SmartTerra, Solinas Integrity bag The/Nudge prize for water solutions

SmartTerra and Solinas Integrity are the winners of the Ashirvad Water Challenge (AWC), organised by The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) and Aliaxis. SmartTerra was awarded Rs 1 crore and Solinas Integrity Rs 75 lakh. The competition, which opened in February 2022 and attracted 140 applicants, is aimed to address the issue of ensuring clean drinking water for all.

“The/Nudge Prize aims to find innovative, scalable and impactful technology-driven solutions to India’s water crisis, and widen clean drinking water access to improve health and hygiene across urban and rural communities,” a statement from CSI said.

SmartTerra’s AI-powered data analytics platform can help water utilities detect leaky pipes and faulty water meters to reduce water loss, while Solinas Integrity’s ‘Endobot’ robotic solution secures pipeline infrastructure by detecting leaks and contaminations, it said.

“Sustainable water management is at the heart of what we do at Aliaxis. It is our collective responsibility to preserve water and ensure access to clean water for everyone. The/Nudge Ashirvad Water Challenge gives a much-needed boost to affordable and cutting-edge technology that solves real problems, like our winners have done in finding solutions to water loss and water contamination,” said Line De Decker, Aliaxis’ chief people and sustainability officer.

Bengaluru-based SmartTerra — launched in 2020 by Gokul Krishna, Giridharan Sengaiah and Navaneethan Santhanam — identified 11 invisible leaks, with 77 per cent accuracy in localising losses, during the pilot phase of the challenge. Its platform is already operational in Coimbatore, Kolkata, Pune, and Bengaluru, as well as in the Philippines and Cambodia.

Chennai-based Solinas Integrity — founded in 2018 by Divanshu Kumar, Bhavesh Narayani and Moinak Banerjee — identified over 40 contamination points in water pipelines through its robotic solution, saving 6 lakh litres of water per day, during the pilot phase of the challenge. Its platform is operational in Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Ulhas Nagar, Jamshedpur, Nagpur, Tiruchi, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hubbali, Kalaburagi and Thiruvananthapuram.

“From creating economic value from wastewater to making consumption measurable to ensuring safe water, I am confident that these solutions will enable India to move forward in delivering clean water for all,” said Kanishka Chatterjee of The/Nudge Prize.