Naandi Water

What Naandi Water does

Naandi Community Water Services Private Limited, operating as Naandi Water, is an India-based social enterprise headquartered in Hyderabad that delivers safe drinking water to underserved rural, peri-urban, and school populations through a decentralized physical infrastructure. Incorporated in 2010 as a joint venture between Naandi Foundation's trustees and Danone Communities, the company evolved from Naandi Foundation's earlier pilot work on water access that began in 2003. Operations span 696+ villages across seven Indian states (Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh) and have served over 10.78 lakh (1.078 million) people to date.

The company operates two core product lines: (i) Community Water Centres (CWCs), which are decentralized purification and dispensing units that source from borewells, rivers, or ponds and deliver BIS 10500-compliant water 24/7 via ATM-card access, and (ii) a School Water Model that transports water by van to government schools and anganwadis at Rs. 350 per child per year. The purification technology is intentionally brand-agnostic, with system selection tailored to local source-water chemistry (addressing fluoride, arsenic, iron, TDS, and agricultural contaminants). Product water is subjected to 64 chemical and microbial tests, and the network has maintained less than 0.1% downtime. A Select-Build-Operate-Transfer (SBOT) framework governs engagement with Gram Panchayats under 7-year MoUs, with eventual transfer of asset ownership to local communities—330 villages have already been transitioned through this cycle.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining minimal user fees (Rs. 0.25–0.40 per litre), CSR grants from corporate partners, and community capital contributions. The company has a broad CSR partner base including ACC, Bharat Petroleum, Bosch, Deutsche Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Shell, Toyota Kirloskar, and Dr. Reddy's Foundation, alongside ongoing relationships with multiple state governments and District Development Authorities. No venture capital or private equity funding rounds are disclosed in available materials.

Name

Naandi Water

Legal name

Naandi Community Water Services Private Limited

Website

https://naandiwater.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drinking Water Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (221)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB), NRW Data Management & Water Balance (IWA Methodology, GIS/SCADA Integration, Digital Twins) (EUANAKAJ)

Keywords

• Safe drinking water
• Community water centres
• Water purification services
• School water program
• Rural water access

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Water User Fees: Minimum user fee charged per litre of water dispensed to ensure sustainable operations of water centres. This is the core revenue stream that allows continuous operations without compromising on quality.
2. CSR Grants and Corporate Partnerships: Funding received from CSR donors and corporate partners to set up drinking water infrastructure. Project resource split includes CSR Grant, Community Contribution, and User Fee.
3. School Water Program Sponsorship: Sponsorship of Government Schools and Anganwadis at Rs.350 per annum per child for safe drinking water access

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Naandi Water operates decentralized safe drinking water services through Community Water Centres (CWCs) that purify water from borewell, river, and pond sources to BIS 10500 standards, serving rural communities at Rs. 0.25-0.40 per litre. The company also runs a School Water Model that delivers water via water vans to government schools and anganwadis at Rs. 350 per annum per child, reaching 50-250 children per institution across 696+ villages in 7 Indian states.

Product overview

Naandi Water operates a dual-model water access platform: Community Water Centres (CWCs) providing decentralized, sustainable safe drinking water to rural and peri-urban communities through a Select-Build-Operate-Transfer model; and School Water Model delivering water to Government schools and Anganwadis via water vans. Both services use technology-agnostic purification methods meeting BIS 10500 standards, operate 24/7 with minimal user fees (Rs. 0.25-0.40/litre), and have expanded to 696+ villages across 7 Indian states serving over 10.78 lakh people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iPure: Water purification brand rebranded in 2016-18 to reflect quality standards of Filtered with Care, Aptly Tested, Chemical Free and the Convenience of 24/7

Products and services

• Community Water Centre (CWC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% of respondents have no expenses for water-borne diseases post Naandi (vs 9% pre-Naandi)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Naandi FoundationcoreOthersEstablished in 2010 by Naandi Foundation's trustees who are the founding partners of the organization.
• Danone CommunitiescoreOthersCo-founded with Danone Communities investment in 2010 as part of social enterprise model development.
• Government of PunjabmajorOthersState government partnership for district-level water interventions in Punjab.
• Government of HaryanamajorOthersState government partnership including districts of Mahendragarh and Jhajjar.
• Government of RajasthanmajorOthersPartnership for Jaipur rural district interventions.
• Government of MaharashtramajorOthersPartnership for Kolhapur district interventions.
• Government of Andhra PradeshmajorOthersState government partnership for water interventions.
• Frank WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater-focused NGO partner for safe water interventions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Others

• WaterCredit (Water.org): Water.org's WaterCredit program facilitates microfinance for household water and sanitation connections. Relevant adjacent model financing water access for BoP consumers in India, complementing or substituting for community water centres.
• Jal Jeevan Mission (program-level entity): Government of India program to provide piped water to every rural household. Functions as the primary public-sector alternative to decentralized community water models and significantly shapes demand for Naandi's offering.
• WaterAid India: India arm of the global WaterAid NGO focused on safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for underserved communities. Not a direct commercial operator but the dominant non-profit counterpart addressing the same drinking water access problem and frequently a partner or competitor for the same CSR funding pool.

Broad incumbents

• Eureka Forbes: India's largest home water purifier company (Aquaguard). While Naandi operates decentralized community systems, Eureka Forbes addresses the same underlying water purification need via household/point-of-use products, making it a broad incumbent in the Indian safe-water category.

Direct peers

• Safe Water Network: Global non-profit social enterprise building and operating community-owned safe water stations in India, Ghana, and Kenya. Directly comparable mission, multi-country decentralized water delivery model, and emphasis on community ownership and operational sustainability.
• Drinkwell: India-based water-tech social enterprise building decentralized, IoT-enabled safe drinking water systems in rural and tier-2/3 markets. Comparable BoP pricing, community-based operating model, and Indian geographic footprint.
• Piramal Sarvajal: Indian social enterprise operating community water ATMs and decentralized safe drinking water systems in rural and semi-urban India. Directly comparable business model (pay-per-litre water ATMs, IoT-monitored purification, BoP pricing) and customer segment to Naandi's Community Water Centres.
• WaterHealth International: Decentralized water purification operator serving underserved communities in India and other emerging markets via community-owned water stations. Closely comparable operating model (village-level water kiosks, micro-utility economics, transfer/ownership frameworks) and target geography (rural India).

Emerging players

• DrinkPrime: Indian subscription-based drinking water delivery startup targeting urban and semi-urban households with monitored water purifiers and app-managed refills. Comparable pay-per-use water-as-a-service model and use of IoT monitoring, though focused on urban households rather than rural villages.
• Garv Toilets / Saraplast: Indian decentralized WASH infrastructure companies in the broader hygiene/water ecosystem. Comparable in offering decentralized community-level WASH infrastructure to underserved Indian populations, though primarily sanitation rather than drinking water.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naandi-community-water-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Naandi Water