CEO Insights Magazine

Living in a clean, healthy and safe city is currently fundamental only in first world countries. That's why building 'Smart Cities' in developing should mean creating an all inclusive place with smart infrastructure, proper governance, digitization, and quality life for the inhabitants. Firmly believing that the idea behind Smart Cities is to use technology to deliver a better quality of life, Dr. Syed Asad Ali Warsi dreamt of developing sustainable urban infrastructure, while working with various industries on environmental fronts from the beginning of his professional career. In the year 2014, when the honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi launched the `Swachh Bharat Mission' and `Smart City Mission', he found a big opportunity to pursue his passion. Working with Government Organizations and Urban Local Bodies to serve our country based on a sustainable development model, Dr. Syed is currently leading innovations in the segment via his firm Eco Pro Environmental Services ­rendering consultancy and turnkey services in the field of environmental services and pollution control.

Below is the excerpt of Dr. Warsi's interview with the CEO Insights.

How would you define EcoPro Environmental Services as an organization and its position in the market?
Eco Pro Environmental Services is empaneled as a Consultant with the Ministry of Urban Development under 'Swachh Bharat Mission' for Solid Waste Management. As the only impaneled company from Madhya Pradesh, Eco Pro has provided consultancy to more than 300 urban local bodies for Solid Waste Management, Sustainable Development and Various Circular Economy Models. Driving its competence and strength from the vast resources and experience of a highly qualified team, Ecopro is equipped with Engineers, Scientists, Architects and a strong multidisciplinary task force, well knitted under skillful management and experienced techno professionals.

Eco Pro has designed, planned and executed every component of waste management at Indore, for which Indore has been awarded the Cleanest City in India for the fourth consecutive time in Swachh Survekshan, the annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India.

How does your company stand unique from your competitors in the industry? What is your USP?
We aim to exceed the expectations of every client by offering outstanding customer service, building sustainable relations, and increasing their operational values. We are prepared to be the benchmark of quality within our industry by being the most innovative, diversified environmental consulting firm. To achieve this position, we have become a customer orientated enterprise. Committed to technical excellence with significant resources devoted to building an array of new approaches to service offerings, we are majorly focusing on Municipal waste, Biomedical waste, E-waste and energy, we are committed to embracing modern technology. Providing our clients with state of the art Waste management systems and solutions, we apply environmental laws with integrity and fairness in the process of conducting envirolegal and due diligence audits and identifying environmental risks and formulating mitigation measures. The USP of Eco Pro is that it designs systems to make the most efficient use of resources and to maximize reuse, recycling, and recovery of all materials instead of treating them as waste.

How has been your response to the challenges posed by the covidaffected market and the need for new strategies?
Waste management is an invaluable public health service, especially during the current coronavirus pandemic(COVID-19). I developed the Indore Model of COVID Waste Management and Successfully implemented leading to 100percent collection transportation, treatment and disposal of COVID waste including Vaccination Waste from March 2020 to till date on daily basis.Many cities in India are replicating the SOPs of the Indore Model.

With the increasing spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic development and health outcomes, there is an urgent global call for waste management from households, medical facilities and toxic waste to be treated as an essential public service. At the heart of this approach is the transition to more inclusive, more resilient societies with netzero GHG emissions and many reduced impacts on nature.

In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Swachh Bharat Mission, started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014, threw up challenges to each city in India to overcome poor cleanliness. Under our project management consulting the upgradation of Indore rank 73 to No.1 Cleanest city was a notable milestone. The company thereon went on to be the advisor to many state governments, municipal corporations and other governing bodies on the management and treatment of waste.

Dr. Syed Asad Ali Warsi, CEO, EcoPro Environmental Services
Dr. Asad has been working in the field of Environment Engineering/Science and Waste Management for the last 26 years. As an environmentalist and sustainability advisor, he has worked on many prestigious national and international projects, and policy formulations in advisory capacity with the Govt. of India and many State Governments. His organization provides Technical Advisory Services to more than 300 Cities & Towns.

Hobbies: Music & Sports
Favorite Cuisine: Biryani
Favorite Book: Future Shock and Third Wave
Favorite Travel Destination: London & Sydney

Awards & Recognition:
•Key Note Speaker at ISAP 2019, Yokohama, Japan
•1st Prize at 8th Regional UNCRD 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific for "3R Excellence Award in 2018
•Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Award 2018 by United Nations Secretariat Asia Pacific Region in Thailand
•Swachhta Campion Award 2018 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal.
•Advisory Services in Environment and Waste Management at House of Lords, London (UK), 2018