India and the Government of Israel are joining forces to establish an India – Israel Centre of Water Technology (CoWT) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras). The centre will focus on water resources management and water technologies.
The primary objective of the newly established centre is to adapt and implement Israel’s technologies within a customised framework that meets the specific requirements of India. The centre will focus on developing sustainable management solutions for the water sector in the country.
The two sides have expressed their intention to collaborate in identifying specific projects related to integrated water resources management. This includes areas such as urban water supply and non-revenue water, water and sewage recycling, IoT solutions and online monitoring, water harvesting, smart data management, and AI applications. The primary objective of these joint projects is to showcase the implementation of cutting-edge technologies in the field of water management and demonstrate their effectiveness.
A Letter of Intent was signed in New Delhi earlier this month by the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Manoj Joshi, the Director of IIT-Madras, V. Kamakoti, and the Ambassador of Israel to India, Naor Gilon.
The centre will help the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), an initiative by MoHUA. In addition, it will pursue joint activities for implementing technological solutions through separate agreements. It will actively engage in joint activities to implement technological solutions, facilitated by separate agreements.
Furthermore, the CoWT will promote the exchange of technology, scientific information, literature, and foster discussions and consultations among experts from both countries. The aim is to address challenges related to drinking water and sewerage management while identifying new areas for intervention and development.
The two governments will actively collaborate to strengthen cooperation in specific areas such as capacity-building of Indian water professionals at various levels. The centre will also showcase projects that utilise the latest technologies and organise exhibitions featuring Israeli water companies.
Last year, the government announced it would provide financial support of IN₹ 3.29 crores (US$ 411,882) to a start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for developing smart water management technologies.
As OpenGov Asia reported, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Technology Development Board (TDB) and the start-up for the production and commercialisation of the Dhaara Smart Flow Metre. The flow metre is an integrated system for online monitoring. It uses two-beam ultrasonic flow metres that are designed to track water distribution in real-time for applications like drinking water supply, groundwater extraction, industrial water usage, and precision irrigation.
The device collects data through sensors, stores it in the device, and transmits it to the online cloud servers. Then, the data transmitted to servers is analysed and displayed on a dashboard. The solution uses a combination of hardware and software for flow measurement and water management respectively. The system is battery-operated and does not require external power. The hardware architecture is based on the Internet of Things (IoT) communication circuits, which are patented in India. Additionally, it complies with ISO and Central Ground Water Authority standards. The water usage data is automatically recorded in an online logbook through telemetry via 4G/2G.
