As India moves confidently towards the vision of a Developed India by 2047, the next two decades will define how we grow, urbanise, industrialize and ultimately secure our resources for an expanding and aspiring population. At the center of this change is something we often take for granted – water. Ensuring reliable access, responsible distribution and scientific reuse will be fundamental to sustaining our economy, our communities and our environment as India prepares to celebrate 100 years of independence.
According to the World Resources Institute, more than half of India’s land area – and about 600 million people – are already under high to extremely high water stress. At the same time, 193 districts have been officially classified as over-exploited, severe or semi-severe in terms of groundwater. Yet today’s story is no longer just about scarcity; It’s about opportunity. India has shown that even in challenging resource situations, smart infrastructure, technological innovation and community participation can fundamentally strengthen resilience. What we build in the coming decades will determine the water security of India’s next billion citizens.
For decades, India’s water strategy – like that of many developing countries – was built around a fundamental priority, that of access. The goal was to ensure that every household, farm, and industry had a basic, reliable water supply. Large-scale investments were made in pipelines, hand pumps, dams and expansion of irrigation networks. This step was necessary and dramatically improved coverage and availability across the country. But the next era must be one of resilience – the ability to sustainably handle, store, reuse and regenerate water. This requires a three-pillar approach:
- Secure and reliable storage
- efficient delivery
- recycling and reusing
These may seem functional, but together they form the foundation of water flexibility. Every liter stored safely is one liter protected from contamination. Every drop efficiently distributed is a drop saved from leakage. Each cycle of reuse is one step away from depleting our limited freshwater resources.
Historically, water storage has been viewed as an engineering necessity. In fact, it is essential for public health and productivity. India’s per capita freshwater availability has fallen from 1,816 m³ (2001) to 1,486 m³ (2021), officially putting the country in the water-stressed category and highlighting the urgency of storage-based resilience. Safe storage reduces contamination, ensures sustainability during shortages and enables us to harness rainfall that might otherwise flow off unused.
- Reestablishing storage as essential infrastructure: Water storage should be considered on par with roads and electricity – it should be included in building codes, urban planning and public health frameworks rather than being viewed as a secondary domestic utility.
- Standardization of hygiene and material quality: Mandating 100% food-grade virgin, lead-free, non-reactive and microbe-resistant storage systems will ensure that water remains safe not only at the source, but right up to the point of consumption.
- Necessarily encourage rain water harvesting: Urbanization is intensifying this need: the average urban water supply is only ~69 lpcd, well below the benchmark of 135 lpcd set for Indian cities. Rainfall harvesting is only effective when combined with clean storage solutions that allow safe reuse for potable and non-potable needs, reducing municipal reliance on excess supplies.
- Promoting decentralised, community-level solutions: Urbanization is intensifying this need: the average urban water supply is only ~69 lpcd, well below the benchmark of 135 lpcd set for Indian cities. As cities become denser, apartment complexes, institutions and industries must adopt decentralized, household and community-scale storage solutions to ensure continuity during shortages and peak-demand periods. This change has already begun, and by 2047 it will define how homes, industries, and municipalities maintain everyday water security.
While water storage forms the foundation of everyday water security, its effectiveness is only as strong as the distribution systems that move water from source to tap. India currently loses a large portion of its distributed water due to leakage and inefficient supply networks. These losses not only put pressure on already scarce resources but also increase the risk of secondary contamination within cities and buildings. Government data shows that in many states 20-35% of treated water is wasted due to burst pipes, leakages and old supply lines.
- Promoting Clean Piping Systems: Old, dilapidated and porous pipelines are not only a major source of water loss but also major contributors to secondary contamination. Upgrading the distribution network with 100% food-grade virgin, microbe and rat resistant, lead-free and corrosion-free materials helps ensure long-term hygiene and reliability. Such systems reduce the risk of microplastic release, inhibit microbial growth and prevent the entry of external pollutants, ensuring that treated water remains safe and suitable for consumption.
- Incorporating smart monitoring, IoT-based metering and predictive maintenance to prevent leaks and health risks: IoT-enabled sensors and pressure monitoring systems allow utilities to detect subtle leaks and pressure fluctuations, thereby reducing water loss and preventing contamination caused by backflow and pathogen entry through cracks. Predictive maintenance turns delivery networks into proactive public health protection measures rather than reactive repair systems.
- Standardize quality across ‘invisible’ components: Valves, joints and fittings are often overlooked sources of leaks and contamination. Enforcing uniform quality and hygiene standards across all network components strengthens the system.
Looking to 2047, India’s water security will depend less on how much water it can extract, and more on how effectively it can store, conserve and distribute each drop.
Only a fraction of India’s wastewater is treated, and even less is meaningfully reused. India generates ~72,000 MLD of wastewater, yet treats only 28%, with 72% left untreated and released into the environment. This gap represents one of the largest untapped water sources in the country. As industries expand, cities densify and climate variability intensifies, recycling will move from “good practice” to absolute necessity. Global examples show that treated wastewater can safely support agriculture, industry and even groundwater recharge.
India stands at the threshold of a significant transformation that will define the next century of water availability. Under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0, 73,519 km of new water supply network, 21,753 km of sewer lines and 6,964 MLD sewage treatment and reuse capacity have already been approved. As water becomes more valuable, every liter saved in transit becomes a contribution to national resilience.
- Building resilience into India’s everyday water infrastructure: Water crisis, irregular rainfall and extreme weather are already reshaping India’s water reality. We may not be able to control climate changes, but we can build systems strong enough to absorb them. Government programs such as Jal Jeevan Mission, AMRUT and state-led water conservation initiatives have begun the transformation, but the next phase requires deeper integration of science, technology and design at all levels of planning.
- Co-creating resilient water systems: Government creates scale; Private sector brings innovation. The most effective solutions in storage, distribution and reuse will come through collaboration between policy makers, urban planners, businesses and citizens. India’s water security will depend on collective responsibility rather than any individual effort.
By the time India completes 100 years as an independent nation, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that development and stability can go together. Water resiliency must be seen not only as an environmental priority, but also as the infrastructure for future prosperity. It will shape public health, agriculture, industry and the quality of urban life. Most importantly, it will ensure that the India the next billion citizens inherit is secure, confident and future-ready.
Our water journey is entering a decisive phase. The changes we are making now – from responding to scarcity to building resilience – will define how India thrives in 2047 and beyond.
This article is written by Yashovardhan Agarwal, Director, Syntex and MD, Welspun BAPL.
