Urdhvam Environmental Technologies

A burning question, “Why do farmers commit suicide?”, led Rahul Bakare to enter the world of pomegranate farming, giving him first-hand experience of the challenges faced by farmers. He realised that marginal farmers prefer using borewells for irrigation, tending to overutilize them since borewell water is typically unseen. Borewells usually tap into deep aquifer systems where the natural recharge of rainwater is very less and slow. Pumping of groundwater through borewells using electro-mechanical pumps is very fast and this imbalance causes borewells to become seasonal or eventually dry. This affects farm production, productivity, and quality, leading to lower prices, losses, and eventually, suicide as the only option for many. To improve the recharge and management of groundwater resources for farmers and other stakeholders, Rahul started Urdhvam Environmental Technologies. Urdhvam has developed an innovative tool that first undertakes “Angiography” of a borewell - using groundwater mapping and IoT systems to identify water levels in new and old borewells. Then, at the hydro geologically appropriate depth, they deploy the BoreCharger to undertake “Angioplasty” of the borewell casing - using a robotic arm to artificially recharge depleted borewells by tapping into the unconfined aquifer. The solution recharges dried and low-yielding borewells by inducing 4 to 20 times more recharge of rainwater and improves water quality, quantity, and sustainability in different parts of India. It has been implemented across 2500+ borewells, with Urdhvam now training local rural youth to become Para-HydroGeologists to generate demand and undertake operations in their communities.

Urdhvam Environmental Technologies

About

A burning question, “Why do farmers commit suicide?”, led Rahul Bakare to enter the world of pomegranate farming, giving him first-hand experience of the challenges faced by farmers. He realised that marginal farmers prefer using borewells for irrigation, tending to overutilize them since borewell water is typically unseen. Borewells usually tap into deep aquifer systems where the natural recharge of rainwater is very less and slow. Pumping of groundwater through borewells using electro-mechanical pumps is very fast and this imbalance causes borewells to become seasonal or eventually dry. This affects farm production, productivity, and quality, leading to lower prices, losses, and eventually, suicide as the only option for many. To improve the recharge and management of groundwater resources for farmers and other stakeholders, Rahul started Urdhvam Environmental Technologies. Urdhvam has developed an innovative tool that first undertakes “Angiography” of a borewell - using groundwater mapping and IoT systems to identify water levels in new and old borewells. Then, at the hydro geologically appropriate depth, they deploy the BoreCharger to undertake “Angioplasty” of the borewell casing - using a robotic arm to artificially recharge depleted borewells by tapping into the unconfined aquifer. The solution recharges dried and low-yielding borewells by inducing 4 to 20 times more recharge of rainwater and improves water quality, quantity, and sustainability in different parts of India. It has been implemented across 2500+ borewells, with Urdhvam now training local rural youth to become Para-HydroGeologists to generate demand and undertake operations in their communities.

Impact stream

Wastewater treatment & Ground water recharge

Geographies/ Locations

Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujrat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu

EXISTING INVESTORS

Equity CIIE-IIM Ahmedabad-Startup Oasis in Oct-18 Equity CIIE-IIM Ahmedabad -Startup Oasis-HDFC in Jun-19 Equity CIIE-IIM Ahmedabad -Startup Oasis Nov-19 Equity FISE-Social Alpha Dec-21 Equity Villgro-SBI Foundation Dec-21 Equity India Impact Investors - 3i Partners Dec-21
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