Amrita School for Sustainable Futures

According to WaterAid India, approximately 76 million people in the country lack access to clean drinking water and more than 60,000 children, especially under the age of 5 years old, die each year from poor sanitation and diarrheal diseases caused by drinking impure water. According to UNICEF India, 67% of Indian households do not treat their drinking water, even though it could be contaminated with harmful bacteria and chemicals. Furthermore, those who live in rural communities face challenges such as water scarcity and drought, lack of sufficient water resources and water management systems, spread of waterborne illnesses, and water logging, among others. With a vision of addressing the core pain points in water that have long plagued India’s rural poor, Mata Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, encouraged researchers at the institution to develop and deploy practical, adoptable, and sustainable interventions in the areas of water quality & monitoring, water distribution networks & management, and water conservation.