Sustainability summit explores ideas for water secure K’taka

Bengaluru: A one-day water and sanitation sustainability summit to build a ‘Water Secure Karnataka' using innovative technologies was held Tuesday in the city.Delegates from Israel and the Netherlands were invited to share their strategies for dealing with water and sanitary issues in their respective countries. Anjum Parvez, additional chief secretary of RDPR, told TOI, "The Netherlands always suffers from excess water, and Israel suffers from the shortage. Similarly, in Karnataka, sometimes we face drought, and sometimes, we are flooded. Hence, we invited these delegates to learn about their policies and strategies to deal with these issues."Among the 27 startups that pitched their ideas at the summit, six received a grant of Rs 25 lakh each and can pilot their ideas with the help of the rural development department. Organised by the department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR), in collaboration with the ITBT department, the summit mainly focused on how to bring in innovative solutions to address issues like water quality, wastewater and greywater treatment and management, and water security challenges in both rural and urban setups.Speaking at the event, Priyank Kharge, minister of RDPR and ITBT, emphasised the importance of integrating technology with rural development to address India's growing water crisis. "I firmly believe that every innovation in water management, conservation, production, and potability brings us closer to a sustainable future. Balancing industrial progress, such as AI and data centres, along with water conservation, is the challenge we have in front of us," he said.
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