Often described as the world’s most critical resource, water is fast becoming a sunrise opportunity at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and infrastructure. No longer seen as a supporting utility, it is now central to conversations on climate resilience, urban growth, and industrial competitiveness. In India, the focus on wastewater management, circularity, and public-private partnerships signals how the sector is being reimagined for the future—while globally, regions from the Middle East to Africa are opening new frontiers for investment and technology.
Against this backdrop, WABAG, a global water technology leader with more than a century of expertise, is shaping the next chapter of the industry. In this conversation, the company shares how it views the sector’s evolution, the opportunities it sees across geographies, and the critical role of building a future-ready workforce to deliver on the promise of water as both an economic driver and a sustainability imperative.
Q/ The water sector is increasingly being recognised as a ‘sunrise opportunity’ blending sustainability, innovation, and infrastructure. What shifts do you see in how this sector is being perceived globally and in India?
In India, there is increasing emphasis by ULBs and the Government of India to ensure long-term, efficient running of the water and wastewater treatment plants. The sector is open to newer technologies, and at the planning stage, ULB/GOI talk about sustainable solutions, including effective sludge management, resource recovery, circularity, etc. It is a sunrise opportunity. There is so much innovation that significantly enhances competitiveness in infrastructure creation in this space. NGT and courts voice strong authority lapses related to environmental matters. Of late, more states are talking about PPP projects and predominantly the Hybrid Annuity Model for their upcoming projects. Also, industries are now open to focusing on their core area, allowing private players to partner with them and manage their water/wastewater infrastructure. This could perhaps take some time for the award of projects under this principle, but the thought process is in that direction. Multilateral / GOI funded projects are largely driving the growth in this market, yet the overall size of the PPP market is poised for significant growth and will attract larger players to invest in infrastructure in this space. As India is ambitiously approaching its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision of a self-sufficient, industrialised India, water will play a very important role in fueling the vision of the Government of India.
The Middle East region continues to be dominated by desalination opportunities. Interestingly, in the last few years, Middle Eastern customers have looked to the East for creating infrastructure, considering the cost competitiveness. In the African continent, countries are slowly recovering from the severe impact of COVID on their economy and have started gaining access to multilateral funding. Water gains priority in all these countries.
Q/ As WABAG grows across geographies and diversifies its portfolio, how do you think about building a future-ready workforce that can support long-term global ambitions?
We seeded the concept of One WABAG in 2016, when we realigned the organisation globally, and we merged our multiple Strategic Business Units (SBUs) into One WABAG. For example, for a One WABAG project in Saudi Arabia, engineering may be done from Austria & Turkey, procurement from the Central Procurement Department in India and the Construction team mobilised locally at the project site. Through these collaboration platforms, Wabagites learn to work together with diverse teams in terms of culture, country, language, age group, etc.
More than 200 young campus hires were onboarded this year, picking them from cities and some of the best colleges of diverse nature in India. We allocate a big part of our CSR for skill development and take part in the Government of India’s initiatives for Skill Development like NATS and NAPS. We are creating multiple delivery centres to provide opportunities to young talent to lead them. We have identified cultural pillars, and we have drawn up programs to strongly reinforce these pillars in the company.
Q/ You have onboarded one of the largest fresher cohorts in the water sector this year. What does this say about the kind of talent WABAG is investing in, and how do you see them contributing to the company’s journey ahead?
The future is in the hands of these young minds. We completed 101 years since Brand WABAG was founded, and we had a ceremonial handing over of the baton to the next generation in a town hall function. We want WABAG to be led by young & diverse leadership talent going forward, and we are taking multiple initiatives in this direction. Our hiring strategy is fine-tuned to meet this objective.
We have set up an assessment centre for about 40 to 50 leadership talent (HIPOTs), and those selected would be put through a year-long program of grooming & nurturing of talent, apart from drawing up and executing an IDP for each of them. We will identify their top 5 strengths and coach them to push the power side of their strength many notches up, as well as train them to handle the vulnerability of their strength with consciousness.
Q/ With more young professionals seeking purpose in their work, how does WABAG frame water sustainability as a space for meaningful, long-term careers?
We hear from young engineers when we onboard them that working with WABAG is exciting because it deals with water—a resource whose absence would force us to search for another planet fit for mankind. They are also keen to associate with WABAG because we offer them the opportunity to work on various technologies and in multiple geographies; we give them a lot of freedom, along with complex and challenging projects to innovate and succeed.
Those who are campus hires go through an internship in WABAG for 3 months in their fourth year of college, during which time we take them through all departments and sites, exposing them to multiple roles to help them become familiar and decide how they want to shape their career. At the end of their one-year training, we identify the young Extra Milers (EM) and Emerging Talent (ET), and they become part of our youngest Leadership Development Program (LDP). We allow these champions to be part of our management meetings and expose them to business at a young age. From our first batch of GETs, many leaders have emerged and now lead large teams, functions, or projects. We have LDPs for different age groups, allowing them to scale up the leadership ladder.
At WABAG, we place strong emphasis on the health and well-being of our people as an integral part of building long-term careers. We are proud to be certified as a 'Healthy Workplace' by Arogya World, having recently advanced from Silver to Gold status—with our sights set on achieving even higher benchmarks. Our Global Headquarters, WABAG House, has also been awarded the prestigious Platinum Rating under the CII-IGBC Health & Well-being Certification program. Additionally, WABAG is a certified Great Place to Work and has been recognised as a 'Most Preferred Workplace' for three consecutive years. Beyond professional growth, we believe the workplace should be filled with purpose and joy. To encourage this, we’ve built a vibrant culture of engagement through internal teams that promote collaboration, healthy competition, and fun through various games and activities.
Q/ What advice would you offer to early-career professionals exploring sectors like water, public infrastructure, or climate sustainability, especially in an era of global uncertainty and rapid transformation?
Global uncertainty triggered by political reasons is generally short-lived. Things keep changing, and this political uncertainty will eventually give way to stability. We have seen this happen in the past. The world around us is indeed changing rapidly, and this applies to every sector, not just to professionals engaged in climate change or environmental protection. Sustainability is what the world needs, and the water segment is no exception.
Water is fundamental, and at WABAG, we feel it is our responsibility to continuously address the need for sustainable solutions through appropriate technology. Whenever we interact with a cross-section of young talent, we find that they are more serious about environmental protection and sustainability. Repeated surveys reveal that Gen Z is particularly concerned about protecting the environment. It will be a great contribution to mankind and to every living being around us to enhance the availability of fresh water and be part of the revolution addressing water security through technological innovation. Manufactured water truly addresses the challenge of climate change by both reducing pollution and recovering freshwater from unconventional sources like seawater and used water.
At WABAG, young professionals are proud and motivated by the fact that they are contributing meaningfully to this water revolution by offering technological solutions at affordable prices. WABAG holds several patents and offers a complete range of technologies for treating water and wastewater for industrial and municipal applications, including sludge management—producing green fuel to power treatment plants or even vehicles.
