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<ul><li>IT companies in Chennai have asked their employees to work from home for the next 100 days. </li><li>The move will address the existing water scarcity in the city. </li><li>12 companies have asked 5,000 employees to work according to their convenience, from anywhere.</li></ul>Owing to water shortage, IT companies in India are asking their employees to ‘work from home’ for the next 100 days, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/no-water-work-from-home-it-cos-tell-staff/articleshow/69763283.cms?utm_source=whatsapp&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=TOI_whatsbroadcast&amp;utm_content=2019_06_13&amp;from=mdr">according to TOI.</a> Nearly 12 IT companies in Chennai have asked over 5,000 of its employees to work according to their convenience, as long as they meet their targets. This is due to lack of rainfall in the city for over 200 days now. The situation is expected to remain the same for the next three months. “The last time IT companies asked employees to work from home was during a strike called by private tankers, four years back,” TOI reported citing sources. Over half (55%) of the large IT companies in the metro already depend on recycled water sources. However, offices also consume high amount of water for air conditioning. IT firms have been taking various steps to address the water problem. While a few organisations have asked employees to bring their own drinking water, others have put up posters on conservation. The 600 IT and ITeS firms on OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road) employ nearly 320,000 professionals. The OMR area consumes 30 million litres of water daily — with 20 million litres going straight to the IT park and other companies. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-india-flexibility-overpowers-pay-hike-on-job-change/articleshow/67975325.cms">In India, employees are prioritising ‘remote work policy’ while taking up a job — and will even take a pay cut</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/always-on-work-culture-is-affecting-mental-health-of-indians/articleshow/69522649.cms">‘Always On’ work culture is affecting mental health of Indians</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indians-will-prefer-to-learn-a-new-skill-if-they-have-a-four-days-work-week-survey/articleshow/68516702.cms">Indians were asked what they would do in their free time if they could work for four days a week — and their answers are unexpected</a>

5,000 IT employees in Chennai are working from home because offices have run out of water

In a town in western <a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india">India</a>, every conversation involves a possible solution to the crisis.Standing in his brown, dusty field, Narayan Mahale looks at the Wagh river that runs under the cliff on which his field lies, and is convinced the solution is a piped supply of water. Less than 5km away, Ramchandra Mahale believes a dam will suffice. His neighbour, Anita Gaikwad, says the key is to find better ways to harvest rainwater. The villagers in Mokhada, in the Palghar district of India’s western state of Maharashtra, can’t help themselves. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Farmer Narayan Mahale can see the river, now drying, flowing past through the year. But that water often does not reach him. Photo: Kunal Purohit </a> This region is facing a crushing <keyword id="68552" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-scarcity">water scarcity</keyword>. Dominated mostly by tribal hamlets, Mokhada is underdeveloped – it has a literacy rate that is two-thirds lower than the national rate of 74 per cent; it sees hundreds of children dying each year due to poor nourishment and health care facilities. Very few villages have any piped supply of water. As a result, many of them have to depend on common wells. But last year’s scarce rainfall meant that many village wells ran dry by January this year. It isn’t just Palghar alone; 43 per cent of India is gripped by a severe drought, being abnormally to exceptionally dry. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Map of the areas facing drought in India. Graphic: SCMP</a> But Mokhada’s drought carries a heavy and almost tragic sense of irony. It is not a dry region; five rivers originate here. The region generally sees over 2,400 millimetres of rainfall a year. But instead of providing for the locals, much of the water is diverted to Mumbai – which gets a major chunk of its water from here – along with other cities and industrial corridors. The scarcity can turn fatal. In April 2012, a woman died from the exertion of trying to fetch water. In addition, the hilly terrain in the region means the rainwater does not percolate but instead, slides off down the valley into the rivers. Locals are left with the hard choice of staring at rivers flowing past, even as they struggle for each drop. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Mathura Waghare, a resident of Brahmanpada village in Mokhada, stands with a drum of water. Such drums cost as much as US$5-6. Photo: Kunal Purohit</a> SLEEPLESS NIGHTS SPENT DODGING SNAKES AND SCORPIONS The crisis is overturning the lives of Mokhada locals, who are staying awake through the night in search of water. Mathura Waghare, 35, from the tribal village of Brahmanpada, now has a routine that revolves around getting adequate water for her supply to survive each day. The village’s only source of water, a common well, ran out of water in January this year. Since then, Waghare has been searching for water in nearby villages on foot. When she found water 2km away in a neighbouring village, she was relieved. But the next day, villagers there were up in arms. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="Without water, we can’t survive, so sleep does not matter" auname="Mathura Waghare, villager"></div>


