COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES
SEARCH REDIFF

French water management companies seek major role in India

Water management could be the field that would finally open the floodgates of French investments into India. French businesses have so far been extremely hesitant about entering the Indian market. Today, France lags behind most other member states of the European Union in investments in India.

However, this scenario could alter rapidly as several water management companies, among the top global companies in the field, are taking an active interest in India and are set to enter the Indian market soon. The march of the water companies into India will begin in November with a series of expositions in the three metropolises of the country.

Fifteen companies in the business of water management, ranging across the entire spectrum of water treatment, waste water management and sewers to urban water supply and management, will participate in the two-day symposia that will take place in New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta between November 19 and 26.

The participants include corporate majors in the water world -- Vivendi and Suez Lyonnais -- to smaller companies like Schlumberger and Socema.

The exhibition in India will comprise three sessions that will be held simultaneously. Of these, two will focus on the technical and financial matters while the third will focus on the scientific research in the field of water.

``Water Week’’ will have senior bureaucrats and a French minister and their Indian counterparts among the participants. Among the delegates from France will be Pierre Roussel, director, Water Department of the French Environment Ministry.

``The principal objective of the Water Week is for the French companies to come in contact with the Indian corporate sector as well as the potential clients like municipal authorities and governments. The Week will also present an opportunity for France to display its leading edge in the field of water management and to share their experiences with the Indian partners,’’ Marie-Claude Laarman, Project Manager of CFME-ACTIM told rediff.com in Paris recently. CFME-ACTIM, which is an industry association aimed at French business overseas, is organising the Water Week along with the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The science seminars, to be held in all the three cities, will cover a wide range of subjects from ground water quality and glaciology to urban water management systems. The technical and financial seminars will focus on the practical aspects of water management, with a special focus on the capital requirement for implementing water management projects.

Laarman is optimistic about the exhibition going a long way in creating business deals between India and France. ``Water management is really an ideal subject for closer cooperation between India and France. It is an issue where France is strong and has a reputation across the globe and it is also an area where there is a tremendous requirement in India. Hence, it is a perfect match,’’ says Laarman.

She hopes that the Water Week will provide an ideal launch platform for closer cooperation between the two countries.

ALSO SEE

France Inc seeks to swamp India with its products and services

Business