Restoring Waterbodies How the Avni Gramin App, in Collaboration with ATECF, is Making a Lasting Impact
Last updated on: April 30, 2025 by Anjali Bhagabati
India is facing an escalating water crisis. With the country’s water supply rapidly dwindling, experts have warned that by 2030, India may fall into the category of "water-stressed nations," with per capita water availability dropping below sustainable levels.
To address this issue, the Rejuvenation of Waterbodies (RWB) Project by the A.T.E. Chandra Foundation (ATECF) is making strides in restoring neglected water bodies throughout India. ATECF focuses on revitalising ponds, lakes, and other water bodies that have been neglected due to sedimentation and other issues, helping to increase their storage capacity and improve access to water for rural communities.
It has been driving large-scale waterbody rejuvenation efforts across nine states in India, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and more.
Need for Digitisation:
As the efforts to restore water bodies grow, the need for a streamlined, transparent way to manage and track the progress of restoration activities becomes crucial.
To solve this, ATECF collaborated with Avni and started using the Avni Gramin App as a digital tool for data collection for their Community Resource Persons (CRPs) working in the field.
The Avni-Gramin App makes it easier to collect, store, and manage data related to waterbody restoration, such as silt removal, bund strengthening, and other critical interventions. The app’s simple interface and offline functionality ensure that even in areas with limited connectivity, data can still be recorded and updated.
Case Study: ATECF Rejuvenating Water Bodies | Open-sourced Tool in Solving India's Water Crisis
Avni-Gramin: Empowering Communities, Simplifying Data
Avni-Gramin is an open-source, Android-based mobile app for recording real-time information about the various on-the-ground activities associated with a waterbody rejuvenation project. The app is a part of Avni, a digital tool that helps social impact organisations simplify workflows, track program progress, and make better decisions based on accurate, structured data.
Key Features of Avni-Gramin:
- Real-Time Data Collection: CRPs can collect data on restoration activities immediately and upload it to the system, ensuring real-time tracking of project progress.
- Offline Functionality: No internet connection? No problem. Avni-Gramin works offline, allowing users to continue collecting data even in remote areas with no connectivity. Once a connection is available, the data is synced automatically.
- User-Friendly Interface: Designed with simplicity in mind, Avni-Gramin is easy to use, even for those with minimal experience with smartphones, making it accessible to a broad range of rural users.
- Geotagging and GPS Tracking: The app enables tracking GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) of a site to check coordinates accuracy.
- WhatsApp Chatbot for Quick Support: With Glific integration, the app is linked to a WhatsApp chatbot that provides instant assistance to the field users, answering questions about data entry or project details.
- Mobile Number Uniqueness: A check is done on mobile number uniqueness to identify potential duplicates or fraudulent entries.
- OTP Verification: A One-Time Password (OTP) verification system ensures that all user data is secure and verified, enhancing the overall trustworthiness of the platform.
- Structured Data Entry: Customisable forms make it easy to enter data in a structured and consistent manner, ensuring accuracy in reporting and decision-making.
Integration of Avni and Dalgo: Expanding Reach
To further enhance the power of Avni, it integrates seamlessly with Dalgo, a data aggregation tool that helps NGOs and community organisations scale their operations. This integration allows for deeper insights into the data collected and facilitates better decision-making across large-scale projects. The synergy between Avni-Gramin and Dalgo offers comprehensive tracking, reporting, and analysis capabilities, ensuring that organisations can manage their projects efficiently and effectively.
Avni-Glific Integration:
The integration between Avni and Glific empowers NGOs to enhance their engagement efforts by leveraging WhatsApp for communication, enabling organisations to automate and personalise interactions with beneficiaries. Glific supports interactive chats, allowing beneficiaries to respond, ask questions, or provide feedback through platforms like WhatsApp.
For a visual demonstration of how Avni and Glific work together, do watch this video.
Scale and Credibility
The Rejuvenating Water Bodies (RWB) project and the Avni platform were featured in the Economic Survey of India 2024–25 as a model of how grassroots efforts can be amplified through digital innovation. While RWB brings large-scale impact through community-led waterbody restoration, Avni enables this scale with structured, real-time data collection—even in remote areas. Their combined approach is now gaining national and global recognition as a replicable model for tech-enabled rural development.
Can Avni Benefit You?
If you are part of an NGO or a community-focused organisation working on projects such as waterbody restoration, health, education, or social welfare, Avni can help you streamline your data collection and management efforts. By providing real-time tracking, offline functionality, and structured data collection, Avni can help you:
- Ensure hassle-free and timely data collection
- Improve transparency and accountability in your projects
- Make informed decisions based on reliable data
- Scale your operations with ease, even in remote or underserved areas
Join the growing number of organisations that are using Avni to make a difference in communities across India. Whether you are working on waterbody rejuvenation, improving access to health services, or addressing social security issues, Avni can help you achieve your goals more efficiently.
If you're interested in adopting a similar approach or want to learn more about how the Avni platform can support your initiatives: