CSE has been an important thought-leader in water management sector. It has already influenced global policies and strategies to focus on the need for technologies to augment water resources in a decentralised manner through rainwater harvesting and to use that water to optimize on benefits.

The centre is recognised by the Government of India as Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the area of sustainable urban water management and an empaneled capacity building agency for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The partner states are Delhi, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. CSE also provides technical support and capacity building partner for National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Water Resources. The team is also assisting the Department of Urban Development, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in mainstreaming City Sanitation Plan including Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM). 

The programme aims to share solutions with other countries that are enjoined in a common struggle in the area of water and sanitation. In this connection, team has international partnerships with:
• Africa: Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority (RWFA), Ministry of Infrastructure (MINIFRA), Rwanda and WaterAid Rwanda; Kenya Water Institute and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya; Water Resource Commission and University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa; Ministry of Sanitation & Water Resources and CSIR-IIR, Ghana; Ardhi University and BRAC, Tanzania.
• South Asia: Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; WaterAid Bangladesh; Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum, Sri Lanka; Ministry of Physical Planning & Works and Guthi Nepal.
• USA: University of Buffalo and Columbia University
• Europe and UK: Lancaster University, Loughborough University and University of Leeds, UK; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), Switzerland; UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands, World Health Organistaion (WHO), Geneva

CSE is a member in the Global Faecal Sludge Management E-Learning Alliance.