“Budget 2022 presents an opportunity to strengthen India’s water sector through strategic measures and appropriate budget allocations. In 2021, the honorable Finance Minister announced additional allocations towards the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) that led to a boom in tap water connections. Going forward as the government plans to revive consumption for economic growth, we will require a solid foundation to provide water security to both the citizens and industries as unavailability of water poses significant threat to the economy. As per a report by United Nations, India has suffered an estimated loss of USD 87 billion due to extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts and floods. The need of the hour therefore is to transform our water infrastructure with the help of intelligent, digital technology to address the country’s water demand and availability, non-revenue water losses and to mitigate climate issues. We hope that the Government will introduce a well-rounded strategy to drive India towards making the country water secure and achieving its sustainable development goals.”