29 January 2013: A consortium composed of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and partners from India and the EU has launched the Water4Crops-India project, which will address issues of water scarcity, poverty and food security through wastewater reuse for agriculture.

The project, titled “Integrating bio-treated wastewater reuse with enhanced water use efficiency to support the green economy in EU and India” or Water4Crops-India, will focus on recycling treated wastewater through partnerships between national and international research organizations and private entrepreneurs. The initiative will also promote sharing of experiences between Europe and India.

Initial activities will begin in the regions of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, in India. Additional studies of wastewater will occur in each region, as well as saline wastewater in coastal region. The group will also be examining opportunities for rehabilitating degraded lands using untreated wastewater. Treatment of wastewater is also expected to help protect contamination of groundwater, and water quality in downstream water bodies. The six million dollar-project is expected to last four years.

ICRISAT is a member of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [ICRISAT Press Release] [TERI Project Description]