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Water Technology skills expert Rajat Kumar Samantaray, the expert lead for Water Technologies at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, highlighted the importance of skilled technicians and engineers in water and wastewater treatment and said India was well prepared for the competition.
Speaking about India's participation in the Water Technology skill, Samantaray said 12 countries are competing in the category at the ongoing WorldSkills edition. Speaking to ANI, he said, Water Technology has 12 countries participating, and today is Day 3. We have performed well on the first two days. Samantaray recalled India's previous performances in the skill, saying the country won its first-ever gold medal in Water Technology at the 2019 WorldSkills competition in Kazan. India subsequently won a silver medal in 2022 and a Medallion for Excellence in 2024. We are hoping for the best for this edition also, he said. Explaining the scope of the Water Technology skill, Samantaray said it primarily covers the work of wastewater technicians and water engineers, with professionals trained in the field able to work in water treatment and wastewater treatment plants. He said the competition comprises five different modules covering areas such as pump maintenance, pneumatic valves and automation systems for level, flow and pressure control. Participants are also required to design water treatment plants and demonstrate knowledge of chemical processes. We have five different modules. Competitors need to be good at chemistry as well because we have titration protocols, jar tests and other chemical modules, he said. Samantaray explained that pump maintenance is an important component as pumps are used to transport water from sources such as rivers to treatment plants. Automation is also essential for controlling various processes within a water treatment facility. On India's preparation for the competition, he said the candidate had trained according to the modules but acknowledged that the competition remained strong with both new and experienced participating countries. We have prepared well as per the modules. But yes, we have tough competition because many new and old countries are participating here. All the competitors are doing their best, he said. Samantaray said the final results would be known during the closing ceremony. Highlighting the wider importance of the skill, he said water is a precious resource and that greater emphasis must be placed on conservation, automation and the development of a skilled workforce capable of establishing and operating wastewater treatment plants. To save water, we need to use proper automation technologies. We need to develop more technicians and engineers who can build more wastewater treatment plants, he said. He added that Water Technology has significant potential to become an important career field for professionals and could meet the future requirements of several industries. (ANI)
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