Since independence, government, civil society and market forces have contributed to improving water security and securing the country’s water future in very different ways. By supporting all three actors with resources, knowledge, ideas, capacities and patient capital, philanthropic capital has played a key role in this process. As we look towards 100 years of India’s independence, we are better-off than many countries but far from water secure. In fact, the demand for water in agriculture has been growing, and water quality is increasingly becoming a prominent issue across the country. Central and state governments have spent over INR 3 lakh crores on JJM, and yet, the majority of households do not have access to safe drinking water. Farmers across the country are suffering from extreme water conditions, often compounded by climate change and adverse terms of trade. As a nation, we do not seem to have a solid roadmap for implementing robust climate adaptation strategies.
We acknowledge that financial resources by themselves are not the answer. Thus, it is even more critical that we build a framework to guide philanthropic capital to ensure that it plays the catalytic role needed in the coming decades to deliver water security for all – for life, for livelihoods, for \social and economic growth, and for the environment. In this context, this ITP-Synergos expert panel with senior leaders from philanthropy in water will share examples of successful deployment of private capital for water security, define the areas where investments can be enhanced, and visualize scenarios/indicators for a water secure nation by 2047, what exists and what is currently missing from the picture.
