Water shortages in Mumbai, a national climate change plan and cricket scores -- just a few of the headlines likely to confront Premier Dalton McGuinty as he starts his six-day tour of India today.

And while the premier's bowling is unlikely to win him applause on the trip, he can make a pitch on the first two topics that could win valuable business for Ontario firms.

"India's made it very clear, the government has made it clear, that they are trying to find a way forward that is more environmentally responsible," McGuinty said just prior to leaving for New Delhi.

"One of the advantages that

we enjoy is because we have in place a strong environmental regulatory system. It has forced our businesses to come up with solutions so that they're polluting less, or they're experts in cleaning up pollution once it has occurred.

"The great thing is they can take these technologies and these services they've developed and export them to the world. You want to go to the place that is hungry for these solutions and India has a real hunger for environmental technologies."

With more than 1.1 billion mouths though, the subcontinental giant isn't just hungry -- it's ravenous.

The World Bank says the Indian economy could hit growth rates of up to 9% a year over the next two years and the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi predicts the middle class could quadruple to 20% of the population by 2015.

As that massive population drags itself out of poverty, expectations rise along with living standards.

The demand for clean water, clean air and clean energy are expected to skyrocket, and Ontario wants to help with the launch.

"Every developed country certainly has to have an India strategy," McGuinty said. "They're too big, they have too much of a presence and they're growing too quickly for us to ignore them. And there are too many opportunities there."

That's why he's making his second trip to India, having made the 14 1/2-hour flight in January 2007.

But unlike that earlier visit, which included reps from 87 different companies from across the business spectrum, the premier will this time travel with about 25 firms, all involved in the clean technology sector.

'SECTOR SPECIFIC'

That narrowed focus should help the trade mission generate better results, International Trade and Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello said.

"It's very sector specific in clean technologies -- clean build, clean water. That allows us to be much more focused," Pupatello, who's making her fourth trip to the country, said.

And there's plenty in these areas to focus on -- when Ontario's delegates step off the plane in Mumbai, they'll find the sprawling city struggling to deal with a water shortage from too-sparse monsoon rains.

The shortage has led to water service cuts, followed by protests.

It's the type of problem a company like Echologics could help with; the Toronto firm travelling with the premier has developed an acoustic technique to detect leaks in water pipes and could help a city like Mumbai reduce the amount of water it loses throughout the system.

Or perhaps city leaders in Jaipur would like to talk to Bruce Linton, the president and CEO of Clearford Industries. Clearford's patented small-bore sewer systems might be useful in a city of 2 million residents and 100 public toilets.

The big prize, though, is India's nuclear industry, which is gearing up for a massive expansion to reduce the country's reliance on coal and imported oil. India's 17 reactors provide a mere 3% of generation now but plans have been drawn up to more than double that by 2012.

With Prime Minister Stephen Harper having just restored civil nuclear co-operation with India, severed in 1974 after Canada complained Candu reactor technology was used to test an atomic bomb, the possibilities are enormous.

"If you're talking nuclear, you're talking Ontario. Canadian nuclear is Ontario for all intents and purposes," McGuinty said.

Rana Sarkar, president of the Canada-India Business Council, is also along for the ride and says the narrow industry focus will definitely help in making the trade mission successful.

'NEW FACE OF ECONOMY'

"By going with clean tech, it shows the new face of Ontario's economy," Sarkar said. "It shows we have a sense of where India's going in the 21st century and where the real needs are."

And the fact it's McGuinty's second trip to the nation is also of great importance.

"It's a status-conscious environment," Sarkar said. "You get the British prime minister turning up, the French president turning up and we're all competing for the same meetings. It's best to go with your biggest shot, and the premier of Ontario has a lot of credibility because they realize he's coming back."

McGuinty will be spending his first few days in New Delhi before heading on to Mumbai on Tuesday. From there he travels to Hyderabad before returning to Canada on Saturday.

JONATHAN.JENKINS@SUNMEDIA.CA