SDG 6.5.6 – Promotion of Conscious Water Usage

Last Updated: December 30, 2024

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham actively and systematically promotes conscious water usage across its campuses through dedicated institutional policies, infrastructure, education, and stakeholder engagement. The university has implemented a comprehensive Sustainable Water Policy, which explicitly commits to reducing water consumption, enhancing reuse, and increasing stakeholder awareness of water stewardship. This is clearly described in Section 1 of the water policy, which mandates the installation of low-flow fixtures, dual-flush toilets, aerated faucets, waterless urinals, and sensor-based taps to minimize wastage. 

The university continuously monitors water use through metering systems, automated monitoring tools, and data-based water efficiency analysis, enabling real-time detection of leaks and consumption trends. The policy also emphasizes annual water reduction targets, and ongoing evaluation of progress, demonstrating active resource governance. 

Amrita strongly integrates awareness and responsibility through educational and training initiatives for students, staff, and faculty. Awareness programs, curricular integration, and workshops relating to water conservation help embed behavioral change and encourage responsible usage culture. The stakeholder engagement portion of the policy explicitly notes that the university “engages stakeholders through awareness programs, training sessions, and workshops on water conservation,” cultivating a campus-wide culture of water accountability. 

The university promotes extensive water reuse and recycling, including greywater treatment, campus-wide wastewater recycling, and rainwater harvesting systems. The policy sets a reuse goal of meeting 40–50% of total water demand through recycled and harvested water, reinforcing the commitment to conscious consumption and sustainable campus operations. 

Infrastructure standards extend to new buildings as well, ensuring they are equipped with dual plumbing lines, maximum reuse of STP-treated water, stormwater systems, and groundwater recharge points. This forward-looking approach integrates water conservation into structural planning and campus design. 

Beyond systems and infrastructure, Amrita actively cultivates awareness through student involvement, such as green student programs, sustainability campaigns, and hands-on biodiversity and stewardship learning experiences. These initiatives encourage student participation in environmental decision-making and foster internalization of water-conscious behavior at a personal level. 

Platewashing
Faculty and students are encouraged to practice judicious water usage through awareness programs and volunteering initiatives. The university community is educated on efficient techniques for minimizing water consumption, particularly during activities such as plate washing.

Amrita actively fosters a culture of water consciousness among its students, staff, and the surrounding communities.

• Courses and workshops on water sustainability and environmental science educate students about water conservation and sustainable practices. The E4Life PhD Program on Sustainable Development spans 14 thematic areas, emphasizing interconnections among water sustainability, environment, agriculture, and climate change.
  Show all 14 thematic areas with SDG icons

• Posters promoting the judicious use of water are displayed across across campus

Research and Innovation: The university has been focussing on water-related research, such as the development of low-cost filtration systems, water quality monitoring tools, and sustainable irrigation techniques.

Sustainable Landscaping Practices

Across 9 campuses of Amrita,  indigenous plants are used extensivly that are well-adapted to the local climate, soil, and ecosystem and reduces the need for excessive watering, fertilizers, and pesticides. Techniques like drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, to conserve water resources are implemented. Soil fertility and structure is enhanced through organic composting, and reducing soil compaction to promote healthy plant growth naturally. Recycling organic waste, such as grass clippings and leaves, into compost instead of sending them to landfills is also done extensively. Furthermore, habitats for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife are created by including a mix of plants and preserving natural areas.

Gardens and landscaped areas are watered using sprinklers and drip irrigation systems to minimize water consumption and promote efficient water use. Motion sensors are placed to regulate the irrigation on a timely basis.

Promoting Plantation of Native Varieties of Plants – Students with Saplings

Amrita’s campuses have implemented state-of-the-art water conservation systems, ensuring efficient utilization and minimal wastage.

• Rainwater Harvesting: Extensive rainwater harvesting systems across all campuses collect and store rainwater, which is used for irrigation and non-potable purposes. 

Water Recycling: Sewage treatment plants (STPs) recycle wastewater, ensuring it is reused for gardening, cooling systems, and flushing, significantly reducing freshwater dependency.

Amrita School for Sustainable Futures held a Sustainable Development Research Series by the PhD scholars presenting their research on innovative approaches and solutions in the area of water sustainability.

