Water
The urban population in India is steadily rising, and the latest NSSO report suggests, only 56% of urban households have access to piped water, and close to 33% of urban households still rely on public taps or tube/bore wells (NIUA 2020). We must respond quickly, and technology and innovation are key to bridging the gaps for sustainable solutions.
Puri is the first Indian city to achieve a 24x7 safe drinking water supply from taps benefitting 250,000 local population and 20 million tourists under the 'Drink from Tap' mission. The water quality has been strengthened with labs, automatic chlorine dozers, water quality sensors, doorstep quality surveillance, and 100% metered household connections (BW Online Bureau 2021). Several private players are also involved in solving the water crisis of India. JanaJal 'Water on Wheels' is an IoT-based, three-wheeled electric vehicle developed to deliver safe drinking water at the doorsteps of households. The IoT controllers and sensors provide real-time qualitative and quantitative data from every water ATM. The mobile app helps consumers place orders, scan-QR-codes and pay digitally (janajal.com. 2020). JanaJal Water ATMs and water delivery has dispensed over 100 million litres of safe drinking water, eliminated 23 million single-use plastic bottles, and helped conserve over 50 million litres of water across seven states (ANI 2020).
Swajal is a similar example of water ATMs using energy-efficient systems that use solar energy for water purification and vending and has installed over 400 Water ATMs in railway stations, schools, urban slums, bus stations, etc. (Swajal Water Pvt. Ltd. 2018). Grundfos' AQPure, a solar energy-based water treatment plant for ultra-filtration. It is a pre-fabricated and modular water treatment plant, and has resisted heavy winds blowing at speeds of 150km/h during the Amphan cyclone, providing drinking water to 2,500 villagers. West Bengal presently uses AQPure to provide drinking water to 15,000 people (Grundfos Pumps India Private Ltd. 2021). Smarter Homes WaterOn device is a smart metering and automated leakage prevention system, helping nearly 40,000 households in India on average to save 35% water. In Bengaluru, its use roughly saves 71 million litres of water every month. It provides real-time consumption data, weekly report cards and monthly predictions, helping identify gaps or leaks in the system (Viola 2020). (SmarterHomes Technologies Private Limited 2018)
The India Water Tool 3.0 brings together datasets and risk indicators from the Government of India and other institutions to help users understand their water risks and plan interventions for water management in India (WBCSD 2019). The tool gives information on water availability, quality and water stress indicators. It comprises data sets of groundwater level, block categorization, projections, stress indicators and a section on localized data (Karangutkar 2019). Fluid Robotics uses AI-powered solutions to diagnose water pipeline networks, addressing urban water loss and pollution issues. The digitized pipeline data helps identify structural defects, O&M failures, etc. - helping prevent leakages, sanitary sewer overflows and monsoon flooding. The app aims gamification to motivate and reward users towards water conservation (SmarterHomes Technologies Private Limited 2018). It has been piloted across Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru cities (TheCityFix Labs India 2019).
