IWA had a successful presence at the 8th India Water Week (IWW 2024) in New Delhi, recently, and followed this with discussions with the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on potential collaborations, marking further progress with IWA’s strong presence in India.

The 8th India Water Week 2024, organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, took place in New Delhi from 17-20 September. The event, inaugurated by the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, focused on the theme of ‘Partnerships and Cooperation for Inclusive Water Development and Management’ and featured a comprehensive programme.

IWA Executive Director Kala Vairavamoorthy shared key insights during the Global Water Leaders plenary session, where his presentation on ‘International Perspectives on Water’ was a highlight. Other speakers included Kushvinder Vohra, Chairman of India’s Central Water Commission, Saroj Kumar Jha, Global Director for Water Practice at The World Bank, and Aarti Mehra, Deputy Country Director at the ADB India Resident Mission.

IWA’s presence at the event showcased the Association’s growing influence in India. This presence features the support of what is one of IWA’s largest country memberships globally, an active Young Water Professionals Chapter, and engagement across key themes like digital technology, inclusive sanitation, and climate-smart utilities. Attendees were encouraged to visit IWA’s booth in the exhibition to learn more about its initiatives.

Following the event, IWA engaged in productive discussions with the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on potential collaborations. These talks centered on crucial topics such as water reuse, decentralised management, sanitation, and river rejuvenation.

With India being IWA’s second-largest membership base, the discussions explored further opportunities for engagement in global IWA events, aiming to enhance efforts in advancing water and sanitation services across the country.

The main picture shows Dr Nupur Bahadur, Chair of IWA India Governing Member Committee, Dr Kala Vairavamoorthy, IWA Executive Director, Ms Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, MoJS, and Jeyannathann Karunanithi and Prasanna Jogdeo from the IWA India office. The other pictures show Kala presenting his keynote during IWW and the meeting with Rajeev Kumar Mital, Director General, NMCG.