Prakash Hinduja On The Science Behind Water Revival In Alwar

Their goal is to build a water-literate society where people understand the risks and solutions clearly.

Prakash Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group, Europe

Source: Hinduja Group

The solution to a massive public health challenge in Alwar came in the form of a small portable box. Known as a field-testing kit, it contains a handful of tools that can determine within minutes whether water is safe to drink. In a region where Total Dissolved Solids (or TDS) levels frequently range from 1000 to 4000 parts per million, well above the safe limit of 500, these kits are at the heart of a quiet but impactful transformation led by the Hinduja Foundation (philanthropic arm of the Hinduja family).

Water in Alwar has long been a source of hardship. Though available in some pockets, the water is often unsafe, leading to chronic health issues. Residents faced recurring stomach infections, skin diseases, and other illnesses due to invisible contaminants. The arrival of field-testing kits changed this picture dramatically. Under the Jal Jeevan initiative, supported by the Hinduja Foundation, Ashok Leyland, and the Ambuja Foundation, science was brought into the hands of the community.

Trained volunteers use these testing kits to assess water quality from wells, taps, tanks, and other sources. Each kit can quickly measure TDS levels and detect the presence of harmful substances such as fluoride and nitrate. For the first time, villagers received precise data on whether their drinking water was safe or required treatment. The difference was immediate and empowering. People were no longer guessing. They were making informed decisions.

As soon as the contaminated sources were identified, the Foundation did not hesitate to activate the necessary treatment technologies. Reverse osmosis units, ultraviolet filters, and all kinds of activated carbon systems were brought to sites of immediate essential need.

However, it was not just the equipment that was the strength of the intervention; it was the relationship of trust being developed between the villagers and the field teams.

“You do not need complex machines or urban infrastructure to address rural water challenges. What you need is access to information, community trust, and tools that people can use and understand. These kits are small, but they spark a major shift in awareness and confidence, sees this approach as part of a larger mission.”

Prakash Hinduja, Managing Trustee of the Hinduja Foundation

The Hinduja Family’s philosophy of grassroots development is visible throughout the initiative. Rather than providing one-off support, the Foundation worked to achieve sustainable change that communities could manage. Residents were trained not only to test for water quality, but also to maintain purification units and manage water distribution. In many locations, the process was owned by female self-help groups, who would guarantee operations and accountability.

Health workers across Alwar report a sharp drop in cases of waterborne diseases in areas where the testing and treatment systems have been implemented. School attendance has improved as children fall sick less often and spend less time helping their families fetch water from distant sources. A deeper understanding of water quality is also emerging. Children learn in school how TDS affects health and how clean water supports growth and learning.

The Foundation continues to support community education. Meetings are held to discuss water safety, explain the science behind purification, and answer questions. The goal is not just to provide clean water, but to build a water-literate society where people understand the risks and solutions clearly.

“This work in Alwar is not an isolated example. It is a demonstration of what is possible when scientific tools are placed in the hands of the people. The Hinduja Family remains committed to expanding this kind of work wherever clean water access is lacking,” says Prakash Hinduja.

The Jal Jeevan initiative has shown that large-scale problems do not always require large-scale infrastructure. Occasionally, it's a small kit, an understandable explanation and an honest willingness to allow communities to lead.

The Hinduja Foundation has been the guide and enabler. Ensuring communities have the right resources in order to build their solutions. By combining science to social responsibility, the Hinduja Foundation has generated a model that can be replicated in water stressed are as throughout India. It proves that even in the most challenging circumstances, progress is possible when technology, training, and trust come together.

In Alwar, a once invisible problem is now in full view, and so is its solution. Families drink water without fear. Villages manage their systems. And the knowledge that a simple test can protect generations is spreading from one household to the next. Clean water, backed by science and sustained by community, has finally found a way home.