Pune – The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) and Ashirvad by Aliaxis, in partnership with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, announced SmartTerra from Pune and Solinas Integrity from Nagpur as the winners of the Ashirvad Water Challenge (AWC) on September 18, 2023. The start-ups were awarded INR 1 crore and 75 lakhs respectively after being shortlisted from among 140+ applicants through a rigorous selection process involving expert evaluations and field assessments. The competition, which began in February 2022, aimed to address the critical issue of Clean Drinking Water for All. Smarttera and Solinas’ platforms are already operational in Pune & Nagpur among other cities across the country.
‘The/Nudge Prize: Ashirvad Water Challenge’ supported by Ashirvad, an Aliaxis company, 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.
SmartTerra’s AI-powered data analytics platform helps water utilities find leaky pipes and suspect/faulty water meters to reduce water loss, while Solinas Integrity’s “Endobot” robotic solution secures pipeline infrastructure by detecting leaks and contaminations.
The winners were selected by a jury on the basis of their solution’s impact, economic feasibility, sustainability, scalability and its ability to address water purification, storage, distribution, recycling, and accessibility.
“From Challenge to Change – the journey of this leg of the AWC would have been incomplete without the support and guidance of our advisors, ecosystem partners and the indomitable spirit of the contestants! The 7 finalists have each unlocked innovations and disruptive value within the water value chain – from developing more efficient, secure, reliable waterways to delivering source sustainability. 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 – technology has been a key lever, but their passion to deliver impact and value is what assured me of their success in this endeavor!”, shared Kanishka Chatterjee, Director of The/Nudge Prize.
The grand finale of The/Nudge Prize: Ashirvad Water Challenge was held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on September 18, 2023 and was attended by several key dignitaries from the water sector. This event also marked the announcement for the launch of the second edition of the Ashirvad Water Challenge which is expected to open for applications in November 2023. This challenge is one of the largest to be seen in India, to address innovation & scale for developing sustainable livelihoods at the intersection of Water and Livelihoods.
