This 34-year-old from Assam has come up with a solution that can save up to 90pc household water

Goutam Surana started Eco365 to provide water conservation solutions for households, saving over 100 crore liters of water so far.

Did you know that the average Indian household uses at least 150 litres per person per day? Such consumption is especially disturbing when one considers the fact that a large portion of this quantity is not even put to proper use.

Optimising the use of water is the need of the hour, and that is exactly what 34-year-old Goutam Surana has set out to do.

Eco365

“Water literacy is very poor in our country—many want to conserve water, but do not know how to do it. Many also think it is the government’s job to save water. The urban population wastes more than the rural population, for two main reasons—the plumbing system makes it convenient, unlike in rural areas where people have to fetch water from a distance or tube wells; and a lower attachment with nature results in urban folk not viewing water as an invaluable resource,” says Goutam,

Being from a small town in Assam, Goutam spent his childhood close to nature and rivers and has always had the yearning to contribute to the environment. Accordingly, in 2010, Goutam started Eco365 with a motive to address conservation of fresh water and bring awareness to individual and companies about responsible living.

“Regular products waste more water; they are not designed keeping environment protection in mind. Our products bring efficiency by using less water from existing tap fixtures without compromising on their rinsing ability. The science behind it is to restrict or compensate the water pressure to achieve ideal flow. By reducing water demand we reduce recycling and water pollution, thus benefiting the health of the earth,” says Goutam.

Saving up to 90 percent water

The products at Eco365 range from water-saving aerators and adaptors to water-free urinal solutions. The water-saving adaptors and aerators for washbasins can reduce up to 90 percent water consumption.

“Water dispenses in shower/spray-type patterns to give higher efficiency in wash while using very less water in comparison to your regular taps,” says Goutam.

Aquamax, the water-saving shower, is designed in such a way that it allows six–eight litres per minute. Regular showers flow at 15–20 litres per minute. The Green Toilet Bank, also called Tank Bank, allows one to save up to three litres of water on every flush without any sacrifice on performance.

A regular flush tank has a capacity of 12-15 litres, while the water required for efficient flushing is just six to eight litres. “Tank Bank gives you the flexibility to use water as per your need. If you want to displace either half a litre or two litres, one can adjust accordingly,” says Goutam.

Goutam and his team are also taking efforts to introduce water-free urinals in India. A concept popular in European countries, it is now considered a good solution to save water in Indian offices as well. Eco365 provides two solutions—the Falcon Waterfree urinal and bio-cakes. In the former, the gravity-fed design moves urine through the system without using or wasting any water, thereby saving 100 percent of the energy associated with traditional flush urinals. The latter solution involves retrofitting existing urinals into water-free ones.

The Eco365 water fixtures are priced between Rs 80 and Rs 400. The investment made on retrofitting a kitchen tap, bears fruit in two–four months, courtesy of the water it saves. A retrofitted tap could annually save 20,000–30,000 litres.

Impact

“We have easily saved over 100 crore litres of water across more than 2,000 projects. Our clients include offices, factories, apartments, and individual homes. We also have customers overseas,” says Goutam.

An estimated 40 crore litres of water is being saved on a daily basis across the country with the efforts of Eco365.

Goutam, who quit his IT job to foray into the field of water conservation, hopes that Eco365 will be a global company that will help provide sustainable living solutions to people.