66 August 2015 www.bahrainthismonth.com india independence Al Tawfeek founder, Krishnan Nair Padmanabhan, was working as an independent sewage tanker driver back in 1980 when he saw the opportunity to start his business. He began contracting for sewage, moved on to skip hire and disposal of solid waste and the rest as they say ‘is history.’ Today, the company is one of the island’s biggest waste disposal operators and has also branched out into jet washing and cleaning. Now Mr Padmanabhan is taking a step back from the day-to-day running of the business leaving it in the capable hands of son Pregith and daughter Sabitha, who have exciting plans for the future. Pregith, an economics graduate, has been working in the company for five years and Sabitha, with a medical and business management background, for three. She says: “One thing we are finding is that people still think of us as dad’s children. We are keen to show them that we do know what we are doing. Going forward we’re looking at improving the technology of the business. For example, UK and European standard equipment brought in may not be designed to work in our climate so we’re looking at improving our performance and efficiency with more suitable technology.” Pregith adds: “We’re also very aware of the need for more green technology. So far this is something that’s not very big in Bahrain, both environmental awareness and, of course, recycling but these are things we are working towards and areas in which we would like to see the government take a comprehensive lead. “At the moment there aren’t really the proper facilities to push recycling. Everything goes to landfill. But this is something that needs to be addressed and we would like to be part of the solution. “One area we are already working on is buying tyres from a company which maintains them and takes them back at the end of their useful life so that they can be re-treaded or recycled. That’s an initiative that we’re keen to support.” One of the company’s major areas of operation is the high pressure jetting division which employs a professionally trained crew to deal with cleaning and drainage blockages using high-pressure water hoses that can be used in various settings from ships and barges to industrial piping, hotels and cooling towers. Sabitha says: “This is an area in which we are the country’s prime operator and one where we are keen to expand by bringing in the latest equipment and tendering for areas we don’t currently cover.” Pregith adds: “And for the future we would like to look at tackling medical waste as we feel this could be done more efficiently than at present. We would also like to consult on the disposal of waste water as the current system frequently malfunctions — I personally know this leads to waste water being incorrectly disposed of and this is an area in which we could help find a solution.” The two seem to be very much on the same page, but, as brother and sister, how do they find working together? Sabitha explains: “I’m more involved in the administrative side, looking after the office and accounts, whereas Pregith is out in the field. And that’s the way we both like it — he doesn’t want to be dealing with finances and I certainly don’t want to be anywhere near sewage!” Sabitha and Pregith After a quarter century in operation, this company is looking to the future with plans for clean and green technology. New Generation Takes the Reins AL TAWFEEK
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