Water is one of the most essential resources for human existence and yet, access to clean water is still a major issue in many parts of the world. India, in particular, is facing a severe water crisis. According to the NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index, 54% of India’s districts are facing extreme water stress, and over 100 million people in the country live in areas with poor water quality.

The problem is only going to get worse with climate change, which is expected to exacerbate the water crisis and have a significant impact on food security, health, energy as well as the economy. It is clear that something needs to be done to address this issue, but the question is, where do we start?

Segmenting The Problem

To tackle the water crisis in India, it is important to segment the problem into different categories. The consumption of water in India can be broken down into three main sectors: agriculture, domestic, and industry. Agriculture is by far the biggest consumer of water, accounting for 91% of the country’s water usage, followed by domestic (commercial and residential) at 7%, and industry at 2%. However, industry’s water usage is rapidly growing, and it is causing severe pollution in the country’s water bodies.

Hypotheses On Possible Solutions

Water Monitoring & Analytics: Monitoring and analysing water usage can help identify inefficiencies and areas where water can be conserved. This can help in reducing water wastage, especially in agriculture and industrial sectors.

Water Treatment & Reuse: Water treatment technologies can help clean up polluted water and make it fit for reuse, especially in the industrial sector.

Water Saving & Management: Implementing water-saving techniques and managing water usage can help reduce water wastage and increase water efficiency, especially in agriculture.

Water Storage & Recharge: Storing water during the rainy season and recharging groundwater can help ensure a steady supply of water during the dry season.

What We’re Looking For

As a venture philanthropy platform, ACT is looking to prioritise water security as a key focus area under ACT For Environment. Given the scale of potential impact, we want to focus on 3 key spaces:

Water-saving, management, storage, and recharge solutions for the agriculture sector. Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water in India, and implementing water-saving techniques and managing water usage can have a significant impact on the country’s water crisis.

Water treatment, reuse, saving, and management solutions for the industrial sector. As this sector’s water usage grows, it is causing severe pollution in the country’s water bodies. Implementing water treatment technologies can help clean up polluted water and make it fit for reuse.

Partnering with the government to find innovative business models to scale up municipal water management solutions. Because at the end of the day, solving the water crisis in India will be a collective effort; requiring the government, NGOs, businesses, and individuals to come together to scale sustainable solutions.

If you’re a social entrepreneur working on an innovative solution in any of these areas, we want to hear from you! Submit your grant application at https://actgrants.in/as-a-grantee/ or write to us at environment@actgrants.in.