|
2nd March, 2015 – The new version of the India Water Tool (IWT 2.0), which helps users
understand water risks and prioritise actions for sustainable water management, was launched at the Confederation of
Indian Industry’s (CII) Water India 2015 event held in New Delhi. IWT 2.0, is a country-specific tool developed
jointly by a
14-member working group, including 10 companies (ACC, Ambuja, Aditya Birla
Group, BASF, ITC, Jain Irrigation, Mahindra, Monsanto, Nestle, PepsiCo) and
three knowledge partners (World Resources Institute, CII-Triveni Water
Institute, and Skoll Global Threats Fund), coordinated by The World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
India faces the daunting challenge of water scarcity that imposes
significant risks on health, agriculture and industrial operations. As industrialization
and urbanization accelerate, water levels are in constant decline throughout
this heavily groundwater-dependent country. Forecasts estimate that India will
face a 50% gap in demand and supply by the year 2030 (Source: 2030 Water Resources Global
Water Supply and Demand Model; Baseline agricultural production based on IFPRI
IMPACT-WATER base case). Although
Indian industry is a small consumer of water in India, yet it needs to be the
most enlightened stakeholder.
The tool helps users respond to these challenges by enabling them to measure
and map water risks at a meaningful scale. User-friendly and publicly
available, it integrates
14 available datasets from Indian government agencies as well as water stress
indicators from the World Resources Institute and Columbia Water Center. The tool is another step
towards improved water management in India.
Anil Jain, Managing Director,
Jain Irrigation, says: “The issue of water availability and quality is becoming
a big issue in India especially when it comes to competing demands of water
from industry, farmers and households. The tool delivers meaningful value in
providing access to data so that value of water can be properly measured, risk
can be properly assessed and industries and agencies can make the right
decisions.”
About the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD)
The World Business Council
for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led organization of some 200
forward-thinking global companies, is committed to galvanizing the global
business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the
environment.
The WBCSD provides a forum
for its member companies - who represent all business sectors, all continents
and a combined revenue of more than $8.5 trillion, 19 million employees - to
share best practices on sustainable development issues and to develop
innovative tools that change the status quo.
No comments:
Post a Comment