About Biome:
At Biome, we believe that water solutions must be local, democratic, and regenerative. Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) must not be a top-down technocratic agenda, but a subsidiarity-driven model—with communities managing what they can, and municipal/state systems supporting them.
Biome Environmental Trust’s multi-dimensional approach to sustainable water management includes engaging with policymakers, communities, schools, and research institutions by implementing projects, conducting research, building capacity, shaping policy, and engaging the public. Biome empowers a wide range of stakeholders to adopt and promote sustainable water and sanitation practices.
Over the last three years, support from Rainmatter Foundation has strengthened Biome Environmental Trust’s institutional capacity in communications, knowledge management, and organizational systems. This has enabled dedicated time for developing new ideas, advancing advocacy, and engaging state institutions, complementing ongoing pro-bono work and project-based CSR support. During this period, Biome’s integrated approach to managing rainwater, lakes, shallow aquifers, and wastewater has continued to demonstrate effective climate-resilient solutions across urban and peri-urban contexts.
Highlights from our work over the last three years:
- Institutional recognition:
Biome was selected as a finalist at the SVP India FAST PITCH (from 260 NGOs), supporting campaigns on community well revival and school-based rainwater harvesting.
- Policy and systems integration:
Biome’s advocacy contributed to the inclusion of Urban Shallow Aquifer Management under AMRUT 2.0, piloted in 10 cities and now scaled to 75, with NIUA as coordinator and Biome as national knowledge partner.
- Bengaluru wells and recharge work:
In partnership with BBMP and the Bengaluru Climate Action Cell, as a part of our “Million wells for Bengaluru” campaign, Biome continues to restore open wells and expand recharge structures as part of the city’s climate-resilience strategy.
- Treated wastewater reuse (Devanahalli and Hunsmaranahalli):
Implemented India’s first Soil Aquifer Treatment systems for domestic water supply, enabling approximately 40,000 residents in each town to access shallow aquifer water and reducing dependence on deep borewells. This work received a ₹25 lakh award from the Karnataka RDPR Department for replication in Doddajala Panchayat.
- Rural water management in Kolar with Aarohana:
Implemented rainwater harvesting in schools, revived open wells, carried out lake desilting benefiting over 200 farmers, and provided supplementary wages to workers—primarily Dalit women—while improving water security in O Mittur Gram Panchayat.
- Climate-responsive livelihoods:
Through the Million Wells campaign Biome supported well diggers. Collaborations with sanitation worker organizations led to 35 former manual scavengers access entitlements and received support to access safer, technology-enabled sanitation services. This project continues in districts of Tumkur and Bengaluru Urban.
Find more details here: Three Years of Climate-Resilient Water Management, with Rainmatter Foundation
More key highlights:
Innovative Water Management at Devanahalli: A Step Towards Sustainability
Partnership with Arohana Grameenabhivruddi Samsthe on ‘Integrated Rural Development Project’
Sharing Our Report - A Decade of Collective Impact
Resources:
The Urban Waters website is a repository of resources to understand and tackle urban water issues.
Find information under different themes, resource types and languages. The website hosts resources under 20 different categories, such as rainwater harvesting, urban lakes, integrated water management, etc, for four cities in India – Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune,Hyderabad – and is supported by the Wipro Foundation.
A playlist of talks on all things related to urban water.