Can Aumsat Help Farmers Beat the Water Crisis?

If we can detect water on the Moon, why can’t we use that technology to solve water scarcity on Earth? It was a eureka idea for Riddhish Soni, who worked on ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission. The Clementine project, a joint initiative of NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense, and India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 used advanced technologies to detect water on the Moon. Recognising their potential to address water scarcity on Earth, the tech maven wanted to adopt these to locate and manage groundwater for optimum use.

To launch the venture, Riddhish teamed up with Chetan Soni (they are not related), a communications expert who has been in the real estate space for more than two decades. The collaboration culminated in Aumsat, a deeptech startup with 21 technology patents.

At the core of its water management solutions is a cutting-edge system that harnesses advanced satellite imagery, radar tech (object detection through radio waves) and geographic information systems (GIS) to gather and analyse data for locating potential groundwater zones. Using AI-ML, the Aumsat team has also developed sophisticated algorithms and data processing methodologies to derive actionable information without expensive and time-consuming on-field explorations.

The startup sources L Band satellite images from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as they ensure remarkable subsurface penetration – up to 10m in concrete and 60m in dry soil.

“This helps us detect and map all underground features such as water bodies and pipeline leakages, with a precision that sets us apart from traditional geospatial data providers,” said Riddhish.

In addition, Aumsat has integrated radar polarimetry and radar interferometry into its system. The first differentiates underground water bodies from other objects, and the second tracks changes in subsurface conditions such as water leakage or ground subsidence.

It also monitors water quality and detects underground pipeline leaks to prevent non-revenue water (NRW) waste, essentially the amount of treated water lost before reaching end consumers. Officially, the NRW level in India is around 38%, leading to a significant water crisis and loss of revenues.     

Initially, the startup aimed to strengthen India’s groundwater ecosystem through multi-dimensional water management. But its solutions were soon used for smart agriculture, disaster control, defence & surveillance and environment monitoring (more on this later). 

Its solutions have reached more than 20K customers in the business-to-government (B2G) space and the B2B2C segment (business-to-business-to-consumer, essentially collaborations with enterprises to benefit end users). However, Aumsat prefers to work directly with Indian farmers. Besides India, it operates in other parts of Asia and a few African nations such as Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Namibia. The startup clocked revenues of INR 4 Cr in FY24 and targets INR 6 Cr in the current financial year, a 50% jump.

Backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and other institutional investors, Aumsat raised INR 55 Lakh. It actively participates in iStart, the Rajasthan government’s flagship programme that empowers local startups with funding, mentoring, networking opportunities and infrastructure. 

Why Agritech, Water Leak Detection Remain Top Priorities For Aumsat

Although India is an agricultural powerhouse, a 2024 report by Sphere India reveals a grim picture of drought. Around 26% of its land area is now affected and 9% experience extreme conditions. The country’s dependence on monsoon rain for farming makes these dry spells a serious threat to agri-produce and food security.  

Aumsat decided to take on this challenge by improving irrigation and boosting crop yields. Hence, it has used satellite data and radar polarimetry to help more than 3.8K farmers locate subsurface water for irrigation efficiency. It also monitors crop health and leverages predictive analytics for yield forecasting and water resource planning.

The startup’s versatile water detection techniques, especially its use of radar interferometry and AI-ML-based hydro analytics, can track and predict leaks in underground pipelines by monitoring subsurface changes. Its innovative but cost-effective leak forecasting model, developed in partnership with the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore, can predict pipeline leaks with 78% accuracy, a big stride in water waste reduction. It recently analysed the Udaipur-Jaisamand pipeline and identified 35 leaks, saving more than 55K litres of water per day.

Riddhish and his team worked with Mumbai-based ACTREC (Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer) to map flood-prone areas to enhance disaster preparedness. Another focus area is environmental risk mitigation by assessing CO₂ and trace gas emissions.

