Water resources and freshwater ecosystems have an estimated annual economic contribution of $58 trillion—equivalent to 60% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services can potentially prevent 1.4 million deaths annually, and action on water is central to achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all).
Our current water usage practices put an immense strain on available water resources, with projections indicating a 40% gap between water demand and availability by 2030, if these continue. A diverse array of stakeholders—including governments, corporates, farmers, households, academia, think-tanks, and civil society organisations—are actively engaged in addressing these complex water challenges. However, their ability to deliver scalable, impactful solutions is significantly hindered by siloed or unstructured water data and several critical coordination gaps. To effectively address this, water management requires not just decentralised decision-making, but networked governance supported by network digital infrastructure.
Our vision paper, released in collaboration with Beckn, presents a Water Data Exchange (WDE) as a potential solution, connecting diverse authorities, communities, and institutions on a shared foundation of trusted intelligence, to ensure accountability and collective action. It outlines a framework that highlights the need for optimised financing, robust data and information, enhanced capacity development, innovative solutions, and strengthened governance.
Click on the ‘Download PDF’ link on the right side of this page to read it.
