Why Sustainable Water Management Is Not About Efficiency

Water stress and scarcity is one of the biggest environmental, geopolitical and resource risks facing businesses today in many parts of the world. But the ‘wicked’, complex nature of the water challenge demands adaptive responses that are collaborative, multi-stakeholder and inclusive. In this article, we examine the critical nature of this challenge, set in the urban context of Bangalore city in India. Through the illustrative case of Wipro’s multi-year engagement in participatory groundwater management in Sarjapur, Bangalore, we examine the nature of the problem in some detail. Wipro’s programme can be characterized as a social experiment in progress that is centred around the ideas of decentralized, citizen-led governance of groundwater. This requires an artful blending of a rigorous, data-driven approach based on hydrogeological science and a decision-making template that is citizen-driven and participatory. Emerging from this is a key axiomatic principle that businesses must learn to look beyond the notion of efficiency. Water is a boundaryless issue and efficiency-based approaches result in limited outcomes that prevent the ability to look at the larger picture. It is increasingly imperative, therefore, that businesses recognize the changing nature of the water problem and embed such an inclusive approach in their risk management strategies.