Water reborn: Bengaluru start-up offers a lesson in sustainability Premium

Bengaluru saw one of its worst water crises in 2024 with ground water drying up and several parts of the city scrambling for water. With instances like BWSSB supplying treated wastewater to the construction industry, apartments being permitted to sell water from their STPs to the department, and lakes in parts of Bengaluru and neighbouring districts being filled with water from the 33 STP plants in the city, recycling of water became an important topic of conversation during this period.

Bengaluru saw one of its worst water crises in 2024 with ground water drying up and several parts of the city scrambling for water. With instances like BWSSB supplying treated wastewater to the construction industry, apartments being permitted to sell water from their STPs to the department, and lakes in parts of Bengaluru and neighbouring districts being filled with water from the 33 STP plants in the city, recycling of water became an important topic of conversation during this period.

One would expect that a technology which converts waste water to potable water would find good traction during a period like this, but what Vikas Brahmavar, co-founder and CEO at Boson Whitewater, says reflects the reality.

“Lots of talks, but not much on the ground,” he says. “By the time people decide on implementing such solutions, rains start and then they put it on hold. It happens every year, but this year it got really bad since the crisis started in January unlike usually in March. Acting on panic shouldn’t be the norm, there should be sustainable solutions for this.”

He believes Boson Whitewater, which converts waste water into potable quality water, can offer one such solution.

Brahmavar who did his engineering in electronics worked in Motorola initially and then moved to the U.K. where he worked for five years.

“You suddenly become patriotic when you go out of your country,” he quips and recollects how after a spirited discussion one day he and 11 other friends decided to return to India.

Brahmavar resigned the next day, ten days before he was due for his permanent residency. “The remaining 11 are still in the U.K.,” he laughs.