Over the past 10-15 years, water availability for all types of uses has become a serious concern in most parts of the world. Extreme hydrological events like droughts and floods, combined with rapid urbanization in developing countries, growing aspirations, and poor water management for decades all over the world have that water issues are now high up in the national economic and political agendas. Millennial drought in Australia, current multi-year droughts in California and regular droughts in populous countries like China and India have meant water shortage has become a global phenomenon. In addition, all over the developing world, qualities of water bodies within and near urban centres have steadily deteriorated. At present, at least 2.5-3.5 billion people do not have access to clean water which can be drunk without potential adverse impacts. Not surprisingly, the World Economic Forum in 2015, identified water crisis as the topmost global risk in terms of impacts.
This panel discussion will be recorded and aired by CNBC.