Business Line reported that Indian stainless steel industry is exploring the idea of using stainless steel pipes in drinking water supply networks, which it thinks can cut down leakages drastically. According to the Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA), many Asian cities such as Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei have been using stainless steel pipelines for more than 20 years and this has helped them reduce the loss of precious, treated water from 27% to 2%

ISSDA organised a seminar here last week in which international experts and representatives of user agencies participated.

ISSDA President Mr KK Pahuja said “This was one of the major initiatives to understand the requirements of the user agencies so that we can make a beginning towards developing standards suitable for our country.”

The seminar highlighted the long-term life cycle advantages of stainless steel in the water industry. Apart from conserving water, such non-corroding pipes can prevent deterioration in quality of water supplied and even reduce maintenance cos.

An Assocham study in Delhi in 2016 pointed out that 40 per cent of the water supply in the capital gets wasted primarily due to leakages in its 9,000-km-long supply network.

According to Pahuja, using stainless steel for water supply is not expected to increase the cost not more than 20-25 per cent, but it has long-standing benefits. He told “While pipes made of plastic and other materials can last only 15-20 years, stainless steel pipes can last 50-60 years.” This could be tried out particularly in new cities, Pahuja said.