Digital Water Technologies for Sustainable Water Resources Management in India: A Review
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: India’s water-management challenge is shaped by substantial spatial and seasonal variability, pressure on groundwater, uneven service provision, and fragmented information systems. Digital water technologies including in situ sensors, satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), telemetry, smart meters, and data analytics can improve observation and operational decisions, but their value depends on reliable data, institutional capacity, and governance. This review synthesizes their potential roles across resource assessment, groundwater monitoring, irrigation, urban distribution, water quality, wastewater reuse, and public participation. Official assessments illustrate both the scale and heterogeneity of the task: India’s 2024 national groundwater assessment estimated annual extraction at 245.64 billion cubic metres (bcm), with agriculture accounting for 87% of extraction; 751 assessment units were categorized as over-exploited. The review argues that India should prioritize interoperable, locally maintainable systems that connect monitoring to accountable decisions, rather than technology deployment alone. Key constraints include uneven monitoring coverage, inconsistent data standards, sensor calibration and maintenance, connectivity and power limitations, cybersecurity, privacy, affordability, and the risk that data-poor communities remain invisible. A phased implementation framework is proposed, linking problem definition and baseline measurement to pilot validation, institutional integration, public reporting, and outcome evaluation. Digital systems can strengthen water governance when integrated with hydrological knowledge, community participation, and demand-side measures; they cannot substitute for allocation reform, infrastructure investment, or ecological safeguards.
Authors: Allwin D, R. Muthu Uthayan
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225804692
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