 “People in that village feared that they would run out of water if we continued going there. So, they refused to allow us to fill water,” she says. That’s when Waghare decided that she had had enough. She decided to head into the forest, to a well she knew was a 45-minute walk from Brahmanpada. This did not have much water, but the groundwater area in the table was high, she said. So the villagers would wait at the well every day for groundwater to percolate into the well. Each night at around 3am, Waghare starts walking into the forest with her stainless steel handis (large pots). Most nights, women from the neighbourhood walk with her. “It gets scary to walk alone. There are scorpions and snakes in the forest; the other night, we saw a snake slide past,” Waghare says. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Mathura Mavle dug this pit with her friend, using their bare hands, in their desperation for water. Photo: Kunal Purohit </a> With battery-operated torches in their hands, and balancing the handis on their heads, the women set out each night and sometimes, even multiple times in the day, if they receive unexpected guests or if the water runs out sooner. Once at the well, Waghare queues up, waiting for the water to percolate. “Sometimes, it takes 3-4 hours; other times, there is enough water in an hour. It is unpredictable,” she explains. Water filled, she balances two handis on her head, the third one in her hand, fingers firmly clasped around its neck. On an average day, she sleeps for five hours, before waking up between 2am and 3am. But there are days when her worries are so severe that she cannot sleep. “So, I finish my chores in the night and set out at 10pm or so. Without water, we can’t survive, so sleep does not matter,” she says. TAKING MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS Mathura Mavle, 30, sympathises with Waghare’s situation. Mavle lives in the tribal village of Kharawali, about 5km away from Waghare’s Brahmanpada. Just outside Mavle’s house lies a well. But it is bone-dry and its floor lies exposed to the sun. Another well, 1.5km away, is also nearly dry. So one summer day, two months ago, Mavle and Asha H* walked for a kilometre or so, climbing down small rocky cliffs to where a small stream flows past in the monsoons. The stream goes dry by October every year. One rock at a time, they both dug a small hole in the earth, at the base of an old tree. They kept digging through the day. Seven hours later, at a depth of almost one metre, they hit water. <h3 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; display: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 2.42rem; margin-bottom: 2.35rem; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3012754/water-shortages-and-heatstroke-warnings-issued-temperatures">Warnings issued as temperatures pass 50 Celsius in India heatwave </a></h3>The women have been trekking to the pit every day since, with their children and sometimes their husbands in tow, to collect water. But digging the hole, they realised, was just half the battle won. Standing over the pit, Mavle says: “There is only as much water a small pit like this can carry. So, whenever it runs out of water, we just sit around, waiting for groundwater to percolate into it.” The unpredictability means locals can be queuing up at the pit for up to half the day. Today isn’t one of those days. Mavle walks into the pit, crouches and patiently fills her pots, one bowl at a time. “We got lucky today,” she says, smiling. MOKHADA’S LONG-STANDING NEGLECT For activists working in the region, Mokhada’s struggles are a result of a long-standing neglect of the region. Brian Lobo, a veteran activist of the Kashtakari Sanghatana (Farmers Collective), says the locals have been clamouring for authorities to address the issue for years. He points to the three major dams in the region – these dams on the Vaitarna river, flowing through the region, supplying daily over 1,000 million litres of water to Mumbai. “We have demanded that the water from one of these dams, the Upper Vaitarna dam in the region be used to fulfil the needs of locals, rather than being diverted for industrial purposes.” Lobo said a study had even found it to be a workable solution. “But, consequent governments refused to implement it,” he said. <h2 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.21rem; margin-bottom: 0.42rem; margin-top: 1.14rem; vertical-align: baseline;">This crisis is not just about the poor management of water alone but a broader mismanagement of natural resources. Brian Lobo, activist</h2>One of the first dams in the region, the Modak Sagar Dam, was constructed in 1957 to supply water to Mumbai. The dam supplies over 400 million litres of water to Mumbai each day. The administrative head of Palghar district, Dr Prashant Nanaware, admits that there’s a problem. He says the government is working out a solution. “We also believe that the river’s water can be diverted for locals. We are working on a proposal to have water supply schemes for these parched villages and once approved, we will execute these.” But Mokhada is not alone in experiencing poor water supplies. At a time when a severe water crisis has gripped much of India, including the southern metropolis of Chennai, such similar stories of poor management of water resources abound. <h3 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; display: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 2.42rem; margin-bottom: 2.35rem; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3015251/workers-told-shower-less-hotels-ration-water-guests-reservoirs">Workers told to shower less as reservoirs in Chennai city dry up </a></h3>Chennai, a city with over 9 million inhabitants, faces a crippling water shortage – four major reservoirs that form the bulk of its water supply have dipped to less than 1 per cent of their capacity. Other sources are also running out of water. With its official monsoon season at least two more months away, the city is praying for unseasonal rainfall. But even in Chennai, data shows many of the city’s water bodies, which could have been a valuable asset in this scarcity, have become defunct due to poor management as well as allowing construction on it. Similarly, unplanned urbanisation has led to many of its wetlands shrinking to a fraction of their original size in the last few decades. Nityanand Jayaraman, a Chennai-based writer and a social activist who has been tracking environmental causes, says: “This crisis is not just about the poor management of water alone but a broader mismanagement of natural resources. Chennai’s growth has come at the cost of open spaces and water bodies, both of which are taken over and built upon to create more and more housing.” The pattern isn’t unique to Chennai, Jayaraman says. Pointing to other Indian metros, he says: “Across different Indian metros, we have followed this same model of development, one that prioritises needs of housing and commerce but not the environment.” *Name changed because she works for the local government and did not wish to be identified

