With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 and the conclusion of Paris Agreement on Climate Change in December 2016 water has assumed added significance in the realization of the targets of these two momentous agreements because water is the key to sustainable development as well as climate change. Attainment of the targets of the SDGs within a stipulated period and achieving the targets of Paris Agreement on Climate Change, with water being at the core we at India water Foundation regard water as not merely a sector, but a connector that provides solutions because water community makes available holistic solutions that can support strategies to effectively tackle climate change and facilitate hassle-free adaptation. Water connects policy areas, economic sectors, and societies and as such it is a tool for cooperation and for building trust. Inability to address the relationship between water and climate entails the potential of putting humankind’s future in jeopardy. Therefore, it is imperative that actors across sectors must systematically integrate water resources management into their climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. India Water Foundation has been enthusiastically espousing the water-energy-food nexus approach for about half a decade, keeping in view the close nexus between water, environment, energy and food, solution to water related problems can better be facilitated through this ‘nexus approach’, which seeks to find solutions based on convergence between various sectors or disciplines and is being widely regarded along with resilience to attain sustainable development. In pursuance of this ‘nexus approach’, the IWF focuses on Environmental Security, Water Security, Energy Security and Food Security. We at IWF are espousing Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach to mitigate climate change related adverse impact. EbA entails the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy linking it to Sustainable livelihood which is inextricably linked with the environment as the poor are both agent and victim of environmental damage.
Our work focuses on creating and promoting a range of solutions and policies that reduce the adverse impacts on environment. We have developed innovative solutions for cleaning our air, promoting water use efficiency across sectors and conserving our forests, while enhancing the livelihood of forest dependent communities. Our enduring work with communities across the country is for a wide range of sectors, target groups and geographical areas. We began more pilot, field-level and demonstration projects towards sustainable development which could be scaled-up and replicated. Within the next ten years, these projects formed a major chunk of foundation’s activities. We work towards solutions that reduce the generation of waste and promote its reuse and recycle to build a circular economy and see a major opportunity to further contribute towards sustainable development. We at IWF have come to realize that involving civil society in partnerships between governments and private sector on an equal basis will change not only how partnerships are understood, but also how they are implemented.
To know more about Dr. Arvind Kumar please click here