Water Conservation Practices in the Unorganized Automobile Service Sector – Challenges and Future Prospects

The case study explores the growing demand for water in India and describes the measures taken to recycle wastewater, with a special focus on the automobile service sector. The major objectives of this case study are to examine the penetration of water recycling practices among unorganized automobile service providers, assess their awareness of the benets of implementing such practices, and evaluate their willingness to adopt them.

Apart from analyzing secondary data, the study also incorporates primary data collected from the unorganized automobile service sector. The researchers conducted interviews with 48 automobile service centers located in Coimbatore and the nearby districts of Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, and Trichy. Studying is primarily qualitative in nature.

The descriptive analysis indicates that, despite the growing demand for water, the unorganized sector remains largely unconcerned with wastewater disposal and recycling due to factors such as high capital investment requirements and minimal regulations on industrial water usage. However, the analysis also reveals increasing awareness of the long-term benets of implementing water recycling practices among automobile service sectors. The study suggests that new low-cost interventions, along with supportive government policies and incentives, could enhance sustainable water management practices in the sector.

The case study contributes to understanding water conservation challenges in the unorganized automobile service sector, a relatively underexplored area. By linking industry practices to Theory of Planned Behavior’ and the ‘Natural-Resource-Based View’ of the Firm, the case provides fresh insights into how mindset, awareness, and organizational factors can drive the adoption of water recycling practices, offering both managerial and policy implications.