India’s deadly drought: Villagers in Mokhada battle sleepless nights, snakes in search of water

<ul><li>Many rivers, including the <keyword id="6354936" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yamuna" source="Orion">Yamuna</keyword> in Delhi, are overflowing and a warning has been issued in Delhi.</li><li>The Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are dealing with multiple rescue operations.</li><li>As many as 12 people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the past 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh.</li></ul> As the north Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab etc. continue to battle the severe catastrophe caused by heavy rainfall induced floods, southern India seems to be getting its share of some heavy showers now. Heavy rains battered Chennai and surrounding areas throwing life out of gear in many <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword> districts on Thursday morning. In several part of Chennai and adjoining areas, the incessant downpour led to traffic congestion with long spiraling queues of vehicles on the roads. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast moderate rains and thunderstorms in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, and Thiruvannamalai districts during the day. Notably, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains in some parts of Tamil Nadu along with thunderstorms. Several districts in Coastal Andhra Pradesh are also set to receive heavy downpour. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rain update from Himachal, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab" text="Rain update from the northern states">Rain update from the northern states</cmsannotation> Uttar Pradesh sees more deaths: As many as twelve people were killed in rain-related incidents in the past 24 hours, the Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner said in a statement issued at 8 pm on Wednesday, as heavy rain continued to batter the state. "In the past 24 hours, while nine (people) died due to drowning, one each due to lightning (strike), snakebite and heavy rainfall," the statement said. Rescue work continues in Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh minister Jagat Singh Negi and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Avasthi on Thursday reached Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/rescue-operation-on-to-bring-back-250-tourists-stuck-in-snow-marooned-chandertal-lake-for-5-days/articleshow/101718934.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">evacuate 290 people</a>, mostly tourists. About 300 people, mostly tourists, have been stranded in Chandertal since Saturday. The state has reported as many as 88 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 24. Delhi water treatment plants shut: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that due to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/help-each-other-dont-travel-says-delhi-cm-kejriwal-as-yamuna-rises/articleshow/101718843.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">increasing water level of the Yamuna</a> river, his government has decided to shut down three water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla which will lead to water scarcity in few areas. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory on the restrictions and regulation of vehicular movement in place owing to the rising water level of the Yamuna river. Uttarakhand roads blocked due to land slide: Following a torrential downpour in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, a boulder fell from a hill near Chhinka, causing a roadblock on Thursday morning. The Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) is also blocked due to falling boulders and debris from the hill, on a highway near Pipalkotim, on account of heavy and unrelenting rainfall. The same highway was blocked at several other points including Pagalnala, Gulabkoti and Helang, following the landslides in the region in the face of heavy rainfall. Over 1,000 villages affected in Punjab: As many as 1,058 villages of 14 districts in Punjab are affected by floods, according to an official statement. The affected villages include 364 in Rupnagar, 268 in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, 250 in Patiala, 71 in Jalandhar, 30 in Moga, 25 in Hoshiarpur, 16 in Ludhiana, three each in Sangrur and Ferozepur, and six in Tarn Taran, it said. (With text inputs from ANI, IANS and PTI)

