India, which houses four percent of the world’s water resources and 18 percent of the world’s population, ranks 13th among the 17 worst affected countries in Aqueduct 3.0 Country Rankings 2019 lists. It is the world’s biggest extractor of groundwater — more than China and the US combined — accounting for almost a quarter of the total extracted globally. Between 2000 and 2017 its groundwater depletion increased by as much as 23 percent. Generally, the annual per capita water availability of less than 1,700 cubic meters is considered a water-stressed condition. If this number is below 1,000 cubic meters, it is regarded as a water scarcity condition. Its highly alarming that for India, the utilisable per capita water availability which stood at 938 cubic meters in 2010 is expected to drop to 814 cubic meters by 2025, says National Institute of Hydrology.

About 200,000 Indians die every year due to inadequate access to safe water and 600 million face high to extreme water stress, as reported by NITI Aayog. The groundwater resources that account for 40 percent of India’s water supply are being depleted at unsustainable rates directing the need to adopt efficient water management measures in both residential and industrial areas. Nearly 163 million of India’s population of 1.3 billion lack access to clean water close to home, according to a report by WaterAid. Given this scenario, it is incumbent upon both the Government and the citizens, to find ways to address and avert the crisis.

Excessive Industrial water consumption

The world’s population is expected to expand by another 40-50% over the next 50 years (Source: World Water Council). Currently, India’s industrial sector is already the second-highest consumer of water, and their current usage in India is about 13 percent of the total freshwater withdrawal in the country. This water demand for industrial uses and energy production is expected to grow at a rate of 4.2 percent per year, rising from 67 billion cubic metres in 1999 to 228 billion cubic metres by 2025. Here, it’s critical to note that industrial water demand is not negligible in India and that it is bound to grow in the coming years. Experts opine that poor water pricing is one of the main reasons for its inefficient use by the industrial sector. It’s essential that for a water-stressed country like India, the efficiency of utilisation in all the industrial uses of water should be optimised and an awareness of water as a scarce resource should be fostered. The key to the problem lies in the effective management of the water through the deployment of tech advanced smart meters that allow real-time insights to be drawn and acted upon immediately.

Automotive Industry

Efficient water management is becoming an increasingly important issue in sustainable vehicle manufacturing. The automotive industry is one of the major consumers of water, and according to some estimates, over 40,000 gallons of water is used in the process of manufacturing a car. In the automobile assembly lines, water is used throughout a variety of process and production stages where vehicles are treated, washed, rinsed and painted.

The Indian automobile industry is expected to reach $300 Bn by 2026 at a CAGR of 15 percent. It is vital to deploy advanced smart water management technologies to track and reduce process water usage. The technology roadmap for energy reduction in automotive manufacturing should have smart water meter deployment as a key point. These would help manufacturers understand the water usage pattern and make informed decisions to use it more judiciously, thereby reducing the overall energy usage and cost factor.

Since water is used in nearly every stage of the auto manufacturing process in the automotive industry, concerns must be raised around how these plants can reduce global water use significantly. The most conducive solution would be deploying smart water metering solutions due to a number of benefits that they have to offer:

Power bank of Information/data log- Valuable statistical data and information about the water volume and flow, temperature, pressure information is stored and available in the integrated data loggers. These non-invasive temperature readings and optional integrated pressure measurement help network operators to maintain water quality and balance pressure levels in their pipe network.

Lifetime Maintenance-free with long-term battery life- With more than ten years of battery life and in-built static technologies, some static water meters solutions are maintenance-free over its entire operational lifetime.

Improved and better performance- Consumption patterns of commercial and industrial customers often involve fluctuations between low flow rates and continuously high flow rates. These smart meters are designed to be extra sensitive both at high and low flow rates so the alarm can be raised quickly and efficiently in case of pipe burst/ leakage/reverse flow/tampering attempts.

Interestingly, many of the large automobile players have understood the risk of undue water usage. Water management has started to become a top priority in manufacturing plants for them. The OEMs and associated automotive suppliers globally are constantly introducing and expanding methods to conserve water.

