Water

As India heads towards an ever deepening water crisis, we seek to create efficient solutions for managing water resources. These include various initiatives to promote water conservation on the one hand, and on the other, to improve water use efficiency in industrial, domestic and agriculture sectors. To achieve our goal of ensuring long term sustainability of water resources, we focus keenly on policy interventions as well as developing the knowledge and capabilities of all our stakeholders.

water

NEW IN WATER

  • water smart
     

    Report

    Sustainable Groundwater Management in Lucknow City

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  • water security
     

    Policy Brief

    TERI Advanced Oxidation Technology (TADOX) to treat textile and dyeing wastewater, achieve zero liquid discharge, and enhance water reuse: R&D-based policy recommendations

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  • sustainable irrigation

    Article

    Hiccups in the Himalayas: Reading the Warning Signs in Uttarakhand

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  • sustainable irrigation

    Report

    Water Sustainability Assessment of Chennai

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  •  
    water video rajasthan

    Press Release

    Mahindra-TERI Centre of Excellence launches Chennai Water Sustainability Assessment Report

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Projects

OTBL

OTBL Campus Impact Challenge: A Youth Initiative for Creating Positive Spaces

Watershed Development

Implementation of Watershed Development

lakes of hyderabad

Assessing impact of developmental activities on the lakes of Hyderabad

benchmarking industrial water use

Benchmarking water use for efficient deployment in industries

water audit at rail coach

Auditing water for the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala in Punjab

Off the grid sensor-controlled

Implementation of the project on 'Off the grid sensor-controlled irrigation using bank filtration technology'

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Articles

Drinking Water Security in Gujarat: The Current Scenario

Mr Amitava Bhattacharyya

Mainstreaming Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation Infrastructure For Long Lasting Impacts

Ms Manisha Jain

In this article, Manisha Jain and Dr Kriti Akansha highlight that it is necessary to support long-term thinking, transformation, flexibility and innovation while taking the associated climate risks into consideration to attain climate resilience. There is a need for a robust framework that ensures climate policies are integrated into all sectors and that planning, implementation, and evaluation are strictly followed.

Microplastics in the Ganga River - How Dangerous is the Situation?

Microplastics in the Ganga River - How Dangerous is the Situation?

Microplastics are recognized as a main source of marine pollution.

Water Crisis in India: The World’s Largest Groundwater User

In this article, Anita Khuller says that with increasing news of areas facing water shortages and drought, saving water and using it more efficiently has become the need of the hour. Globally, providing clean drinking water is becoming a bigger challenge with population growth.

गुरुग्राम के सिकुड़ते तालाबों के लिए बहुआयामी दृष्टिकोण ज़रूरी

Ms Shweta

2025 तक गुरुग्राम की पानी की आवश्यकता 874.3 मिलियन लीटर प्रतिदिन तक पहुंच सकती है और ये आवश्यकता 2007 की तुलना में लगभग तीन गुना अधिक है। पानी की ज़रूरत बढ़ेगी लेकिन साथ ही खबर ये भी है कि इस शहर के जल निकाय खतरनाक स्तर पर सिकुड़ रहे हैं। इसके कारण कई हैं, जैसे - बिल्डरों के अतिक्रमण, सीवेज की डंपिंग, गाद और निर्माण कचरा और इसकी वजह से 55.2 (2007 में) किमी2 से 2025 तक जल निकाय 0.42 किमी2 तक सिकुड़ने का अनुमान है।

हवा से पानी बनाने की मशीन - बुझा सकती है गाँव की प्यास

Ms Shweta

देश में पानी की कमी को हल करने के लिए जल संरक्षण की पारंपरिक समझ को आधुनिक तकनीकी विकास और क्षमता के साथ मिलाने की ज़रूरत है। ‘एयर टू वाटर’ तकनीक दूरदराज और साथ ही दूषित पानी की समस्या झेल रहे क्षेत्रों के लिए पानी की आपूर्ति के अवसर देती है।

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Events

Training on Climate Resilient Integrated Watershed Management

April 12, 2025
to April 12, 2025

TERI is organizing a training program on Climate Resilient Integrated Watershed Management on 12th April 2025 at Silver Oak, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India

Background

Over 80% of India’s population lives in districts vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, depleting groundwater, retreating glaciers, severe cyclones, and rising sea levels threaten livelihoods, food security, and the economy. Urban areas, particularly those with unplanned development, face increasing risks from extreme heat, flooding, and disease.

Water Sustainability Awards 2024-25

March 21, 2025
to March 21, 2025

WSDS 2025 Thematic Track-Watershed Management for Agricultural Resilience: Challenges, Solutions, and Sustainable Development

March 5, 2025
to March 5, 2025

Rural communities throughout India face various challenges related to climate change and its variability, coupled with declining farm productivity and livelihood due to depleting and degrading natural resources. Dryland agriculture in India is particularly vulnerable to climate change, given the dependence of its dense population on agriculture, excessive pressure on natural resources, and limited coping capacities. The anticipated impacts of climate change are likely to further strain already scarce land, water resources, and livelihoods.

