PHDCCI Water Summit 2025 Urges Shared Responsibility for Water Sustainability
New Delhi, 21st August 2025: Water is life, yet it is also becoming one of India’s greatest challenges. Changing rainfall patterns, frequent floods, drying rivers, and shrinking groundwater are daily reminders that water cannot be taken for granted. And with increasing industrial water stress and regulatory pressure, there is a growing need to integrate legal frameworks, digital tools, and community-driven CSR initiatives into a cohesive industrial water sustainability strategy.
Against this backdrop, the Water Sustainability Summit 2025, hosted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) in association with Water Today, brought together people from government, industry, research, and communities to explore innovative solutions and collaborative approaches to ensure sustainable water use and stewardship across sectors.
Speaking at the summit, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, said: “When water suffers, everything suffers- our farms, our cities, our homes. But when water is managed well, it lifts everyone. This is not the job of government alone. Farmers, industries, NGOs, and communities all have to come together.” She urged for smarter use of water in agriculture, which today consumes nearly 83% of India’s supply. “If farming becomes more water-efficient, we can free up resources for industry, recharge our groundwater, and safeguard our villages and towns,” she added.
She also reminded the gathering of how communities have stepped up in the past whether by reviving local ponds, joining the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, or protecting river dolphins and turtles under the Namami Gange program. “Water cannot remain only a government enterprise,” she said.
Dr. Nupur Bhadur, Director TERI, addressed the struggles around Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). Many factories hesitate because it demands high energy and costs. But she highlighted new hope: “With better technology, we can handle pollutants more efficiently. These systems are tough, flexible, and can handle sudden shocks. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.”
Mr. Pratul Saxena, Member Secretary, CGWA, emphasised on adoption of best practices in water reuse, recycling, and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD), thereby minimising the industrial usage as well as pollution. It is imperative to adopt new technologies and invest in R&D for sustainable water infrastructure.
The Water Sustainability Summit 2025 ended with a collective call to action: to treat water not as an endless resource, but as a shared treasure that must be protected together. It is not just about policy or compliance, it is about communities building recharge structures, industries rethinking waste, farmers using smarter irrigation, and citizens treating every drop with care.