The Watersphere initiative supports water and conservation projects in rural India that are based on scientifically proven approaches. To date, the Watersphere initiative has supported the following projects in rural South India:

Bio-toilet system: The construction of an ecofriendly bio-toilet system in rural south India. The goal of the project was to take steps to simultaneously address the chronic shortage of both water and sanitation facilities in a village called Diguvapalem, in rural South India. In consultation with the local residents, it was decided that one approach would be to construct bio-toilets where the black wastewater can be recycled into gray water for agricultural use. The black water from the toilet is passed through a bio-digester containing a bacterial inoculum and then filtered through a reed bed. We contacted a company in the city of Hyderabad that had expertise in this area, and then worked with them to scope the project. It was decided that initially one toilet would be constructed but that the bio-digester system would be built to support 4 toilets so that more toilet capacity could be added later. The project was funded and constructed over several months in 2021, and is currently in use, with the recycled water being used in a local orchard. 

Learning center: Rural Chittoor district in India, where this project was implemented, does not have sufficient capacity to support the learning needs of the local elementary school population. One of the primary challenges is that children do not have space to learn and study after school. The idea for the learning center came from the residents of Diguvapalem and its surrounding areas. The goal was to build the center using locally sourced material that was environmentally friendly. It would also be used to educate the local children in environmental sustainability. The Watersphere initiative helped fund the project and provide other resource support. Money was raised for this project, which funded materials for the construction as well as the salary for one teacher. Volunteers were also mobilized to help in painting the center. The learning center was built in 2020 and currently supports the needs of the elementary children in the local area.

 Plant nursery: One of the environmental challenges in many rural areas is the growth of invasive non-local plant species. The goal of this specific project was to build a nursery for native plants and then to plant saplings in the local hills. We supported this project through fundraising and mobilized a team of students from Rishi Valley School to plant tree saplings in the local area. The nursey continues to function and support tree planting activities in the area.