Pioneering Water Sustainability through Innovation and Impact

Amrita’s initiatives have led to a measurable reduction in water consumption across its campuses, a significant increase in the reuse of wastewater, and greater awareness of water sustainability among its stakeholders. These efforts also contribute to the institution’s ranking in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, reflecting its commitment to SDG 6.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham continues to innovate in the domain of water management, with plans to expand water conservation infrastructure, enhance community programs, and invest in cutting-edge research for sustainable water solutions.

By integrating conscious water usage into its operations and educational practices, Amrita exemplifies a holistic approach to achieving water sustainability, setting a benchmark for other institutions worldwide.

List of Publications in the Area of Water

1. Ajith, V., Reshma, A. S., Mohan, R., & Ramesh, M. V. (2022). Empowering communities in addressing drinking water challenges using a systematic, participatory and adaptive approach and sustainable PPP model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 185, 121970.
2. Reddy, D. T., Shamini, S., Ganesan, V., Radhakrishnan, A., & Ajith, V. (2022). Intervention for improvement of water quality in a rural village in Rajasthan. In Smart Trends in Computing and Communications: Proceedings of SmartCom 2021 (pp. 323-332). Springer Singapore.
3. Yamuna, K., Gupta, K., Prabhu, S. D., Navaneeth Krishna, S., Jyothi, S., Narayanan, J., & Sani, S. (2022). Addressing impure water quality and associated challenges faced by a rural community in West Bengal through sustainable technologies. In Smart Trends in Computing and Communications: Proceedings of SmartCom 2021 (pp. 333-343). Springer Singapore.
4. Angom, J., & Viswanathan, P. K. (2022). Contribution of National Rural Employment Guarantee Program on rejuvenation and restoration of community forests in India. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5, 91.
5. Ramesh, M. V., Muir, A., Nandanan, K., Bhavani, R. R., & Mohan, R. (2022). HCI curricula for sustainable innovation: The humanitarian focus at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Interactions, 29(1), 54-57.
6. Abhinaya, P. B., Adarsh, T., Vanga, P., Sivanesh, S., Vishnuvardhan, Y., Radhika, N., & Reshma, A. S. (2022). Case study on water management through sustainable smart irrigation. In IoT with Smart Systems: Proceedings of ICTIS 2021, Volume 2 (pp. 569-578). Springer Singapore.
7. Prajwal, K. S., Shivanath Nikhil, B., Reddy, P. R., Karthik, G., Sai Kiran, P., Vignesh, V., & Reshma, A. S. (2022). The assessment of challenges and sustainable methods of improving the quality of water and sanitation at Deurbal, Chhattisgarh. In IoT with Smart Systems: Proceedings of ICTIS 2022, Volume 2 (pp. 721-730). Springer Nature Singapore.
8. Harini, S., Varshini, P., Muthukumaaran, S. K., Chebolu, S., Aarthi, R., Saravanan, R., & Reshma, A. S. (2022). In-situ measurement in water quality status—Udalka Uttarakhand, India. In IoT with Smart Systems: Proceedings of ICTIS 2022, Volume 2 (pp. 689-696). Springer Nature Singapore.
9. Barati, M. K., Manivasagam, V. S., Nikoo, M. R., Saravanane, P., Narayanan, A., & Manalil, S. (2022). Rainfall variability and rice sustainability: An evaluation study of two distinct rice-growing ecosystems. Land, 11(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081242
10. Kanyagui, M. K., & Viswanathan, P. K. (2022). Water and sanitation services in India and Ghana: An assessment of implications for rural health and related SDGs. Water Policy, 24(6), 1073-1094.
11. Bisheko, M. J., & Rejikumar, G. (2023, March). A study on farmers’ perceptions about the scope of the Kisan Suvidha App in improving agricultural sustainability. In 2023 Conference on Information Communications Technology and Society (ICTAS) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
12. Ajith, V., Fishman, R., Yosef, E., Edris, S., Ramesh, R., Suresh, R. A., … & Mamane, H. (2023). An integrated methodology for assessment of drinking-water quality in low-income settings. Environmental Development, 100862.
13. Barati, M. K., Manivasagam, V. S., Soundharajan, B., & Manalil, S. (2023). Rice cultivation and water sustainability in Peninsular India: Examining the challenges of climate change through extreme rainfall events with the Markov chain approach. In Modeling and Mitigation Measures for Managing Extreme Hydrometeorological Events Under a Warming Climate (Vol. 14). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18640-0.00002-X
14. Hasan, N., Pushpalatha, R., Manivasagam, V. S., Arlikatti, S., & Cibin, R. (2023). Global sustainable water management: A systematic qualitative review. Water Resources Management.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-023-03604-y
15. Marowa, D., & Manoj, P. (2023). Forest policies pertaining to the formation of protected areas: A case study of Nagarhole National Park and eviction of the tribal people. Journal of Namibian Studies, 34(2023), 6249–6275.
16. Douglas, M., Manoj Pokkiyarath, & Pozhamkandath Karthiayani Viswanathan. (2023). The nexus between sustainable agriculture practices, food security, and climate change in India: A review. Migration Letters, 20(S1), 181–202.
17. Matovu, B., Brouwer, F., Bleischwitz, R., Firas, A., & Meltem, A. Y. (2023). Resource nexus perspectives in the Blue Economy of India: The case of sand mining in Kerala. Environmental Science & Policy, 151, 1-15.
18. Angom, J., & Viswanathan, P. K. (2023). Climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies in India and South Africa: Implications for climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods. In The Palgrave Handbook of Socio-ecological Resilience in the Face of Climate Change (pp. 161-195). Springer Nature Singapore.
19. Angom, J., & Viswanathan, P. K. (2023). Irrigation technology interventions as potential options to improve water security in India and Africa: A comparative review. 15(23), 16213.
20. Bisheko, M. J., Rejikumar, G., Damilola Ibirogba, & Steven Kikonyogo. (2023). Traditional grain storage methods: An exploration of their contribution to the sustainability of Indian agriculture. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 9(2). DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2023.2276559
21. Dandadzi, P., & Kothurkar, N. K. (2023). Assessing the sustainability of biosand filters: Unveiling interlinkages and leveraging factors for effective implementation. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 20(100311).
22. Twist, R., von Lieres, J. S., Rao, B. R., & Koshy, A. J. (2023). Vetiver grass technology: A new perspective for river restoration and women’s empowerment in river communities of rural India. In IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), 2023 (pp. 188-192). Radnor, PA, USA. DOI: 10.1109/GHTC56179.2023.10354932
23. Abhiroop Das, R. Aarthi, S. Vijay, M. Kailash, K. S. Gogul Nithish, R. Saravanan, & Souresh Cornet (2023). Performance enhancement of photovoltaic systems for rural electrification in higher altitude regions: A case study in Uttarakhand, India. In ICT Analysis and Applications, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (Vol. 517). Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-5224-1_38
24. P. B. Abhinaya, T. Adarsh, Prasanthi Vanga, S. Sivanesh, Yisanaka Vishnuvardhan, N. Radhika, & A. S. Reshma (2022). Case study on water management through sustainable smart irrigation. In IoT with Smart Systems, Smart Innovation, Systems, and Technologies (Vol. 251). Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-3945-6_56
25. K. S. Prajwal, B. Shivanath Nikhil, Pakhala Rohit Reddy, G. Karthik, P. Sai Kiran, V. Vignesh, & A. S. Reshma (2023). The assessment of challenges and sustainable methods of improving the quality of water and sanitation at Deurbal, Chhattisgarh. In IoT with Smart Systems, Smart Innovation, Systems, and Technologies (Vol. 312). Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-3575-6_69
26. S. Harini, P. Varshini, S. K. Muthukumaaran, Santosh Chebolu, R. Aarthi, R. Saravanan, & A. S. Reshma (2023). In-situ measurement in water quality status—Udalka Uttarakhand, India. In IoT with Smart Systems, Smart Innovation, Systems, and Technologies (Vol. 312). Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-3575-6_66
27. Vineeth Ajith, Reshma A. S., Renjith Mohan, & Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh (2023). Empowering communities in addressing drinking water challenges using a systematic, participatory, and adaptive approach and sustainable PPP model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 185, 121970. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121970

Reference: 

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham — Sustainable Campus Policy report