On World Rivers Day: From Robots to Duckweed: Bold New Ways India Is Healing Its Rivers

Cleaning rivers is no easy task. For decades, activists, environmentalists, and policymakers have struggled to restore India’s lifelines like the Ganga and Yamuna. Industrial waste, untreated sewage, plastic pollution, and even discarded flowers choke these water bodies.

Yet, amid failed campaigns and ambitious promises, a new wave of young innovators is stepping in with bold, practical solutions.

On 22 September 2025, World Rivers Day, we at The Better India want to show our readers how five startups are reimagining river clean-up in India.

1) Robots on the water

At the heart of Delhi, Omnipresent Robot Tech Pvt Ltd, founded by Aakash Sinha, has created the Ro-Boat — a robot that can work round the clock, scooping up sludge and pollutants from rivers.

Piloted in the Yamuna and Ganga under the Ganga Action Plan, the Ro-Boat can collect nearly 600 kg of waste daily, or about 200 tonnes a year. Its solar-powered design, twin-propeller engine, and robotic arms allow it to dive beneath the surface to retrieve settled waste. This innovation could transform river cleaning by combining autonomy with efficiency.

2) Turning flowers into hope

Every day, tonnes of flowers offered in temples and mosques end up in rivers, often laced with pesticides. In 2015, Ankit Agrawal and Karan Rastogi decided to change this.

Their startup, Help Us Green, collects floral waste from Varanasi and Kanpur, repurposing it into incense sticks, havan products, and vermicompost.

By doing so, they prevent nearly 10 tonnes of waste from entering the Ganga daily. Beyond cleaning, their model uplifts communities — especially rural women, who now earn livelihoods crafting incense, while former beggars collect floral waste with dignity.

3) Preventing leaks before they spread

Oil spills silently poison rivers, often going unnoticed until it is too late. At IIT Madras, a group of students led by Daniel Raj David built GUMPS (Guided Ultrasonic Monitoring of Pipe Systems) — a continuous, real-time monitoring system that detects pipeline leakages.

Although moving the project from lab to industry posed challenges, the technology promises to save aquatic life by alerting plants to leaks instantly. By securing vital oil and gas pipelines along riverbeds, Detect Technologies brings a layer of safety essential for protecting water ecosystems.

4) A student-led solar solution

In Kerala, four mechanical engineering students — Eldho Sunny, Jerin Paul V Shajan, KR Jinu Raj, and Amal Prasannan — designed a solar-powered floating machine capable of scooping out plastic and weeds such as salvinia.

Operated remotely via smartphone, it combines the design of a boat with the function of an excavator. Built on a modest budget of Rs 1.5 lakh, the prototype was successfully tested on the Muvattupuzha River. With solar energy driving it, the device cleans without polluting. Their vision? For civic bodies to adopt the machine widely to tackle the health hazards linked to contaminated water bodies.

5) Duckweed to the rescue

In Pune, marine biotechnologist Dr Prasanna Jogdeo founded Lemnion Green Solutions, inspired by duckweed’s unique potential. This tiny floating plant doubles its biomass in days and absorbs nutrients from wastewater.

Lemnion has already rejuvenated more than 30 polluted stretches of rivers and nullahs in Maharashtra using duckweed-based phytoremediation. The removed biomass even serves as protein-rich manure. With projects handling wastewater capacities of up to 3,000 KLD, Lemnion shows how biology can complement technology in restoring water quality.

These startups showcase diverse but complementary approaches. What unites them is their energy, community focus, and refusal to give up on India’s rivers.

Edited by Vidya Gowri Venkatesh.