India, Israel to set up center of water technology at IIT Madras for sustainable solutions

CHENNAI: Israel has partnered with India to set up a dedicated centre for water technology in association with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras to provide sustainable management solutions for the domestic water sector.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has signed an agreement with Israel's agency for international development cooperation, MASHAV, to set up the institution that would be located on the IIT-Madras campus here. "...the key objective of this new centre would be to ensure the implementation of Israel's best technologies being practised in a tailor-made context for Indian requirements and work on sustainable management solutions for the Indian water sector," a press release from IIT Madras said.

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Following the plan to set up the centre in Chennai, a "letter of intent" was signed last week by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi with IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen.

The Governments of India and Israel, through the 'India-Israel Center of Water Technology' at IIT-Madras would also work towards enhancing cooperation in specific areas of capacity-building of Indian water sector professionals at all levels, demonstrate the projects with the latest technologies and put up exhibitions of Israeli water companies.

"We consider this (initiative to set up the Center of Water Technology) as one of our most important collaborations working on conservation and proper utilisation of Mother Nature's greatest gift to mankind -- water," Kamakoti said. The two governments also intend to jointly identify specific projects relating to integrated water resources management, urban water supply, and non-revenue water, water and sewage recycling, the release said.