A major step toward universal safe water access
In October 2025, under India’s national Jal Jeevan Mission, the Andhra Pradesh government announced large-scale drinking water projects worth ₹7,910 crore across five districts. This initiative aims to provide long-term, reliable safe water to nearly ten million residents. Importantly, training programs for engineers and village-level staff ensure personnel are equipped to manage purification, supply, and water quality testing effectively.
Why water safety remains an urgent challenge
In rural areas, residents often rely solely on groundwater, which may contain natural contaminants such as fluoride, salinity, and heavy metals.
In Prakasam district, the state’s largest new water project specifically targets the chronic fluoride problem that has long plagued the western region. Prolonged exposure to high fluoride levels can lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis, weakening bones and joints.
Coastal regions face a different but equally serious threat: saline groundwater intrusion, which corrodes infrastructure and renders water unsafe for human consumption.
Studies estimate that around 60 million people in India may be exposed to groundwater with fluoride concentrations above safe limits. Meanwhile, coastal and arid regions are increasingly affected by salt intrusion and high TDS (total dissolved solids), complicating the provision of safe drinking water. Recent surveys by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Ground Water Board indicate that many districts report groundwater with fluoride > 1.5 mg/L or high electrical conductivity, highlighting the need for advanced treatment technologies.
This dual challenge — chemical contamination and supply sustainability — drives the demand for resilient, high-performance water treatment solutions.
How technology supports the mission
Pipelines alone cannot guarantee safe water. Every stage — purification, storage, and distribution — relies on treatment technologies capable of operating reliably under variable raw water conditions.
Reverse osmosis (RO) has become a core process for community-scale and decentralized purification systems, effectively removing dissolved salts, fluoride, and trace contaminants to meet national drinking water standards.
The main technical challenge is achieving high rejection rates while maintaining stable flux, resisting fouling, and operating efficiently across diverse feedwater conditions — from high-salinity coastal aquifers to fluoride-rich inland wells. Rural systems, in particular, require low-maintenance, durable membranes due to irregular service intervals and limited access to spare parts.
Ongoing developments in RO technology are aimed at addressing these very challenges. For instance, innovations in 4-layer membrane design (such as those from HJC) utilize advanced polyamide chemistry and surface modification techniques to enhance chemical stability and fouling resistance. Improved element spacer designs are also emerging, which help increase recovery rates while allowing lower pressure operation, reducing energy consumption per cubic meter of treated water.
Similarly, integrated process controls and modular configurations are becoming critical, as they allow decentralized plants to adapt dynamically to seasonal or feedwater variations. Collectively, this direction of technological advancement is critical for any large-scale initiative to sustain long-term performance and minimize operational costs.
Building a Resilient Water Future
The challenge of securing safe drinking water extends far beyond any single region. Ambitious policy and infrastructure investment alone are insufficient without parallel advancements in treatment technology.
The future of global water security lies in this synergy. By continuously investing in and adopting high-performance, resilient, and efficient treatment technologies—nations can build a truly sustainable model for safe water delivery. This approach not only meets the immediate needs of millions but, more importantly, establishes a robust and adaptive foundation for water resilience in an uncertain future.