Rainmatter Foundation has been supporting Biome Environmental Trust for the last three years, providing crucial financial support for institutional capacity building, organizational communications, and knowledge management processes. This support has enabled the team to dedicate time to developing new ideas, advocacy, and engagement with state institutions, complementing the significant pro-bono efforts by founders and project-based CSR funding.
Biome’s work demonstrates integrated solutions for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience in India’s urban water sector, managing rainwater, local water bodies, groundwater, and wastewater (IUWM) while respecting ecological needs and livelihoods. The approach encompasses working with diverse stakeholders—communities, civil society, technology providers, governments, regulators, research institutions, and media—to ensure social and legal acceptance while promoting replication of these solutions.
Recognition and Institutional Capacity Building: n April 2025, Biome was selected as a finalist from 260 NGOs to participate in SVP India FAST PITCH, demonstrating institutional recognition of our work. The associated campaign on Give.do supports two key projects: “Bringing Wells back to our lives” (10 wells impacting 1,500 households) and “Shaping Tomorrow’s Water Stewards” (RWH in 10 schools/hostels impacting 1,500 children). This recognition supports further institutional capacity building that builds upon Rainmatter’s foundational support.
The Million Wells Campaign in Bengaluru
Biome’s advocacy and groundwork were instrumental in institutionalizing Urban Shallow Aquifer Management under AMRUT 2.0, now piloted across 10 cities with NIUA as coordinator and Biome serving as national knowledge partner. This has now been scaled to 75 cities across India.
Working with BBMP, we rejuvenated open wells at several locations where local communities now use them for non-drinking purposes. In partnership with the Bengaluru Climate Action Cell and BBMP, we are scaling recharge and open wells as part of the city’s climate resilience infrastructure.
Reusing Treated Wastewater through Shallow Aquifer
Devanahalli and Hunsmaranahalli Projects
Biome implemented the first-in-India reuse of treated wastewater through Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) for domestic water supply, benefiting approximately 40,000 residents in each town. Previously reliant on deep borewells at 800-1200 feet depth, both towns now utilize shallow aquifers recharged with treated wastewater from the H&N Valley project. In Devanahalli, we established a water supply subsystem including an open well and six “filter borewells” around Sihineeru Kere, supplying 1MLD and meeting 20% of the town’s water demand. We developed Devanahalli into a “Living Lab” with automatic weather stations, water depth indicators, and pan evaporimeters for hydrological studies.
In Hunsamaranahalli, we restored five open wells, with two supplying over 85 million liters through the town’s piped network since reactivation. Three wells remain unmotorized for manual access during droughts as requested by the community. Treated wastewater recharge in nearby lakes supports six filter borewells integrated into the municipal water supply system.
Recognition and Replication: Biome’s successful Devanahalli model earned recognition from the Karnataka RDPR Department, winning a ₹25 lakh grant at the Karnataka Rural Water and Sanitation Sustainability Summit to replicate the approach in Doddajala Panchayat. This award validates our innovative integration of shallow aquifers with treated wastewater for sustainable urban water supply.
Integrated Participatory Rural Water Management
Collaboration with Aarohana in Kolar
Partnering with Aarohana, a women-led NGO, we focused on integrated rural water management in O Mittur Gram Panchayat, an area receiving treated wastewater from Bengaluru’s K&C Valley project. The collaboration implemented rainwater harvesting in five schools benefiting 750 students, revived four open wells for irrigation and domestic use, and conducted lake desilting that improved water security for over 200 farmers. Agricultural silt from desilting was applied to 420+ farms, reducing farmer costs. The initiative employed 78 women and 22 men, generating supplementary wages for marginalized community members, particularly Dalit women.
Supporting Climate-Responsive Livelihoods
Well Diggers, Sanitation Workers and Manual Scavengers
Through the Million Wells campaign, we highlighted well diggers’ contributions to groundwater management while creating livelihoods and using their expertise to map shallow aquifers. We facilitated access to entitlements and explored occupational insurance for well diggers. Our rehabilitation work with manual scavengers, in partnership with Thamate and Safai Karmachari Kaval Samiti, focused on financial literacy and access to the SRMS scheme. We piloted an IIT-designed vacuum truck with solid sludge homogenizer operated by former manual scavengers, combining technology with business ownership. This program rehabilitated 35 manual scavengers and serves as a replicable model for eliminating manual scavenging through technology and safety measures. The Kolar collaboration mobilized ₹1.28 crore in CSR funding alongside ₹69.3 lakh in farmer co-financing, with ₹12.87 lakh paid as wages to marginalized workers.
Scaling Opportunity
These demonstrated projects now position Biome to scale climate-resilient water solutions across India’s urban landscape. With institutional recognition through AMRUT 2.0, the RDPR award for replication, and the SVP Gold Finalist Winner recognition in April 2025, our work provides a validated foundation for transforming urban water management nationwide. The SVP recognition now enables enhanced institutional capacity building that builds upon Rainmatter’s foundational support, positioning us to embed these solutions in state and national institutions while ensuring equitable benefits for the communities driving this transformation.
We are now in preparation to build capacity within the organization to work across these diverse projects and with many different stakeholders, ensuring our continued ability to deliver scalable solutions that address water challenges for urban and urbanizing towns/cities.