Design Impact Awards Conclave Focuses on Scalable Solutions to India’s Water Crisis
Bengaluru, February 18: The second edition of the Design Impact Awards Conclave, centred on addressing the water crisis, was held on Tuesday at The Lalit Ashok. The event marked the culmination of a year-long implementation phase during which six selected startups received grants of ₹50 lakh each to pilot and scale their solutions across diverse geographies.
The conclave served both as a review of measurable on-ground impact and as a platform for dialogue among leaders from government, industry, philanthropy and the social innovation ecosystem. Keynote addresses and panel discussions underscored the urgency of collaborative action to tackle challenges in agriculture, urban water management and wastewater treatment.
Senior leaders in attendance included Ajoy Chawla, Managing Director, Titan Company; N.E. Sridhar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Titan Company; Ashok Natarajan, CEO, Steady-Taps Consulting; and Shri Srinivasulu, IFS, Principal Secretary, Forest, Environment & Ecology Department, Government of Karnataka. Representatives from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), CSR leaders, philanthropic organisations and ecosystem partners also participated.
The conclave concluded with the announcement of startups selected for the “Deep Impact” phase, under which a pooled grant of ₹3 crore was awarded to further strengthen promising interventions.
Among the featured grantees were CultYvate (Farm2Folk Pvt. Ltd.), SmartTerra Urban Water Management Pvt. Ltd., and Solinas Integrity Pvt. Ltd. Over the past year, the six grantees piloted scalable models across sectors. CultYvate implemented an IoT-based Alternate Wetting and Drying system for paddy cultivation in Punjab, covering nearly 2,500 acres and benefiting 600–800 farmers. SmartTerra deployed AI-driven leak detection software in Khammam, Telangana, while Solinas carried out robotic inspection of 16 km of pipelines in Kolhapur to curb Non-Revenue Water losses.
Other pilots included EF Polymer’s biodegradable superabsorbent solution in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, EcoSTP Technologies’ net-zero sewage treatment demonstration at EMPRI in Bengaluru, and Transwater Systems’ decentralised wastewater treatment project at the Kadubeesanahalli BWSSB STP.
Beyond the awards, the conclave sought to foster long-term partnerships, enabling innovators to build strategic connections and accelerate wider adoption of sustainable water solutions.
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