The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBSCD), along with 14 top Indian companies, has joined hands to launch the India water tool (IWT). The IWT provides free detailed data on groundwater availability and quality risks, helping companies better manage their water use.
The companies include Ambuja, BASF, Bayer, BP, DSM, HCC, Jain Irrigation, ITC, Pepsi, Siemens and Vedanta.
Water scarcity is a matter of concern for all stakeholders, especially since the PwC’s latest 2012 survey of 141 CEOs worldwide concluded that 65 per cent of those interviewed expressed concern about increasing water scarcity and how it would impact their business. Growing water pollution is another issue of concern for institutional investors.
The WBSCD pointed out that already 80 per cent of the world population lives in areas where the threat to water security is high. With global businesses now expanding into new markets, this is putting additional stress on local acquifers.
Welocmenviron Initiati-ves ITC general manager Niranjan Khari pointed out, “India is expected to become a water scarce country by 2020 but despite growing water scarcity, we have succeeded in becoming a water positive company. In urban areas, we have succeeded in reducing consumption by 60 per cent areas by making multiple use of water. In rural India, where we are also engaged, we are presently undertaking watershed management practices in over one lakh hectares.”
ACC managing director Kuldip Kaura pointed out, “As a large cement producer, we are following various water conservation methods, including the creation of water bodies, recycling and rainwater harvesting.”
Infosys executive vice-chairman S. Gopalakrishnan pointed out that although at present industry uses only six per cent of water in India, this amount is predicted to rise. “This online tool will help India understand potential water availability to help them establish relative water risk in their portfolio using date provided by the Central Ground Water Board,” Mr Gopalakrishnan added.