SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

1Research for clean water

UPES researchers measure pollution in rivers and lakes, design cheap ways to test and treat water, and turn wastewater into a resource.

The figures below cover UPES research publications on clean water and sanitation from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).

What the research covers

Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).

Most cited work on water

1. Current research trends on emerging contaminants pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs): A comprehensive review (Science of the Total Environment, 2023), cited 361 times.
2. Novel insights into Anammox-based processes: A critical review (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022), cited 266 times.
3. Progress in layered double hydroxides (LDHs): Synthesis and application in adsorption, catalysis and photoreduction (Science of the Total Environment, 2024), cited 250 times.
4. Metal-Organic Framework-Based Materials for Wastewater Treatment: Superior Adsorbent Materials for the Removal of Hazardous Pollutants (ACS Omega, 2023), cited 246 times.
5. IoT and Machine Learning Approaches for Automation of Farm Irrigation System (Procedia Computer Science, 2020), cited 232 times.

The full list of 815 publications since 2007, with links, is on the water and sanitation research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).

Research spotlights

2Water on campus

UPES treats its own drinking water, recycles all its wastewater and recharges groundwater on both campuses.

• Safe drinking water. Water treatment plants on the Bidholi and Kandoli campuses, with UV filtration, supply potable water through a network of storage tanks, pumps and pipelines to academic buildings, hostels and other facilities.
• Careful use of groundwater. Six bore wells meet daily needs, with extraction managed alongside conservation measures.
• No more wasteful RO. After tests confirmed the supply was safe to drink, UPES removed reverse-osmosis purifiers, which waste about three litres for every litre purified, and switched entirely to UV-treated water, which also keeps essential minerals in drinking water. The Vice Chancellor highlighted the change at Sustainability Fair 3.0 in April 2025.
• Zero water discharge. Sewage treatment plants of 350 KLD at Bidholi and 300 KLD at Kandoli recycle all campus wastewater, with more than 250 kilolitres a day reused for landscaping, horticulture and other non-drinking uses.
• Rainwater. Harvesting pits fitted with flow meters recharge groundwater and reduce reliance on outside supplies.

Policy

The UPES Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy (2025) commits the university to rainwater harvesting and efficient water management, water-efficient fixtures across campus, wastewater recycling and responsible discharge, regular monitoring and maintenance of water supply systems, safe disposal and treatment of wastewater, and preventing contamination of natural water sources (§5.2, §5.3.2). An Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee monitors resource use and reports on it.

3Sanitation and safe waste handling

UPES keeps its campuses hygienic and stops waste from polluting water and soil.

• Five waste streams. Waste is separated where it is produced into wet organic waste, dry recyclables, hazardous waste such as chemical containers and used oil, e-waste, and biomedical and sanitary waste.
• Authorised disposal. Every stream is collected, stored, transported and disposed of through authorised agencies in line with environmental regulations, with recycling preferred over landfill.
• Menstrual hygiene. Sanitary napkin vending machines are installed in girls' hostels, and sanitary waste is handled as biomedical waste.

4Water and sanitation in the community

UPES students and partners bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to villages, schools and rivers around Dehradun.

• River clean-ups. Through Project Naraini, the student group GS3 has run five river-cleaning drives in Dehradun.
• Water for villages. Srijan interns working with Urvita assessed community water needs and helped install water filters, and those working with Bhawana Sewa Sansthan helped restore wells and ponds under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Hygiene education. GS3's Project Ayushman taught hygiene and resource conservation to about 1,000 students in eight government schools, and NSS volunteers ran water conservation workshops during Swachhta Pakhwara.
• Menstrual health. Project Lakhon Khawahishen gave reusable menstrual cups and training to about 1,200 women, and GS3's Project Sakhi reached more than 1,000 girls in 10 government schools.
• Jal Samadhan. During its seven-day camp in April 2023, NSS UPES held a water-conservation day in Bidholi village with a rally on rainwater harvesting, an explanation of how it works, live working models and a street play.
• Model villages. Project Utthan works on sanitation, health and clean energy with the villages of Dhalani and Koti, and Project Swachhata runs cleanliness drives in nearby communities.
• Public dialogue. From 6 to 8 August 2025 UPES hosted the 5th International Forum on Asian Water Environment Technology (IFAWET-5) with the University of Tokyo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, the National Institute of Hydrology and IIT Roorkee, with participants from 12 countries. At Himalaya Calling 2025, engineers, scientists and local practitioners discussed nature-based solutions for Himalayan rivers, and ICMS 2025 applied mathematics to water-resource management.

Events and activities

4 events from UPES schools, departments and student groups support this goal. Most link to the original LinkedIn post.

Runway Incubator and DSO · 11th August 2026

SOCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAM

Become a Community Problem Solver Date Tuesday, 11th August 2026 Venue Government Inter College, Paundha, Dehradun Organized By Runway Incubator, in association with…

SDG 4SDG 6SDG 8

NSS UPES · 11 April 2023

Jal Samadhan: rainwater conservation

A water-conservation day in Bidholi village during the NSS seven-day camp: a rally on rainwater harvesting, live models and a street play.

SDG 6SDG 11

View on LinkedIn

Hosted at UPES · 6–8 August 2025

5th International Forum on Asian Water Environment Technology (IFAWET-5)

With the University of Tokyo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, NIH Roorkee and IIT Roorkee, sharing innovations in water and environment technology.

SDG 6SDG 14SDG 17

View on LinkedIn

Hosted at UPES · 9–10 April 2025

Sustainability Fair 3.0: cutting water waste

Talks by the Vice Chancellor and Padma Bhushan environmentalist Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, including UPES's switch from RO systems to UV-treated water to save water.

SDG 6SDG 12SDG 13

View on LinkedIn

See all UPES events mapped to the SDGs

All sources

Every website and document used in this report, and the sections it supports.