As North India battles severe monsoon, heavy rain lashes parts of Tamil Nadu too

<ul><li>
As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. </li><li>Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog. </li></ul> No drops, No rain, nothing. India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. It has already started affecting hundreds and millions of lives and livelihoods across the country. And, people are craving for water to drink as well. “How will three pots of water be sufficient for an entire family of five,” asks a resident of Chennai — India’s sixth largest city — which ran out of water after all four reservoirs dried up this summer. 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Chennai: People rush to fill their vessels from a water tanker following acute w..." msid="69988629" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People rush to fill their vessels from a water tanker following acute water shortage, in Chennai.Photo)(&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>








 A large number of people are now washing utensils in dirty water, to save the clean water for cooking and drinking. There won’t be any relief anytime soon as the southwest monsoon — accounting 80% of India’s rainfall — is late and is expected to be <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/monsoon-to-be-below-normal-over-north-south-india-imd/articleshow/69602283.cms">lower than usual</a> in both north and south India. As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog Only some parts of the country have received rainfall — that too almost a week late. Apart from the water crisis, the harsh heatwaves in the country took more than <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/22/india/chennai-india-water-crisis-intl/index.html">137 lives </a>. India’s dwindling water sources worsened the situation. <a href="http://202.159.215.252:83/DocumentUploadRoot/DocumentId_32837/20.06.2019_CWC_Bull.pdf">According to the Central Water Commission</a>, two-thirds water reservoirs in the country are below normal levels. Little Water, No Water — Current status of crisis across the country 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Women fetch water from an opening made by residents at a dried-up lake in Chennai" msid="69988642" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Women fetch water from an opening made by residents at a dried-up lake in Chennai, India, June 11, 2019. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









 On 2 June 2019, a video of women filling bucket from the water leaked by a water tanker over the road went viral on social media, reported India spend. More than 100 districts across the country are officially affected by drought. Most of the districts (80%) in Karnataka and Maharashtra (72%) are hit by drought and crop failure. As many as 8.2 million farmers are struggling for livelihood. With scarcity comes strife. The state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra — are now fighting over sharing water resources. Every day, Maharashtra government is sending 6,000 water tankers to 4,920 villages and 10,506 hamlets or settlements (bastis) in drought-hit areas. In the South, the Tamil Nadu government had to sanction Rs 233 crore to initiate emergency water projects. The state capital — Chennai— had to shut down the air conditioning to save as much as 9,000 litres a day. People have to stand in line for hours and they get foul-smelling water that might have been mixed with sewage. Karnataka too was forced to shut schools for a week due to water scarcity. Separately, residents of Bhilwara in Rajasthan have to keep water ‘locked’ in tankers since they depend on drinking water that is supplied once in 10 days. They are worried that it might be stolen! No groundwater by 2020 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="India Water Shortage" msid="69988668" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indiand stand in queues to fill vessels filled with drinking water from a water tanker in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the state as house and hotel taps run dry in an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. Some private companies have asked employees to work from home and several restaurants are closing early and even considering stopping lunch meals if the water scarcity aggravates.Photo/R. Parthibhan)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









