The second day of the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW 2026) organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti featured extensive technical sessions focused on climate-resilient water management across multiple forums including Country, Water Leaders', Practitioners', and Thematic Forums, alongside the concurrent Second International WASH Conference.
Key Developments and Sessions
Secretary of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Ashok K.K. Meena highlighted India's experience under Jal Jeevan Mission, emphasizing the shift from infrastructure creation to sustainability, service quality, and long-term water security. He noted the growing India-Netherlands cooperation in advancing climate-resilient water systems, specifically mentioning Sujalam Bharat Digital Public Infrastructure and Decision Support Systems for source sustainability.
The technical session on Effective Greywater Management for Rural Areas chaired by Ms Aishvarya Singh, Joint Secretary & Mission Director of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), revealed that approximately 5.46 lakh villages now have greywater management arrangements. The session emphasized decentralized treatment and reuse models, integration into Gram Panchayat Development Plans, and community participation, with experiences shared from Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, and Jharkhand.
International WASH Conference Technical Sessions
Six technical sessions were conducted presenting 25 technical papers covering: Digital Technology, AI and Innovation for WASH; Governance, Community Participation and Institutional Strengthening; Climate Resilience, Nature-Based Solutions and Sanitation; Water Quality, Safety and Emerging Contaminants; Financing, Economic Models and Techno-Economic Solutions; and further Governance, Community Participation and Institutional Strengthening.
Specific innovations presented included a digital communication system for rural sanitation in Bihar, low-cost IoT-based detection of heavy metal ions, smart water meters as water-saving devices, AI-driven decision support for rural water supply maintenance, gender-inclusive sanitation models at PCMC, and community ownership programs like Dastak Abhiyan in Bihar.
International Collaborations and Country Forums
The Netherlands-led Country Forum focused on technology-driven water security initiatives, while the German Embassy session discussed Indo-German cooperation for India's Water Vision 2047. Water Leaders' Forum sessions covered partnership models for water access across agro-climatic regions and technological solutions for efficient water utilization including smart irrigation and digital water management.
Thematic Forum sessions covered three sub-themes: Inclusive and Equitable Water Governance (examining equity-based groundwater allocation and women's participation), Collaboration for Optimal Use of Water Resources (featuring treated wastewater reuse and multi-stakeholder partnerships), and Technology and Community for Water Security (covering AI, machine learning, remote sensing, and community-led recharge initiatives).
Side Events and Additional Forums
Side Event 1 examined scaling water-for-food solutions through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) with focus on finance, partnerships and innovation, chaired by Shri Pradeep Kumar Agrawal with participation from World Bank's Global Water Director Saroj Jha. Side Event 2 on accelerating India's Water Vision 2047 through Indo-German cooperation was graced by H.E. Jasper Wieck, German Ambassador, and Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Minister of State for Jal Shakti.
Practitioners' Forum sessions covered state-level interventions in water conservation, large-scale adoption of water-saving technologies including micro-irrigation and solar pumps across Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka and Gujarat, and smart irrigation management using remote sensing, IoT and AI technologies.