The award was presented to Commander Gurumoorthy Gangadharan, Senior Director Planning and Development at Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, by Om Birla, Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha, during the Water Transversality Global Awards and Conclave organised by the India Water Foundation in New Delhi.
Sustained efforts in water conservation and wastewater treatment have brought national attention to KL Deemed to be University, also known as Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation. The institution received the Leading Wastewater Treatment and Management Model Award from the India Water Foundation during the Water Transversality Global Awards and Conclave 2026 held in New Delhi.
The award was presented to Commander Gurumoorthy Gangadharan, Senior Director Planning and Development at Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, by Om Birla, Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha, during the summit’s prize distribution ceremony.
The recognition reflects the university’s institution wide approach to water sustainability, built around a four pillar framework that focuses on reducing consumption, recharging groundwater, recycling wastewater and reusing treated water across campus operations.
A central component of the initiative is a wastewater recycling system with a capacity of 2,180 kilolitres per day. The system currently meets more than 54 percent of the water demand of the university’s Vijayawada campus. The facility incorporates advanced sewage treatment technologies including Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor and ARBiT systems, which have improved water recovery efficiency from 53 percent to 74 percent.
The campus also operates 32 rainwater harvesting pits designed to support groundwater recharge. Together they provide nearly 3.7 lakh litres of recharge capacity every day, strengthening long term water availability within the campus ecosystem.
In addition to recycling and recharge systems, the university has introduced real time water monitoring and efficient irrigation practices. These measures have resulted in a 54 percent reduction in building water consumption and a 42 percent reduction in water use for landscape irrigation. At the same time the campus continues to maintain green spaces covering more than 10.6 lakh square feet.
Er. Koneru Satyanarayana, Chancellor of KL Deemed to be University, said responsible water management must extend beyond institutional boundaries. “Sustainability today is a collective responsibility that extends far beyond institutional boundaries. We believe that responsible water management must become an integral part of how societies grow, innovate, and build resilience for the future. Through research, technology adoption, and responsible practices, we aim to demonstrate how academic institutions can contribute meaningfully to global sustainability goals and inspire wider environmental stewardship.”
The Department of Planning and Development, working with faculty members and staff across the university, plays a key role in implementing and monitoring sustainability initiatives across the campus.
KL Deemed to be University has previously received recognition from institutions including the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Water Digest, Confederation of Indian Industry Sustainable Resources and the All India Council for Technical Education. The institution was also recognised in the Water Stewardship category at the Confederation of Indian Industry Sustainable Resources Industrial Climate Action Competition.
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