Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Urges Businesses to Study Singapore's Water Sector Innovations

• India needs stronger focus on water recycling and reuse, especially for drinking water, industry and sewage treatment.

• The envoy encouraged Indian firms to build links with Singapore’s water ecosystem and research.

• Industry leaders said Singapore’s New Water model and integrated water management offer useful lessons for India.

Water recycling and reuse are rapidly gaining momentum across the world, including India, and Indian businesses need to study Singapore's water sector innovations for drinking water, industrial water, and sewage treatment, High Commissioner of India to Singapore Shilpak Ambule said here.

Ambule called on the Indian water industry to review research in the sector, especially as India advances in advanced manufacturing and establishes data centres to support its globally focused data ecosystem.

"Try and forge new connections and find new business opportunities," the envoy said on Wednesday as he led over 150 Indian business delegates at a specially curated “India Business Forum” at the Singapore International Water Week held June 15-18.

Ambule urged Indian businesses to make the best use of opportunities aligned with their interests, especially research underway in other parts of the world.

"Water is a very important subject today. Not only drinking water, industrial water, sewage treatment, but as we are moving towards the age of advanced manufacturing and data centres, I think the issue of water becomes that much more important,” the High Commissioner said.

Indraneel Dutt, Managing Director and CEO of Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. and Co-Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Water Mission, said Indian water companies are increasingly looking to collaborate with Singapore’s water ecosystem, which has established globally recognised benchmarks in water recycling, reuse and integrated water management.

“New Water is a phenomenal concept and a remarkable example of how treated wastewater can be transformed into a reliable source of high-quality water for industrial and other applications,” said Dutt, who led a 15-member CII industry delegation to study water projects implemented by Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB).

"Water challenges cannot be solved in silos. They demand collaboration and dialogue across sectors, institutions and communities. Strong public-private partnerships, deeper industry-government engagement and integrated collaboration among urban planners, utilities, industry and civil society are essential to achieving long-term water security," said Dutt.

Separately, a delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) also paid a four-day visit to Singapore for the World Cities Summit, Asia Infrastructure Forum and Singapore International Water Week 2026.

According to Navita Myer, FICCI's Regional Director, the mission demonstrated the immense potential for deeper India–Singapore collaboration in building sustainable, resilient, and future-ready cities while creating new opportunities for businesses from both countries.

The mission further reinforced the strong India–Singapore relationship and FICCI's commitment to fostering international collaborations that support sustainable urban development and innovation-led growth.