How innovators in real estate space are stepping up to challenge Indian pollution plague?

by Mr. Himanshu Agarwal, CEO and Founder, Magneto CleanTech There is absolutely no silver lining when it comes to the grave situation of air pollution that we’re facing in India and the world today. Satellite cities of our nation’s capital – Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad — are all acing one list and for all the wrong reasons. They have been named as the world’s most polluted cities in 2018 as per a recently released report by IQAirAirVisual. The report stated that these cities have an average annual PM 2.5 concentration that is 13 times worse than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, making it apparent how unhealthy and dangerous the air we are breathing really is. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end at air pollution alone. Water pollution is another massive crisis that has been at the forefront of India’s civic discourse for years. Most of the country’s rivers are dying a slow death because 63% of the sewage that flows into them isn’t treated and is noxious. The slow poisoning of our country’s waters isn’t just killing much of its marine life but also severely damaging the quality of the soil on which our food is grown. While there is absolutely no optimistic way of looking at this situation, there is a clutch of far-sighted and innovative companies operating in the space of Indian real estate that are pushing the envelope as far as challenging and combatting these problems is concerned. They are coming up with cost-effective and practical solutions that can be applied to the real estate sector with ease to enhance the standard of living of occupants, while also making these real estate properties more attractive to potential buyers and tenants. Chief amongst these innovations are tools that ensure that the air which the occupants of a building breathe is far superior to what is available outside. This gives potential residents of housing complexes, guests of hotels and occupants of commercial spaces the assurance that, at least, when they are at home, at their place of leisure or work, their health isn’t under constant threat. Some top companies in this domain have come up with a solution that is ideal for large spaces and integrates seamlessly with existing air conditioning systems, minimizing the cost of implementation tremendously. As realty companies realize the importance of offering customers a much more evolved lifestyle than they had to earlier, they are quickly tying up with such firms to regulate the indoor environments in the real estate they are building. By installing these ahead-of-their times systems in the buildings, dust and airborne microbials can easily be taken care of while regulating the carbon-di-oxide levels in the environs. Such systems are also discreet and undisruptive to ensure minimal disturbance to the occupants of a building. Similarly, with a vision to overcome the water pollution and shortage crisis that the country is plagued with, innovative start-ups are putting in place waste water management systems at not just gated communities, IT-Parks, hotels and restaurants but also hospitals and factories to give them a data analytics powered overview of the ways in which water quality can be maintained for the satisfaction of guests/customers. They also offer insights on consumption patterns of the water, identify leakages, enable recycling of water to maximize business returns and reduce dependence on external sources of water in case of a shortage. Another area where steady innovation is visible is waste management. Various new-age companies are providing feasible and practicable waste management solutions for large organizations, commercial hubs and residential buildings. By collecting the urban waste, these innovative companies recycle it and turn it into quirky t-shirts, caps, shoes and even bags that can be retailed. Converting waste into recycled merchandise, they’re able to garner support and raise awareness about this important issue. But how does this solution help the real estate sector? By enhancing the reputation of companies embracing such solutions and enabling their occupants to feel more responsible as citizens of the country who aren’t, after all, contributing further to the waste management, landfill problem and water pollution crisis of the nation. Also read http://realtyplusmag.com/affordable-housing-gets-another-boost-with-years-extension-of-section-80-iba-of-the-income-tax-act-3/ While long-term solutions at the macro-level remain what the common citizen really wants, there is no denying that private organizations are pulling out all the stops possible to deal with pollution at their own level. The real estate sector is matching pace with these innovations as many of the leading companies are adopting these solutions with alacrity. Occupants of these buildings are also displaying their enthusiasm for contributing to environmental sustainability while also enjoying a healthy environment themselves, so much so that they are ready to pay a premium for the same. This is resulting in direct advantage and growth for the real estate sector and is consequently leading to better living conditions for customers.