J-PAL South Asia launches SARWA to advance clean air and water solutions in India

On 6–7 September 2023, J-PAL South Asia launched the Solutions and Advancements through Research for Air and Water (SARWA) initiative in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. SARWA is one of three new Air and Water Labs established by J-PAL, in collaboration with Community Jameel, to support governments in designing, evaluating, and scaling effective solutions to reduce air and water pollution.

With support from Community Jameel, J-PAL South Asia is partnering with the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India) and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board to co-develop and rigorously test innovative policies. SARWA aims to generate high-quality evidence, expand the use of administrative and environmental data, and support the scale-up of programs that deliver measurable improvements in air and water quality.

SARWA is part of J-PAL and Community Jameel’s broader efforts to improve access to clean air and water worldwide. Alongside labs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Africa, the Air and Water Labs will work with governments in India, Egypt, and South Africa to co-diagnose challenges, co-create solutions, and inform policy using rigorous research. Together, the three labs aim to serve nearly 260 million people in regions facing urgent environmental challenges.

In India, air pollution is estimated to reduce average life expectancy by five years, and as of 2018, roughly 75 percent of households lacked access to drinking water on their premises. SARWA will work with public agencies to build a pipeline of policy-relevant research and enable evidence-informed decision-making to address these critical issues.