RENEW.
RESTORE.
REVIVE.

WATER BY DESIGN

Why the water crisis is important to solve

Innovators, Designers, Inventors and Entrepreneurs are poised to take up a unique challenge to address how humankind needs to take ownership for the planet we inhabit. To change the course of life on earth means to change the course of how we replenish, conserve, clean and save water. Let’s start at home. Four reasons why:

1. NEED OF THE YEAR

Solving the water crisis is one of the most highly prioritized goals during COP26 that also aligned with the G20 Priority Areas.

2. A CORE TITAN INITIATIVE

Sustainability for water conservation has been role modeled by the Titan Company through their various initiatives.

3. MITIGATING UNCERTAINTY

Predictions for the future show we are headed for disaster.  As per the existing consumption patterns, it is estimated that 2/3rd of the world’s population may face water shortages by 2030.

4. A CRISIS BEYOND BORDERS

People across the world are facing a water crisis, impacting every nation’s development, economic trade and manufacturing. There is an urgent call for immediate solutions.

ARE WE HEADED FOR THE MOON IN SEARCH OF WATER?

"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."

Neil Armstrong — First person to walk on the Moon

On July 20th 1969, Neil Armstrong’s words about the blue planet remind us about why the Earth is blue, and why we have life on Earth. Water. What was once a given, is now a scarcity.

UNDERSTANDING WATER PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD*

Between 2
to 3 billion

experience water shortage for at least one month each year

26% of the world
population

does not have access to safe drinking water

By 2050, 1.7
to 2.4 billion

people will face water scarcity

2 to 3 billion
people

experience water shortage in the world today

3.6 billion
people

lack access to sanitation

*Source: Times of India report

UNDERSTANDING WATER SCARCITY IN INDIA

Water scarcity in India is not just a result of limited water resources, but mismanagement of this essential life source. Already with water scarcity, disrupted ecosystems, overbuilding in cities and climate change, communities and environments across India are in dire straits, threatening our social stability, economic prosperity and sustainability. 
  • 91 million (6% of the population) lack access to safe water
  • 746 million (54%) lack access to safe sanitation facilities at home
  • 45 lakh water bodies have been encroached
  • Overuse of water for agriculture and huge policy gap in water resources management leading to depletion of freshwater
  • Indiscriminate use of water for irrigation and negligent conservation efforts making 10% of water bodies in rural areas redundant
  • GoI initiative to deliver tap water to all households by 2024 creates increased urgency

*Source: Times of India report

THE FUTURE RISKS WE MUST FACE

The GoI 2019 Niti Aayog Report outlines the impact of the water crisis across prime sectors, categorized under two main risk zones — Socio-political and Environmental. India has only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources but 17% of the world’s population: water management is key to our survival by addressing scarcity, hygiene and sanitation for people.

SOCIO-POLITICAL RISKS

Risk to food security

  • About 74% area under wheat cultivation and 65% area under rice cultivation faces extreme levels of water scarcity

  • Expected water demand-supply gap of up to 570 BCM by 2030 in agriculture sector

  • Virtual water export adds to the problem — exports of ~37 Lakh tonnes of Basmati rice alone costed India 10 trillion litres of water in 2014-15

Risk of exceeding the carrying capacity of urban hubs

  • 5 of the world’s largest cities under water stress present in India; Delhi ranks second on the list

  • No Indian city is able to provide 24x7 water supply to it’s entire urban population

  • Expected water demand-supply gap of ~50 BCM for domestic sector by 2030, as future demand doubles present use

Risk to sustainable industrial activity

  • 40% of India’s thermal power plants presently located in water-scarce regions

  • 70% of India’s thermal power plants expected to face high water stress by 2030

ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS

Risk of biodiversity destruction

  • Human intervention impacts 35 species on average in biodiversity hotspots in India

  • The Western Ghats, Himalayas, and the North-east are amongst hotspots with threatened species category

  • Dam construction on the Kali river contributed to the western Ghat’s decline in forest covers of 30 percentage points in ~40 years

Risk of desertification

  • ~30% of Indian land is degraded or faces desertification

  • Water erosion largest cause of desertification and is responsible for ~11% of total desertification

  • Cost of land degradation estimated at ~2.1% of India’s 2014-15 GDP

DID YOU KNOW ALL WATER SOLUTIONS FALL INTO ONE OF 3 CORE OUTCOMES?

ACCESS

Ensuring communities can easily obtain the water they need

SECURITY

Ensuring communities have sufficient and sustainable water supply through the year

SAFETY

Ensuring the water made available is safe to consume
Step across the water value chain. Merge the outcomes. Evaluate the journey of water from point of source to supply. Consider private and public distribution mechanisms. Think about agriculture, industry, domestic and the environment. Design for the discharge and reuse of water.

2024 THEME: DESIGN FOR WATER

Your significant design innovation could address any or more of these challenges surrounding water in India: climate change, potable water, inequity, accessibility, groundwater depletion, sustainable practices, education, water for agriculture, water management and conflicts over water.