India’s water infrastructure is under increasing strain due to climate change, marked by erratic monsoons, frequent floods and droughts, rapid urbanisation and declining groundwater reserves. Systems designed for stable historical patterns are proving inadequate, making climate-resilient water infrastructure critical for long-term water security.
At the same time, emerging technologies are gaining traction, supporting the transition towards more sustainable water systems and optimising water supply and wastewater infrastructure across the country. Digital monitoring, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven forecasting and remote sensing are being increasingly deployed in pilot and large-scale water-related projects. Meanwhile, water technology start-ups, research and development (R&D) initiatives focused on sustainable solutions and decentralised systems are helping to optimise water resource use, reduce water losses and lower environmental footprint. These efforts aim to support resilient, low-carbon and sustainable water systems across India.
Government initiatives
As climate variability intensifies water stress across Indian cities, digitalisation and automation are emerging as core pillars of climate-resilient water management. Leading this transformation at the national scale, the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Sujalam application in December 2025 in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo Informatics. The application enables advanced georeferencing and monitoring of water supply assets created under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The initiative is complemented by the Sujalam Bharat Database, which integrates information on water sources, infrastructure, scheme design, operations and supply metrics into a unified digital platform, while the Sujal Gaon ID creates a comprehensive digital profile for each habitation, covering source sustainability, infrastructure condition, supply reliability, water quality, and operations and maintenance arrangements. Furthermore, state governments and municipal bodies are increasingly leveraging AI, digital twins, smart metering and real-time monitoring to reduce non-revenue water, improve water demand management and strengthen their financial sustainability. For instance, the Karnataka government’s Blue Force and Robotic Technology Deployment Programme, launched in November 2025, integrates AI-enabled robotics with real-time dashboards to detect leakages and unauthorised connections, allowing utilities to respond swiftly and stabilise supply networks.
Further, in November 2025, the Delhi Jal Board signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s Airawat Research Foundation to develop an AI-based urban water management model for Delhi. The initiative integrates digital twin-based system monitoring, AI-enabled revenue management, and sensor- and satellite-based groundwater tracking among other digital capabilities.
Further, to reduce water wastage, strengthen monitoring and ensure accurate billing, in November 2025, Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran initiated the installation of ultrasonic automatic meter reading water meters integrated with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system in its staff quarters. Initially, 915 SCADA-integrated ultrasonic smart meters will be deployed for automated leak and wastage detection and continuous network surveillance, with LoRaWAN communication technology enabling remote monitoring and data transfer.
Advanced technology-driven wastewater management and river rejuvenation
Indian cities are adopting technology-driven wastewater treatment to build climat-resilient, reliable and adaptive urban systems. In December 2025, the Delhi government approved the deployment of 32 high-capacity mechanised cleaning machines, including amphibious excavators, dredgers and hopper barges. These will help prevent the flow of untreated sludge, silt and solid waste from drains into the Yamuna river. This initiative aims to strengthen the city’s resilience against monsoon-induced pollution surges. Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is leveraging robotic inspection technologies to detect leaks and assess sewer pipelines, with the aim of avoiding disruptive excavations at 38 locations and identifying over 93 structural and operational issues. This has enabled a faster, cost-friendly and less intrusive sewer pipeline maintenance.
Start-up ecosystems catalysing technological innovation
India’s urban water sector is increasingly leveraging structured innovation platforms to incentivise water technology start-ups and accelerate climate resilient solutions. In December 2025, the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Jal Shakti Hackathon 2025 and the Bharat Water Innovation Network portal to crowdsource scalable water solutions aligned with Water Vision 2047, offering grants of Rs 100,000 to selected innovators and creating a transparent pipeline from ideation to proof of concept.
Complementing these national-level initiatives, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs onboarded 32 start-ups, in November 2025, under the second cohort of start-ups in the waste and sanitation sector under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban. Over 30 million litres of wastewater have been treated under this initiative, underscoring the role of startups in delivering measurable service gains. At the utility level, BWSSB recently allowed startups to access its wastewater treatment plants under the Brand Bengaluru initiative, enabling real-world pilots of advanced recycling technologies. The initiative includes a project by Boson Whitewater at the Kadubeesanahalli sewage treatment plant, expected to supply about 70,000 litres of high quality treated water daily. Switzerland-based start-ups have also expressed interest in deploying global best practices under the initiative. These developments highlight a shift towards incentivised, pilot-driven and outcome-oriented innovation ecosystems that allow start-ups to test, refine and scale technologies.
R&D innovations
R&D is emerging as a critical driver in building climate-resilient water systems in India, particularly as rising temperatures, salinity intrusion and water quality degradation place increasing stress on conventional water infrastructure. Indian research institutions are increasingly focusing on low-energy, real-time and decentralised innovations that enhance system adaptability while reducing operational and environmental costs. In October 2025, for instance, scientists from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Prayagraj, and Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences jointly developed an AI- and internet of things (IoT)-based device capable of instantly analysing water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and pollution levels. The system triggers automated alerts upon detecting impurities. Such real-time, sensor-driven monitoring solutions can significantly strengthen municipal and industrial water systems by enabling the early detection of contamination, reducing health risks and supporting proactive operations amid climate variability.
Complementing innovations in digital monitoring, advanced desalination and treatment technologies are addressing emerging challenges such as salinity and freshwater scarcity. In September 2025, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, developed a siphon-based thermal desalination system that efficiently converts saline seawater into potable water using a fabric metal composite siphon that prevents salt buildup and clogging. Producing around 6 litres of clean water per square metre per hour under sunlight and capable of handling highly saline brines with up to 20 per cent salt concentration, the system offers a scalable, low-energy solution for coastal, arid and off-grid regions.
Navigating sustainable pathways
Building climate-resilient water infrastructure in India requires a decisive shift from capacity creation to performance optimisation, with emerging technologies as key enablers. Even as investments across water supply, wastewater and desalination segments continue to expand, outcomes will depend on improving asset utilisation and closing the loop through efficient recycling and reuse. This highlights the need for digitally enabled operations, decentralised systems and reuse-oriented planning rather than asset-heavy expansion alone.
Advanced wastewater treatment technologies and innovative zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems are gaining momentum in the industrial wastewater segment. In December 2025, Hindalco Industries Limited commissioned a 100 kilolitres per day ZLD unit with an advanced mechanical vapour recompression system in Sambalpur, Odisha. The facility functions by evaporating and condensing wastewater using recycled steam energy to achieve 90-95 per cent clean water recovery for reuse within the plant, effectively eliminating liquid effluent discharge and significantly reducing freshwater consumption. Further, the recently proposed Clean Himalayan and Hill States Initiative under SBM Urban promotes decentralised, modular and terrain-adaptive water and wastewater solutions in hilly areas. Linking water infrastructure with climate finance, as seen in Indore’s Clean Simhastha Kumbha 2028 plan exploring carbon credit monetisation to achieve water neutrality, has the potential to unlock new revenue streams and incentivise low-energy treatment, reuse and emission reduction. Further, innovative technologies such as fog harvesting involving fog collection, basic filtration and disinfection are being explored to assess their feasibility in addressing India’s water crises.
Going forward, India’s climate-resilient water pathway must converge AI-driven monitoring, decentralised treatment systems, circular water reuse, nature-based solutions and innovative financing into a unified planning framework. These efforts need to be supported by regulatory reform and outcome-based procurement mechanisms to build sustainable, climate-proof water systems that are scalable across urban, industrial and ecologically sensitive regions.
