crisis on the subcontinent.
Stefan Rummel, Managing Director, Messe München, explains: “Especially at the current time, water shortage is an acute theme in the environmental sector, particularly in India. The interest in solid waste management has increased remarkably. This upswing underlines just how important it is to showcase for solutions to the current challenges being faced in the country, and as a forum for bringing together supply and demand.”
Vikas Agarwal, Associate Vice President, Kirloskar Brothers, noted, “At IFAT India, you always meet the suitable persons for your business. This year was especially crowded and the visitors were of high quality.” Also Ninad Kelkar, Business Team Leader at REHAU, was pleased: “We have been exhibiting at IFAT India since its inception. The trade fair helps us showcase our products to the right audience. It is a platform where we get to meet government officials, experts and discuss solutions for contemporary issues in this industry.”
Igor Palka, COO, Messe München India, says, “Many new items featured this year in the programme. Among them, the Active Learning Centre, a training platform for young talent and skilled workers in the Indian environmental sector, and the Sino-Indian Environmental Technology and Industry Dialogue, aimed at promoting bilateral exchange between China and India. In the Innovation Exchange Forum, the focus was not only on water management but also on waste processing. In particular, IFAT India highlighted modern processing techniques, such as the potential offered by biogas plants in India, and by waste-to-energy solutions.”