Water Technology Initiative (WTI), launched in August 2007, aims to strengthen the R&D capacity and capability to develop the research based solutions for existing and emerging water challenges facing the country in the area of water quality, quantity and water reuse and recycling. The programme promotes national and collaborative developmental research, builds capacity of research professionals and water managers, evolves methodology for development of customised solutions suited to social context and developssynergies with line departments. It also envisages upscaling and replication of proventechnologies/ solutions to credible scale.The initiative directly caters to furthering Sustainable Development Goal #6 (Clean water and sanitation) which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The scheme is also relevant to national mission on “Swachh Bharat” and “NamamiGange”.

Programmes

1. Research, Development &Demonstration (RD&D) and Demand Driven convergent solutions

The focus is on   winning of water from sustainable sources, augmentation of water quality for specific applications and recycling and reuse of water. This is a need based demand oriented thematic initiative encompassing the entire technology development chain to successively progress to higher technology readiness levels graduating research to technology and eventually culminating into sustainable solutions.

2. Water Technology Research and Innovation Centres (WATER-IC)

Virtual networked centres aim to develop knowledge base to cater to the various water relevant issues through supporting R&D for water quality, quantity and recycle & reuse. These Joint Virtual Networked Centres are expected to nurture knowledge, innovation, expertise through institutional and human capacity building of water researchers, professionals, community etc and to address the gap areas in water technology research, development, demonstration, adaptation, adoption andcommercialization of water.

3. Collaborations

Development of collaborative research partnerships leading to innovative bilateral and multilateral programmes for promoting R&D on various water issues brings in new perspective and taps global expertise. Research programmes with United Kingdom and Netherlands in the area of Water aim to understand diverse perspectivesto understand  the problems and develop customised approach for addressing them following holistic approach based on scientific investigations.

3.1   DST-NERC Collaboration on Water Quality Research

Recognising the importance of clean water, safe and portable water, India (through DST) and UK (through Natural Environment Research Council-NERC &Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council -EPSRC) are implementing a  collaborative research programme on improving Water Quality with a committed investment of £ 4.2 million from each side, having special thrust on addressing threats due to emerging contaminants (PPCP), online river water quality monitoring and sensor technology. The bilateral programme join forces on improving WaterQuality by providing a better understanding of the transport,transformation and fate of different pollutants by supporting thedevelopment of management strategies and technologies to reduce waterpollution levels.

3.2   DST-NWO Joint Programme on Urban Water Systems

India (through DST) and Netherlands (through Netherland Organisation for Scientific Research-NWO)are jointly implementing Indo-Dutch bilateral cooperation programme to address the complex challenges for urban water management in  fast growing cities resulting from population growth, rapid urbanisation, pollution and the effects of climate change.

4. Desalination Mission

The Mission on Desalination (NMD), was conceptualised in 2017 by the Department in partnership with concerned ministries and departments at the behest of NITI Aayog, to ensure water security of the country and provide clean and safe drinking water to water-scarce areas of the country by identifying desalination technologies (developed and commercialized, developed and awaiting commercialization, and likely to be developed in the coming years) and enrolling Indian and Global desalination technology Solution Providers.

5. Water Advanced Research & Innovation (WARI) Fellowship

Capacity building of Water researchers and professionals has been one of the key objectives of the Water Technology Initiative Programme.DST and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA are implementing WaterAdvanced Research & Innovation (WARI) Fellowship (Phase -I) programme inthe year 2015 to nurture cooperation, capacity building, andprovide opportunities and exposure for the students and scientists from boththe countries.WARI in its first phase completed its duration and objectivessuccessfully and the programme has been continued as WARI (Phase - II). Theprogramme is being implemented and coordinated by Indo-US Science &Technology Forum(IUSSTF).

Resources
S. No	Title	Link
1.	Indo-UK Scoping Reports on Low-Cost Environmental Monitoring Sensors (LEMS)	LEMS0 bytes
2.	Desalination Technologies Compendium	Final-Desalination-Technologies-Compendium14.45 MB
3.	DST-IITM-KGDS Test bed on Solar Thermal Desalination Solutions in Narippaiyur, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu	FO-Desalination-DST-IITM-KGDS198.18 KB
4.	DST-IITM Centre for Sustainable Treatment, Reuse and Management for Efficient, Affordable and Synergistic Solutions for Water (Water-IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER)	Sutram240.42 KB
5.	Cooperation India – The Netherlands-Sandpit on Urban Water Systems	Sandpit-booklet944.7 KB
6.	Joint India-UK Projects on Water Quality Research	Joint-India-UK-WQRP1.06 MB
7.	UK-India Water Quality Scoping Meeting Report	UK-India-Water-Quality-Scoping-Report244.67 KB
8.	DST Intel Mission Projects on Water and Air Quality	DST-Intel-Mission-Projects-brochure967.92 KB
9.	Arsenic Compendium – R & D Activities on Arsenic Contamination in Drinking Water	Arsenic-Compendium3.14 MB
10.	Technology Mission: WAR (Winning, Augmentation and Renovation) for Water Plan Document	WAR-for-Water-Plan-Document169.75 KB
11.	Identified Water Related Challenges	Identified-Water-Challenges7.63 KB
12.	Clusters for Water Challenges Technology Mission	Clusters-for-Water-Challenges25.53 KB

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