Meet Mansi Jain, a Stanford graduate in environmental economics (2019), and her father, Rajesh Jain, an IIT Delhi alumnus with over 25 years of experience in water and energy. Together, they are transforming wastewater treatment in India through their startup, ‘Digital Paani’.
“75% of India’s wastewater treatment facilities fail operationally, says Mansi, due to issues like equipment breakdowns and clogged filters, worsening water scarcity.
In 2020, Mansi and Rajesh launched Digital Paani, a Gurugram-based startup tackling these inefficiencies. Their IoT-enabled software manages water treatment plants, ensuring optimal operations while cutting costs and improving sustainability.
“Think of our platform as a doctor for water infrastructure,” explains Mansi. It provides real-time insights, directs operators via WhatsApp, automates equipment, and guides processes to prevent breakdowns and ensure wastewater recycling.
Their impact? They treat 90 million litres of wastewater daily, helping industry giants like Tata Power, Leela Hotels, and Britannia achieve water neutrality.
“India has 90,000 wastewater treatment plants, but 95% are manually managed,” says Mansi. Digital Paani integrates automation, AI, and remote management to detect and fix problems proactively, reducing breakdowns by 85%.
Their innovation extends to cost savings. “We help facilities save up to 66% in operating costs,” notes Mansi. By training under-utilised staff and managing clusters of plants, Digital Paani ensures efficiency and scalability.
In April 2024, Mansi and Rajesh also appeared on Shark Tank India. Mansi showcased Digital Paani’s innovative solution, saying, “Clients don’t even have to be on our software. Management actions happen automatically, with updates sent via WhatsApp for ease.”
Through AI and data-driven insights, Digital Paani turns dysfunctional facilities into high-quality, compliant units. “Many of our customers have gone from reusing 45% of their water to around 80%,” shares Mansi.
Digital Paani also benefits residential societies. “We’ve helped convert dysfunctional STPs to reuse 70% of water in flushing and horticulture, solving issues that once attracted fines from the Pollution Control Board,” says Mansi.
They also have a plug-and-play model, which ensures swift implementation. “With just a site survey, IoT deployment, and plant onboarding, we operationalise facilities in 30-45 days,” explains Mansi.
Operational in 14 states, Digital Paani has raised $1.2 million in funding from global and Indian investors. In 2023-24, they earned revenues of Rs 2.2 crore.
“Our ambition is to unlock wastewater’s potential and drive climate resilience,” says Mansi. With plans to work with 5,000 facilities in the next five years, they aim to create water-neutral buildings and industries across India.
“Our eventual vision is to create water-positive buildings and industries that in turn significantly improve quality of life in our cities.” adds Rajesh.