Deadline Date: July 31, 2026
The Open Call for Startups and MSMEs invites eligible applicants to develop innovative prototypes and solutions focused on water, sanitation, and environmental sustainability challenges.
The program focuses on water resources assessment and management, wastewater treatment, climate resilience and adaptation, water use efficiency and circular economy, smart water grids, Internet of Things and data-driven water management approaches, efficient irrigation, precision agriculture, rainwater harvesting, river basin and flood management, glacial lake outburst floods, hydrological modelling including urban hydrology, and water quality improvement and monitoring.
The open call is designed to encourage startups and MSMEs to develop innovative technologies and solutions addressing critical challenges in water and sanitation systems. It promotes the creation of prototypes and products that improve sustainability, efficiency, and resilience in water management.
A wide range of problem statements are included under this initiative. These cover decentralized sewage treatment systems for household and community sanitation, zero-waste sanitation systems with resource recovery, and membrane-based low-cost water and wastewater treatment systems.
The program also supports the development of tertiary treatment systems for the removal of residual organics, nutrients, and emerging contaminants. Additional focus areas include biological sewage treatment systems for nutrient removal and technologies for microplastics removal from treated water and wastewater.
Innovations in smart water management are also encouraged, including IoT-based flood monitoring systems, non-intrusive water flow measurement systems, and real-time bacteriological water surveillance technologies.
Further areas include sewage sludge valorization for fertilizer production, decision support systems for urban flood mitigation, geospatial applications for rooftop rainwater harvesting design, and continuous monitoring systems for river water levels and quality using wireless telemetry.
The initiative also encourages advanced technologies such as indigenous ceramic membrane systems, UAV-based river profiling and water quality assessment, and AI-enabled floating sensor systems for monitoring water levels and surface velocity.
Applicants may also propose solutions that enable cascading water use systems to support circular economy models in water resource management. The program aims to support innovation across multiple dimensions of water sustainability and resilience.
Eligibility is open to registered startups and MSMEs, which are invited to submit proposals for developing innovative solutions aligned with the identified focus areas.
For more information, visit Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
