Every day, wastewater carries biological signatures from entire populations, offering a unique opportunity to detect infectious diseases before they are reflected in hospitals or clinics. Unlike traditional surveillance, wastewater captures information from both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, making it an unbiased, cost-effective way to monitor population health.
Bengaluru has emerged as one of Asia’s first large-scale wastewater surveillance systems. Since 2021, the city has built a large-scale surveillance system that has demonstrated the power of genomic analysis and environmental monitoring to provide near real-time insights into disease dynamics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, increases in viral RNA detected in wastewater consistently preceded reported clinical cases by 8–14 days, providing valuable time for preparedness measures such as hospital readiness, targeted testing and public communication.
Building on the success of pandemic surveillance, the platform has evolved into a broader environmental health monitoring system capable of detecting multiple pathogens of public health importance, including respiratory viruses and emerging infectious threats. This shift reflects a growing recognition that wastewater is not merely a sanitation by-product but a valuable public health resource, a pooled biological sample that reflects the health status of entire communities and at the same time available for reuse.
The workshop brought together scientists, health professionals, policymakers, urban planners, local civic authorities to explore how wastewater and environmental surveillance can strengthen public health outcomes.
This one-day workshop was organised by Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Biome Environmental Trust, and the Bengaluru Science and Technology Cluster.
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