Mumbai, 8 September 2026
India’s water challenge is no longer a problem that can be left to the environmental agenda alone.
It is becoming a question of economic growth, business continuity, industrial resilience, community well-being and India’s ability to achieve its long-term development ambitions.
That was the strong message emerging from the Water Positive India Forum 2026, held on 8 September at The Leela, Mumbai.
Convened by Aqua Positive in partnership with Murugappa Water Technology and Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (MWTS), the Forum brought together leaders from industry, government, technology, finance, water stewardship and the development sector to discuss a question that is becoming increasingly important for India:
Can we leave the water cycle better than we found it?
The conversation went beyond the familiar language of conservation and efficiency. The focus was on what comes next: how businesses and institutions can understand their wider water impact, reduce unnecessary consumption, increase reuse and recycling, support replenishment and contribute to healthier water systems and communities.
From water efficiency to positive water impact
For years, much of the corporate water conversation has centred on using less water, improving treatment and meeting regulatory requirements.
Those actions remain essential.
But the Forum highlighted that they cannot be the end goal.
The next step is to look beyond the boundary of an individual factory, building or project and understand the wider water system in which that operation exists.
Alejandro Sturniolo, Co-founder & Executive Director, Aqua Positive, has been advocating this shift through the concept of Positive Water Impact.
The idea is straightforward but important: the objective is not to claim that an organisation can somehow improve the natural water cycle itself. The objective is to ensure that the watersheds, aquifers, ecosystems and communities connected to that activity are left in a better condition.
That is a more demanding standard than simply reporting lower water consumption.
It asks organisations to understand their impact, act on the risks and demonstrate what has actually changed.
“Water isn’t scarce. It’s mispriced.”
The Forum also brought a sharp economic perspective to India’s water challenge.
Rtn. Turbaashu Bhattacharya, Director, Roserve Enviro Pvt. Ltd. and Co-Chair, ASSOCHAM National Council on Water, has put the issue bluntly:
“Water in India isn’t scarce. It’s mispriced. And mispriced resources get wasted, not conserved.”
The statement captures a problem that goes beyond pricing.
When water is perceived as cheap and readily available, there is little incentive to reduce losses, invest in efficiency or question how water is being used.
That has to change.
Bhattacharya has also been closely associated with the development of the Aqua Positive Pledge, which focuses on taking organisations from honest measurement of their water use towards action, replenishment and verified water benefits.
The underlying principle is one the industry needs to take seriously:
If an organisation calls itself water positive, there should be evidence behind the claim.
Water security and India’s growth cannot be separated
For Jayateerth Nadgir, Chief Executive, Murugappa Water Technology and Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (MWTS), the water conversation is inseparable from India’s economic future.
Nadgir has consistently argued for treating water as a national asset and a shared responsibility, while encouraging industry to move beyond compliance towards circular and climate-resilient water systems.
His message is particularly relevant as India looks towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
India’s economic ambitions, industrial growth, urbanisation and infrastructure development will all require secure and resilient water systems.
In his recent Forum-related communication, Nadgir emphasised that India’s ambition of becoming a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047 cannot be separated from its Water Positive journey, and called for industry to move “beyond the fence collectively.”
That phrase captures one of the most important ideas emerging from the Forum.
A company may be able to manage the water inside its own facility. But the water risk does not stop at the boundary.
It extends into groundwater, rivers, watersheds, communities, agriculture, cities and supply chains.
Water does not respect organisational boundaries. Neither should water responsibility.
Water is becoming a business continuity issue
The Forum also highlighted a reality that many industries are already beginning to experience.
Water availability can affect production, operating costs, expansion plans, supply chains and investment decisions.
For a water-intensive business, disruption to water supply is not simply an environmental concern. It can directly affect operations.
That makes water security a business continuity and competitiveness issue.
Technology will play a major role in addressing this challenge.
Digital monitoring, leak detection, water-loss reduction, process optimisation, advanced treatment, reuse, recycling and resource recovery can all help businesses make better decisions and reduce their exposure to water risk.
But technology alone is not enough.
The real question is whether technology produces a measurable improvement in the way water is managed.
The Water Positive India Pledge
One of the important moments of the Forum was the Water Positive India Pledge, taken by participating organisations and leaders.
The pledge is intended to move the conversation beyond broad sustainability commitments and towards practical responsibility.
The questions behind it are simple:
How much water are we actually using?
Where are we losing it?
What can we reuse?
What is our impact on the surrounding water system?
What are we doing to improve that system?
These are not questions that can be answered through a sustainability report alone.
They require data, projects, investment, collaboration and accountability.
Water Positive India Forum Council launched
The Forum also announced the launch of the Water Positive India Forum Council, creating a platform to continue the conversation beyond the inaugural Forum.
The Council is intended to bring together industry, government, technology companies, investors, researchers, water practitioners and other stakeholders to work on issues including:
- Water security
- Positive Water Impact
- Water stewardship
- Circular water systems
- Water technology and digital solutions
- Financing and investment
- Measurement and verification
- Policy and regulation
- On-ground implementation
The governing body of the Council is expected to be announced within the next 90 days.
This is an important development because the value of a Forum should ultimately be measured not by what is discussed on one day, but by what happens afterwards.
Why this matters to India’s water and wastewater industry
For the water and wastewater sector, the direction of this conversation is significant.
India does not need another decade in which water management is discussed in isolation across different industries, institutions and government departments.
The sector already has the technology and expertise to treat, reuse, recycle, recover and monitor water more effectively.
What is needed now is stronger alignment between technology, policy, investment, industry action and measurable water outcomes.
This is also where the role of industry knowledge platforms becomes important.
As a media and publication platform focused on India’s water and wastewater sector, EverythingAboutWater has watched the industry evolve from a largely treatment-focused market into a much broader conversation around reuse, resource recovery, circularity, water security, digitalisation and sustainability.
The next phase needs to be even more practical.
It needs to connect the people developing the technology with the organisations that need it, the policymakers creating the framework, the investors financing the transition and the communities living with the consequences of water stress.
The industry needs fewer disconnected conversations and more shared action, credible data and projects that can demonstrate real water benefits.
A conversation that cannot end with the Forum
The Water Positive India Forum 2026 was not simply about creating another sustainability narrative.
Its real significance lies in the attempt to change the question.
Instead of asking only:
“How much water did we save?”
we need to start asking:
“What difference did our actions make to the water system?”
That is a harder question.
But it is also the question India will increasingly have to answer.
The launch of the Water Positive India Forum Council and the Water Positive India Pledge provides a foundation for continuing that work.
The next step is execution.
Use less where possible.
Reuse more.
Reduce losses.
Replenish responsibly.
Measure what changes.
And work beyond organisational boundaries.
Because India’s water future is not separate from India’s economic future.
India cannot build a resilient economy on an insecure water foundation.
The goal is not simply to use less water. The goal is to leave India’s water systems better than we found them.
About Aqua Positive
Aqua Positive works with organisations and water-sector partners to advance measurable positive impact on water resources through water stewardship, project development, collaboration and verified water benefits.
About Murugappa Water Technology and Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Murugappa Water Technology and Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (MWTS) is part of the Murugappa Group and provides technology and engineering solutions across water and wastewater treatment, reuse, recycling, resource recovery and related applications.
About EverythingAboutWater
EverythingAboutWater, published by Earth Water Foundation, is a specialised media and knowledge platform serving India’s water and wastewater industry. Through its publications, exhibitions, conferences, awards and industry initiatives, EverythingAboutWater connects technology providers, industry, policymakers, institutions and water professionals and works to strengthen knowledge and collaboration across the sector.
Media Contact
EverythingAboutWater / Earth Water Foundation
Email: wasim@eawater.com
Phone: 9999887154
Website: www.eawater.com
