Athena Infonomics Institutionalizes RURBAN Platform for Integrated Rural-Urban Water Management for ClimateBased Adaptations in Indian Cities (IAdapt)

India is facing a serious water crisis. This climate-induced crisis is wider, deeper, and more uncertain than previously thought and requires urgent attention in terms of demand-supply gap and quality of water. Scarcity of water resources has many cascading effects including change in cropping pattern in agriculture, land-use changes, variable rainfall patterns, risk to biodiversity, industry and energy sector.

In this context, Athena Infonomics has been engaged by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada under its ‘Cities and Climate Change’ initiative to develop climate-based adaptations in water management. This mandate involved designing and piloting a comprehensive integrated rural-urban water management for climate-based adaptations (IAdapt) in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh, India).

Vijayawada – despite being a water surplus city – has been proactively putting efforts towards climate adaptation in water management. This 3-year project included the development of a comprehensive blueprint for water management for Vijayawada (Krishna district) encompassing preparation of comprehensive Catchment Management Plan (CMP), Decision Support Tool (DST), identification of potential projects and capacity building of the catchment area.

As part of the IAdapt project, Athena Infonomics has institutionalized a bottom-up stakeholder-driven RURBAN platform. The platform, through its stakeholders, is piloting its Decision Support Tool (DST) to simulate future climate adaptation scenarios for effective integration of water resource projects. The idea is to create dialogue between the concerned stakeholders and make decision making more scientific and inclusive.

Speaking about the efficacy of the platform, Ankit Chatri (Associate Director, Athena Infonomics) said: “IAdapt takes forward the spirit of cooperation wherein rural and urban managers come together to get the most of what is less i.e., water in our case.”

Efforts are being made to drive actions at the state level and converge them into a policy framework. Institutionalization of such a platform will be the first of its kind (replicable and scalable) model in India. Athena plans to draw on its work in Vijayawada as a model city to showcase its work at the national level.

Athena Infonomics is a data-driven global consultancy that supports global and local actors, both public and private, by designing data-backed policies and programs. Athena has offices in India and Washington, D.C. and has served over 70 clients across 20 sectors since it was founded in 2010.

For more information, visit www.athenainfonomics.com.