Aumsat has joined forces with the Indian Army to detect subterranean tunnels along the Chinese border and partnered with the Indian Navy to track subversive submarines to boost maritime defence.

Aumsat Solutions At A Glance

A Multi-Level Business Model For Sustainable Growth  

Aumsat banks on three distinct business models to ensure a robust revenue framework. The first is B2G, which involves sound collaborations with government agencies such as water resources, agriculture, and housing and urban affairs ministries. Revenue is generated through contracts and project-based engagements tailored to governmental priorities.

In the B2B2C space, it partners with big businesses and organisations such as ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank, Selco Foundation (works on environmental sustainability), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Deloitte to help farming communities and the urban population. Under this model, Aumsat earns through service contracts and collaborative projects funded by these organisations.

Besides, it runs a SaaS-based agri solutions business and directly works with farmers. It is not a typical direct-to-consumer (D2C) model. But Riddhish likens it to one, providing advanced groundwater detection and water management solutions for affordable precision farming. 

The startup charges INR 3.3K per km of agricultural land, allowing farmers to seek services for specific requirements and get actionable recommendations. One can connect for projects of any size, as Aumsat supports a scalable approach and the pricing has been designed accordingly.

A significant portion of Aumsat’s revenue comes from the B2G segment, followed by B2B2C. However, the direct-to-farmer segment is also growing, underscoring the venture’s expansion into agri-centric solutions.

Learning The Ropes, The iStart Way

Good startup mentors stand out for three specific reasons. They educate young companies, create a conducive environment for growth and provide access to resources. As Aumsat is a venture ingrained in deeptech, iStart focussed on developing an extensive IP strategy.

“Understanding the nitty-gritty of intellectual property is tough. But our thorough training protected our proprietary technologies and innovations, ensuring that we maintain a competitive edge in the market,” said Riddhish. “Another thing we loved to learn was the art of storytelling and mastering the body language. One needs these lessons to engage with investors, prospects and enthusiasts. That’s how a business grows.”

iStart also provided deep financial insights required to run a sustainable business. It nurtured an innovation culture within the startup, initiated the founders in problem-solving and helped expand Aumsat’s professional network, driving growth and collaboration.

“The programme honed our skills in many ways, equipping us to navigate the capital-intensive, tech-driven water management space,” added Riddhish.            

Will Aumsat Strike Gold In The Global Market?

The startup has forayed into overseas markets, specialising in groundwater exploration and pipeline leak detection. It did some commendable work in Afghanistan, identifying 15 critical water points to help address severe water scarcity and tracking groundwater overexploitation in Karbala, Iraq. Recently, it conducted a post-flood damage assessment for the government of Uzbekistan, using satellite data to guide resource allocations for rescue and recovery.

As groundwater accounts for around 25% of global irrigation water, Aumsat’s expertise in identifying subsurface water sources and supporting sustainable management positions it well to expand to water-scarce regions like Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Managing pipeline leakage will be another growth area, as non-revenue water loss costs more than $14 Bn globally, per a World Bank estimate.

Aumsat plans to invest more in R&D to make its leak detection technology more accurate and scalable. However, digitalising pipeline networks will be critical for smart monitoring and quick repairs, and failing to do so will bring these investments to nought. In the long term, it will explore cloud seeding with meteorological rockets, robotics and IoT and collaborate with the World Bank to pilot new projects globally. 

“One of our most ambitious goals is to help ensure that every rural household in India receives at least 55 litres of water every day by 2030. This aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and directly contributes to improving the quality of life for millions of people,” said Riddhish.

As climate challenges heighten water scarcity, it can jeopardise more than half of the world’s food production and cause an average global GDP loss of 8% by 2050, according to a recent Global Commission on the Economics of Water report. Worse still, lower-income countries can face up to a 15% loss. If Aumsat and its peers can empower governments, businesses and communities with their innovative solutions to rethink water detection and usage, the global water cycle may still recover from the unprecedented stress it is experiencing.