AP New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are amongst the 21 cities that will run out of groundwater by 2020. This will affect as many as 100 million people, claims a report by NITI Ayog. Furthermore, 40% of India’s population will struggle for drinking water by 2030. With India’s water crisis deepening by the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently created Ministry of Jal Shakti that is going to look after the water resource management. Modi also reiterated his promise to provide piped water to every rural house in India by 2024. However, analysts have claimed that won’t be enough. A UN Human rights report claimed that soon only wealthy people in the world would be able to afford basic necessities in case of a drought, heatwave or famine. Falling rainfall levels in India 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Chennai: School students offer prayers to rain god seeking rainfall following th..." msid="69988705" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;School students offer prayers to rain god seeking rainfall following the severe water crisis, in Chennai.Photo) (&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>










 The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) reported that 43.4% areas in the country are under drought as of 30 May 2019. A delayed monsoon is among the primary reasons for the current crisis. In the last five years, 2017 was the only year when India did not experience drought, reported India spend. Both South west monsoon and North-east monsoon were lower than usual. Last year, India Meteorological Department said that the ‘post-monsoon’ rainfall — responsible for 10-20% of the India’s monsoon — was lower by 44%. And the pre-monsoon rainfall was the lowest it saw in the last 65 years. Experts fear that India is soon going to witness Day Zero if no action is taken on time.

Five years on, India may not even get a chance to solve its on-going water crisis risking hundreds of millions of lives

