Water Technology Initiative (WTI)

MINISTRY:SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Background

• The Water Technology Initiative, initiated in August 2007 aims to promote R&D activities aimed at providing safe drinking water at affordable cost and in adequate quantity using appropriate Science and Technology interventions evolved through indigenous efforts. 
• The initiative also includes the pilot testing of a credible number of products and referencing of selected technologies to the social context of the application region.
• In pursuance of directives of Hon’ble Supreme Court, Technology Mission on Winning, Augmentation and Renovation (WAR) for Water has been launched in August 2009 to undertake research-led solutions, through a coordinated approach, to come out with technological options for various water challenges in different parts of the country.

Coverage

The Initiative envisages to implement the programme throughout the nation.

Aims and Objectives 

This pro-active India – centric ‘solution science’ endeavour aims to strengthen the R&D capacity and capability to develop the technological solutions for existing and emerging water challenges facing the country.

• Promote national and collaborative developmental Research to address prevalent and emerging water challenges
• Capacity building of research professionals and water managers
• Evolve methodology for development of customised solutions suited to social context
• Develop synergies with line departments at Central/ State level for last mile connectivity of the research findings
• Evolve S&T based sustainable models with industry and recommend appropriate policy inputs
• Conduct techno- economic-social analysis of technologies and their suitability in specific context
• Support Impact assessment Studies/ development of Research Packages/ Technology Status Reports and other documentation required by different users/ agencies
• Upscaling and Replication of technologies/ solutions to credible scale

Beneficiaries

• Individual academicians and scientists working in public/ private/ voluntary sector, S&T based voluntary organisation ;
• Academic and R&D Institutions, Enterprises, State Government bodies such as S&T Councils , Autonomous bodies working in water sector; and
• Network of individuals/ institutions may be insisted on in the event project activities require multi-disciplinary multi-institutional participation. 
• Several such possible options could include research work by academic / R&D institutions in association with Industry / NGO, demonstration in consortia mode involving R&D institution/industry/NGO, state government line departments, S&T field groups and local panchayats.

Technology Mission on Winning, Augmentation and Renovation (WAR) 

• The mission’s objective: to find timely, urgent, cost-effective, socially viable and sustainable techno-management solutions for solving the problems of water scarcity.

• WAR is thus one more mission to address issues related to water besides the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), which was launched in 1987 as one of the five technology missions spearheaded by Sam Pitroda. It was given this name in 1991. 

• The water mission was proposed as one of the eight missions to be launched as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), announced by the Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change in July 2007. 

• The former is under the Ministry of Rural Development and the latter is under the Ministry of Water Resources and both of them have R&D and technology components.

• The plan document of mission WAR notes that the apex courts initiative arose from its observation that the research on water currently being done in several institutions and agencies of the country was largely uncoordinated. 

• The underlying concept for the WAR mission is that problems associated with water arise broadly from the following issues: 

• insufficient availability; 

• poor quality for the intended use; and 

• indiscriminate use of available natural resources. 

• Technological approaches would be on 

• winning water from sustainable sources; 

• augmentation of quality of water from available and accessible sources; and 
• renovation or recycling.