Government Initiatives

Governments and regulatory bodies are looking to encourage smarter systems, greener environmental standards and demanding cost targets to restrict the impact on their citizens. Smart water networks, energy reduction targets, a growing population and the effects of climate change are driving new business models and regulatory demands for the Government nowadays. Remote data collection and exchange is growing exponentially and long-established methods and practices are being relooked at – which is offering immense opportunities to utilities to drive operational efficiency. Smart water management, as outlined above, helps the Government, cities & water utilities to improve their infrastructure and enhance the quality of customer service/engagement.

Smart water meter application in industries will help water companies improve customer experience by providing instant, accurate information on everything from billing to queries about service, as and when it’s needed. Providing more data would mean enabling more contact with the customer, fostering a closer relationship.

Road Ahead

Right now, water conservation needs to be a strategic priority for vehicle manufacturers. Considering a majority of areas that operate in are water-stressed, eliminating potable water use to the maximum extent, should be the main motto. Both automobile assembly plants and parts manufacturers need to come forward and adopt water management infrastructure within their processing plants to increase water usage efficiency and minimise discharge volumes. Changing the water footprint of car manufacturers is important.

Water is shaping up to be a serious economic risk in Asia’s third-largest economy. Desertification, land degradation and drought cost India about 2.54 percent of the gross domestic product in 2014-15, according to an India’s environment ministry study. Another global survey of miners in 2018 (CDP), stated that water-related problems such as droughts, increased water stress, and flooding would necessitate a financial impact worth USD 11.8 billion over the next five years. Smart water meters can help India win the water crisis battle faster. The smart water meter market in India is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 14.7 percent during 2019-2025 as per Frost & Sullivan Report.

While the Government have been making significant efforts to make India the best water management nation in the world, the need to work towards a digital, smart and resilient water economy to enhance the water management system– is vital! (MT)

NB: Amit Vaidya is Director, India – Metrology Business, Sensus; views expressed are personal

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Greaves Cotton has appointed Santosh Singh as Chief Strategy and AI Officer. He will be based in Mumbai and will lead strategy, transformation, AI-led enterprise capability building and business excellence for the Greaves Cotton Group.

Singh comes with over two decades of experience in strategy, business excellence, innovation, and AI-led enterprise transformation. He joins Greaves Cotton from Tata Technologies (TTL), where he served as Global Head – Marketing and Business Excellence. During his tenure there, he co-led the enterprise GenAI roadmap and developed use cases focused on customer engagement and productivity.

His primary mandate is to drive the Greaves.NEXT strategy, the company’s roadmap for growth across the energy, mobility and industrial solutions sectors.

In his new role, Singh will focus on accelerating growth for Greaves Technologies (GTL), developing an enterprise-wide AI roadmap, and establishing partnerships with hyperscalers and AI labs.

Parag Satpute, Managing Director & Group CEO, Greaves Cotton, said, “We are pleased to welcome Santosh to the leadership team. His extensive expertise in strategy, digital transformation, and AI will play a significant role in shaping Greaves’ next phase of growth. His global experience will further strengthen our innovation roadmap and support our long-term business priorities.”

Singh will also work across business units to incubate and scale growth vectors and lead business excellence initiatives.

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Luminar Technologies, Inc., a global technology company advancing safety, security and autonomy across various sectors, has announced it has agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Luminar Semiconductor, Inc. (LSI), to Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) for USD 110 million in an all-cash transaction.

QCi is an integrated photonics and quantum optics technology company focused on photonics-driven technologies and sensing applications. LSI's innovation platform and engineering depth align with QCi’s strategic priorities in optical systems, chip-scale innovation and photonic architectures. The acquisition is expected to position LSI to grow and capitalise on the demand for photonics solutions.