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Southern-Plains-Drought/ad8a31bed4ff49389929a0aedd1be58a/10/0">Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press</a>Sandbars fill the Rio Grande north of Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 18, 2018. Weather forecasters said sparse rainfall caused drought conditions to worsen, especially in the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/new-mexico">New Mexico</a> faces extreme water stress on par with the United Arab Emirates, the 10th most water-stressed country in the world.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/california">California</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/arizona">Arizona</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/colorado">Colorado</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nebraska">Nebraska</a> also have high levels of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-about-to-hit-a-water-crisis-2015-4">water stress</a>, meaning industries and municipalities withdraw a large portion of the states' available water each year.</li><li>Water stress can turn <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-town-sinking-drought-central-valley-2019-2">droughts</a> into disasters: Researchers expect climate change to bring more "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cape-town-day-zero-photos-inequality-2018-2">day zeros</a>," when municipal taps run dry.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A global water crisis looms, and US states are not immune to it. New Mexico faces the same degree of water stress as the United Arab Emirates - the 10th most water-stressed country in the world - according to a new <a href="https://www.wri.org/publication/aqueduct-30">report</a> from the <a href="https://www.wri.org/">World Resources Institute</a>. That means that industries and municipalities in the state use about 95% of New Mexico's available annual water supply, leaving little in the reserves for droughts and dry spells.California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska face similar challenges."Our populations and economies are growing and demanding more water, but our supply is threatened by climate change, by water waste, and by pollution," Betsy Otto, director of WRI's <a href="https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/water">Global Water Program</a>, said in a call with reporters. "Water stress, which occurs when demands rival annual supply, is a manifestation of those issues."The researchers behind the report said they expect to see more "day zeros," the term for the moment when a city's taps run dry, as populations grow and continue to draw from dwindling water resources. In January 2018, Cape Town, South Africa got dangerously close to reality: The government announced the city was three months from day zero. Residents successfully limited their water use enough to make it to the next rainy season, however. New Mexico also faced severe drought last year (along with much of the Southwest). The threat led farmers <a href="https://www.apnews.com/bdeb4ddedd804997a4a4f6a5a78978d9">to plant</a> more drought-resistant crops like beans, or to <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/08/13/drought-forces-hard-choices-for-farmers-and-ranchers-in-the-southwest">abandon</a> their fields altogether. Some farms were allotted just 10 inches of water from the Rio Grande, compared to the normal 36. With no grass to feed their herds, ranchers <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/1152182">sold cattle</a> to pay for hay. The USDA <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/New-Mexico/news-releases/2018/usda-designates-12-counties-in-new-mexico-as-primary-natural-disaster-areas-with-assistance-to-producers-in-surrounding-states">declared disaster areas</a> across the state, qualifying ranchers for federal loans to cover financial losses."Most of us have drinking water," Cassidy Johnston, a New Mexico rancher, <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/08/13/drought-forces-hard-choices-for-farmers-and-ranchers-in-the-southwest">told Water Deeply</a>. "But all the drinking water in the world doesn't change anything if your cattle don't have anything to eat. We count on rain. We count on rain for everything."The state's largest reservoir ran as low as <a href="https://waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/elephant-butte-1year.csv">2.9%</a> capacity. After <a href="https://www.aspentimes.com/news/minnow-rescues-under-way-as-portions-of-rio-grande-river-dry-up/">rescuing 10,000 endangered silvery minnows</a> from drying up with the river, the federal government had to <a href="https://www.apnews.com/05d111d91fde40438bf097e0c070f320">lease</a> $2 million of groundwater from Albuquerque in order to keep the Rio Grande flowing."Drought makes the situation worse, but usually the underlying indicators have been flashing red for a while and we just haven't been paying attention," Otto said.<h2>'Water stress' is a comparison of supply and demand </h2>To measure water stress, WRI looked at the amount of water that gets withdrawn each year from the total supply of renewable, available water. (Withdrawal isn't the same as water consumption, since some withdrawn water is later returned to the source.)The group evaluated the water-stress levels of 189 countries and the regions within them, including US states.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">World Resources InstituteThe WRI report found that New Mexico faces extremely high water stress, while four other states have high water stress.</div></div></div>In regions that face "extremely high" water stress - like New Mexico - industry, agriculture, and municipalities are withdrawing at least 80% of available surface and groundwater each year. That puts them in a precarious position, with little leftover water to serve as a buffer in dry spells.In total, the WRI report identified 17 countries facing this level of extreme water stress: Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, the United Arab Emirates, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Botswana. Those countries are home to a quarter of the world's population.New Mexico's risk is on par with that of the UAE, the report found. It also suggested that four US states - California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska - face high water stress, which means they're withdrawing between 40% and 80% of available water annually.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2016%3Anewsml_GF10000367625%3A1783706554">Mike Blake/Reuters</a>A dried riverbed near San Ysidro, California on March 31, 2016. The state's longest-ever drought began in December 2011 and ended in March 2019.