Microsoft Growing Water for India

This collaboration will provide a new and unique plant-sourced drinking water to positively impact over 16,000 people living in water-stressed villages in the Nagpur region. This clean and sustainable water will be available throughout the year.

India, now recognized as the world's most populous nation, faces an acute water scarcity crisis, exacerbated by its disproportionate share of global resources. Despite being home to 18% of the world’s population, India has access to only 4% of the world's freshwater resources. This stark imbalance categorizes it as one of the most water-stressed countries globally, according to the World Bank. Importantly, most of the water transported by water haulers in India is sourced from groundwater which is rapidly depleting.

Botanical Water Technologies, part of Philo Holding Company (PHC), a leading provider of a unique sustainable water solution will be utilizing their patented Water Harvesting Unit (WHU) technology to harvest and purify water sourced from plants, delivering clean and safe drinking water to vulnerable people in India. This technology has been operating in Australia and the USA and is now introduced to India for the very first time. Each WHU has the capacity to harvest between 100 to 135 million liters of clean drinking water annually, depending on the harvest season duration.

Botanical Water Technologies integrates its technology into existing fruit, vegetable, and sugar cane processing facilities that utilize evaporative processors to produce household products like ketchup and sugar. Botanical Water Technologies harvests and purifies the evaporative condensate (that is usually thrown away as a biproduct, often to environmental detriment) from these processes, with the global potential of creating and delivering more than 3 trillion liters (equivalent to 1.2 million Olympic Sized swimming pools) every year of the world’s most precious resource. Botanical Water Technologies’ solution avoids groundwater extraction and plays an important role in identifying alternative sources of drinking water to improve water access and quality for local communities in need.

The project will begin with the installation of a WHU to capture and treat evaporative condensate from sugarcane processing and distillery activities, making it the first initiative of its kind in India. Botanical Water Technologies and Microsoft are committed to providing 60 million liters of clean and safe drinking water annually. To ensure the accessibility of clean water, Water ATMs and storage containers will be installed in surrounding villages, allowing residents to conveniently access the clean water.

This collaboration between Botanical Water Technologies and Microsoft not only aims to provide clean drinking water but also strives to create a sustainable and long-lasting impact on the community.

This project is part of Microsoft’s work to become water positive by 2030. Microsoft is focused on five key pillars to achieve this water positive goal: reducing water use intensity, replenishing more water than it consumes, increasing access to water and sanitation services for people across the globe, driving innovation to scale water solutions, and advocating for effective water policy.

“Microsoft is very excited to work with Botanical Water Technologies on a project that will provide thousands of people with access to clean water,” said Eliza Roberts, Water Lead, Microsoft. “This collaboration embraces a unique, innovative, decentralized technology to tackle water issues by providing a new source of drinking water to people who need it most while reducing the community's reliance on groundwater sources.”

“This project will deliver a sustainable and long-lasting positive impact, ensuring a brighter future for families across India. We're thrilled to announce a collaboration between Microsoft and Botanical Water Technologies that will significantly enhance the supply and access to clean drinking water in vulnerable communities. A significant milestone for our team on our positive impact journey, we will grow water for India” said Terry Paule, Founder & CEO of Botanical Water Technologies.

Botanical Water Technologies has plans to expand its operations strategically within the region and extend to other areas of India facing water scarcity and contamination. Through strategic partnerships with NGOs, Botanical Water Technologies aims to provide technology-based solutions by delivering clean and sustainable drinking water across India, with the potential of making a positive impact on the lives of millions of people.

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Watch the full project video here.