WSDS 2025 Thematic Track- Science and Policy Action on Reducing Plastic and Chemical Waste in the Marine Environment

March 5, 2025
to March 5, 2025

7th G-STIC CONFERENCE IN INDIA

October 22, 2024
to October 23, 2024

HARMONISING TECHNOLOGY, POLICY AND BUSINESS PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AND COEXISTENCE

Experiential Learning Session for Sustainability Professionals from Corporates

August 31, 2024
to August 31, 2024

The One-day Experiential Learning Session was organized by TERI CBS in partnership with Jamshedpur Management Association as part of the Training Program on ‘Operationalizing and Accelerating Sustainability Imperatives and Actions among Businesses in India’ for sustainability professionals that aimed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and capacities of sustainability function-oriented management professionals in order to assist them become sustainability champions and drive long-lasting, sustainable change within and beyond their organization.

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News

Diamond Toons Launches ‘Chacha Chaudhary – Har Ghar Jal, Sabka Haq’ Comic to Promote Water Sustainability

June 27, 2025 |
June 27, 2025
The Print

The comic highlights the importance of water sustainability and conservation, as well as the government’s vision to provide a piped water supply to every household in India through the Jal Jeevan Mission. The making of the comic was guided by Mentor Mr Narender Kumar Verma, with advisory inputs from Dr. Syamal Kumar Sarkar, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and Technical Advisor Dr. Ravindra Bohra.

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Innovative solutions to Bengal's water crisis

May 4, 2025
| Dr S K Sarkar, TERI; Mr K K Sharma, Maithri Aquatech
| The Statesman

Water resources are finite, critical for economic growth, and essential for ecology. India's water resources are under tremendous pressure, says Dr S K Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow, Water Resources Division, TERI; Mr K K Sharma, Executive Vice President, Maithri Aquatech.

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Summer strain: Water crisis looms over North, East before monsoon showers arrive

April 16, 2025 |
April 16, 2025
Mint

As of 3 April 2025, while the overall live storage of the country's reservoirs is superior to that of the previous year, the live storage in the northern and eastern regions has experienced a decline this year, stated Mr Anshuman, Director, Water Resources Division, The Energy Research Institute (TERI).

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World Health Day | Chlorination prevents waterborne illness, but it comes with a risk

April 7, 2025
| Dr SK Sarkar, TERI and Ms Avanti Roy Basu, Mu Gamma Consultants
| Deccan Herald

Water disinfection using chlorination is a widespread practice. However, the harmful effect of the by-products of chlorination is not much talked about, says Dr SK Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and Ms Avanti Roy Basu, Associate Director, Mu Gamma Consultants.

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Yamuna: Decoding its history, myth and the politics over its revival/ How to revive a dying Yamuna

April 6, 2025 |
April 6, 2025
The Week

Waste generated from worship forms a miniscule part of the problem, says Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

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Is the model State water regulation framework robust enough? 

March 21, 2025
| Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar
| The Hindu Business Line

There are deficiencies in the Integrated Water Resource Management Bill, especially with regard to its scope says Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow, Water Resources Division, TERI.

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Policy

Climate Resilience in Water Resource Management in India: A Conceptual Framework for Action

September 18, 2024

The water sector in India is facing increasing variability and unpredictability of water resources due to climate change. This is compounded by inadequate infrastructure for water storage and distribution, and the insufficient integration of climate resilience into water management policies. This is highlighted by the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report. Key threats include extreme weather events, rising temperatures, erratic monsoons, and sea level rise, impacting agriculture, industry, ecosystems, and overall water security.

Integration of TADOX® technology to achieve net zero in textile wastewater treatment: Policy recommendations based on pilot study in a CETP

February 8, 2024

Textile & Coloration Industry faces the most challenging issue of removal of colour and dissolved organics due to the presence of complex dyes and pigments in the effluent, which are not being able to be removed by conventional and biological treatment technologies. Which in turn impacts the biological treatment making is shock prone and leading to inadequate treatment with discharge of coloured effluent through drains in the rivers.

Benchmarking Industrial Water Use Efficiency in India: Opportunities for Water-Intensive Industries

February 8, 2024

The rapid expansion of population and industrial activities in India has led to acknowledging the critical importance of water conservation. Addressing the escalating water usage within water-intensive industries is essential, given their significant contribution to the economy alongside their substantial impact on water resources. Amongst the water-intensive industries, thermal power plants are the highest consumer of water, followed by pulp & paper, textiles, and iron & steel industries.

‘Air to Water’ technology - offering potential to achieve Water for All

March 28, 2023

Emerging Role of Blue Finance in the Asia-Pacific Region

October 29, 2021

The policy brief critically examines pathways in which the funding gap for implementing SDG 14 targets can be bridged, using tools such as well-defined regulatory framework and collective partnership.

Food and Land Resources: Incorporating Watershed-Based Approaches for Better Sustainability-Productivity Balance

August 4, 2021

The overall purpose of watershed programmes is to enhance incomes, provide food security through sustainable agriculture and prudent management of natural resources. This directly corresponds to SDG 1 and 2, i.e. No poverty and Zero Hunger respectively.

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Services

Multidisciplinary research on natural resource conservation

We conduct water audits and quality testing that typically include: Estimation of building water use; recommendations of water saving fixtures; estimation of landscape water demand based on input on the soft areas, plant species factors, and the climatic factors; estimation of rainwater harvesting potential and recommendations on the reuse and recycling of treated waste water and rainwater, and appropriate waste-water management schemes and systems.

Team

Mr Anshuman

Director, Water Resources