Paul Ricci, CEO, Luminar, said, "We are pleased to partner with QCi as they continue to accelerate their photonics roadmap. QCi’s focus on photonics-driven technologies provides an aligned platform for LSI to expand its customer base, accelerate growth opportunities, and invest in markets where long-term demand for high-reliability optical systems is increasing. We are incredibly proud of the LSI team for the progress they have made to reach this milestone, and we are excited for the opportunities ahead for LSI under QCi’s ownership.”

Yuping Huang, CEO, Quantum Computing Inc, said, "I’m excited about the opportunity to partner with the exceptional team and valued customers of LSI. There is clear strategic alignment and shared vision between our organizations, creating strong momentum from day one. Following the closing, we will move quickly to invest in and scale LSI’s existing business, while bringing our teams together to accelerate our quantum photonics roadmap. This is a powerful combination, and I’m energized by what we will achieve together.”

In a separate announcement, Luminar announced that it has initiated voluntary chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. LSI is not a debtor in the chapter 11 cases and is operating in the ordinary course. Because LSI is a subsidiary of Luminar, the transaction will require the approval of the bankruptcy court via a Section 363 sale process, which the parties expect to receive by the end of January 2026, subject to closing conditions.

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Chinese technology company Neusoft Corporation and Mappls MapmyIndia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage their strengths in software and data resources to collaborate deeply.

The companies will engage in joint technological development, ecosystem collaboration and resource integration to provide navigation products and intelligent mobility solutions tailored to localised needs in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and India.

The partnership is a response to the fact that while global auto brands are expanding into Southeast Asia and India, they face challenges in these regions due to complex road conditions, unique traffic rules, extensive addressing systems and high localisation adaptation costs. These issues limit the ability of automakers to deliver a complete intelligent user experience.

Under the collaboration, Neusoft will adopt its OneCoreGo Global Intelligent Mobility Solution 6.0 Plus as the core technology carrier, deeply integrating MapmyIndia's map data, real-time traffic information and multi-dimensional value-added services. MapmyIndia is noted as the largest local mapping company in India, holding more than 90 percent market share in in-vehicle navigation.

The integration is intended to strengthen a full capability loop of ‘navigation + payment + interaction + connectivity + operations’.

Through API integration and technological convergence, the two parties will jointly develop navigation products and mobility solutions highly adapted to Southeast Asia, India and similar regional markets. These solutions will deliver precise route planning and real-time traffic guidance, address local user needs and continuously enhance product experience and scenario-based services. This will help automotive partners rapidly launch intelligent vehicle models with competitiveness in local markets.

The partnership enables Neusoft to combine the global end-to-end strengths of its solution with localised ecosystem resources, paving the ‘last mile’ for automakers entering the Southeast Asian and Indian markets and delivering comprehensive intelligent mobility experiences.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ultraviolette Automotive has secured USD 45 million from Zoho Corporation and Lingotto, one of Europe's investment management companies as part of its ongoing Series E investment round.

The investment from Zoho Corporation was led by Sridhar Vembu, Mani Vembu and Kumar Vembu.

This growth capital will accelerate the domestic and international scale-up of current products F77 and X-47, as well as future product platforms Shockwave and Tesseract.

Ultraviolette has built a design and technology-led enterprise with the F77 and the recently launched X-47.

The company has expanded to 30 cities across India in a short span of 12 months and is expanding to 100 cities by mid-2026. The F77 motorcycles were recently launched in the United Kingdom, bringing Ultraviolette's presence to 12 countries across Europe.

Narayan Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, Ultraviolette Automotive, said, “We are glad to announce our Series E investment from Zoho and Lingotto. Lingotto's legacy of backing iconic performance and mobility brands, combined with Zoho's long-term commitment to fostering cutting-edge Indian innovation, aligns perfectly with Ultraviolette's mission to build category-defining electric mobility solutions for India and global markets.”

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, said, "With the ongoing Series E investments, we are doubling down on growth and expanding our production to meet increasing demand. Our focus is on advancing breakthrough battery technology, elevating performance capabilities and expanding production to support upcoming product platforms. This investment will accelerate our journey towards scaling into India and global markets."

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