BarterWATER model aims to link water conservation with community participation, safe drinking water and local economy

The BarterWATER initiative, launched through a partnership of WHEELS Global Foundation, WIN Foundation and WaterBANK Foundation, seeks to provide safe drinking water while integrating water conservation, environmental protection and community participation in rural India. The model awards ‘rainbow credits’ for activities such as water saving, grey-water management, waste segregation and other eco-friendly actions, which can be redeemed for clean water or nature-based products. A pilot began on 16 February 2025 in Pakdi village, Ara district, Bihar, combining technology, community engagement and incentive-based economy for water security. The programme uses IIT Kharagpur’s OAS arsenic-removal technology to treat arsenic-contaminated groundwater, offering a low-cost local solution. Households adopting net-zero grey-water discharge can earn 1,000 rainbow credits usable for water or bamboo products, and similar credits are offered for waste segregation. An AIoT for Water platform is being developed into a Digital Twin to predict water resource status and support water-efficient agriculture. The system is powered by solar energy through partners such as Husk Power Systems, with commercialisation support from VAS Bros. Enterprises and backing from UNIDO, UNICEF, the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Bamboo Mission and NIAS. Plans are under way to present BarterWATER at the United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, aiming to scale the model globally as a community-centered water management solution.