</div></div></div>With the exception of Nebraska, these states all draw water from the Colorado River, which for the last 19 years has experienced its worst drought in 100 years. In July, water levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir that supplies water and energy to much of the Southwest, dropped to just 7 feet above the official shortage level. Below that mark, the federal government would significantly reduce each state's water <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/strategies/RecordofDecision.pdf">allocation</a>t.The Bureau of Reclamation <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/24mo/2018/AUG18.pdf">projects</a> that Lake Mead will hit that shortage level by 2020.In New Mexico, the drought let up this year, but ranchers in the southeast part of the state are still buying supplemental feed for herds given the lack of grass and selling cattle to cover the extra costs, the <a href="https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2019/05/31/new-mexico-drought-conditions-southeast-region/1289844001/">Carlsbad Current-Argus</a> reported.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Julie Jacobson/APThe Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.</div></div></div><h2>In other countries, water stress is even more dire</h2>The world is on track to warm by <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/SR15_SPM_version_report_LR.pdf">1.5 degrees Celsius as early as 2030</a>. That would increase the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">likelihood</a> of extreme drought in the Mediterranean, reduce rainfall across Southern Africa, and causing longer and more frequent heat waves in many parts of the globe.According to the WRI report, 27 countries face high water stress around the world: Chile, Cyprus, Yemen, Andorra, Morocco, Belgium, Mexico, Uzbekistan , Greece, Afghanistan, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Albania, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Niger, Nepal, Portugal, Iraq, Egypt, and Italy.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC184BF577E0%3A1094593166">P. Ravikumar/Reuters</a>Residents gather to fill empty containers with water from a municipal tanker in Chennai, India, June 25, 2019.</div></div></div>Chennai, India's sixth largest city, reached "day zero" in late June. (Taps across the city ran dry, though officials have not formally declared day zero.) Last year, the city <a href="http://www.imdchennai.gov.in/NEM2018.pdf">saw less than half its normal rainfall</a>, and the summer brought temperatures up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Wells and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/world/chennai-satellite-images-reservoirs-water-crisis-trnd/index.html">reservoirs</a> dried up, and the city's population of over 8 million was left without water. Residents still rely on trucks to bring in water each day, the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/51007944-b456-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959">Financial Times</a> reported. Climate models <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">indicate</a> that situations like this will become more common in the next 50 years, as rainfall continues to decrease, temperatures continue to rise, and world population grows. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">projects</a> severe reductions in water resources for 8% of the global population from 2021 to 2040. By 2071, the problem will affect 14% of people around the world.Climate change impacts the demand side of the water equation, too."Crops will draw more water up during dry periods. People will use more electricity to run their air conditioners," Otto said. (Energy production accounts for 10% of water withdrawals worldwide, according to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/weo/water/">International Energy Agency</a>.)<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Heinz-Peter Bader/ReutersSunflowers wilt in a heat wave in Germany.</div></div></div>Distributing water also requires energy - globally, this process uses as much energy as the entire country of Australia. Creating that energy, of course, involves burning fossil fuels, which emits the heat-trapping greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. The IEA projects that the water sector's energy use will double by 2040, as more water sources run dry. Industries and municipalities will have to pump water from further away and deeper in the ground, or opt for extremely energy-intensive desalination. At least one water manager in New Mexico reportedly <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/09/25/as-new-mexico-reservoirs-hit-bottom-worries-grow-over-the-future">considered</a> diverting water from the Mississippi River after last year's drought.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC1CF10AA690%3A429315805&amp;search=all%3Achennai%20water">P. Ravikumar/Reuters</a>A worker fills a tanker train with water, which will be transported to the city of Chennai, India, at Jolarpettai railway station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, July 11, 2019.</div></div></div><h2>Preventing 'day zeros'</h2>Otto said better planning and water-management practices can help mitigate water crises - she suggested more water-efficient irrigation systems, better recycling of wastewater to water crops or use in industrial processes, and more simple infrastructure maintenance like fixing leaks.Seven states that pull from the Colorado River are trying to implement such practices, including New Mexico. In March, they signed onto a management plan that asks each state to cut their water use and plan ahead to prevent reservoir depletion, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/climate/colorado-river-water.html">The New York Times</a> reported."The picture is alarming in many places around the globe, but it's very important to note that water stress is not destiny," Otto said. "All of those approaches can help us change the trajectory that we're on. What we can't afford to do any longer is pretend that the situation will just resolve itself, or throw up our hands and say that there's nothing we can do." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robotic-farm-uses-90-less-water-than-traditional-farming-2018-10">This robotic farm uses 90% less water than traditional farming</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

New Mexico faces extreme water scarcity on par with the United Arab Emirates. Experts warn more 'day zeros' are looming.

This year’s World Environment Day theme – ‘Only One <keyword id="6359982" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="earth" source="Orion">Earth</keyword>’ – was also the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference – the world’s first conference on the environment. Fifty years down the line, as we face the climate emergency, the actions we take today will determine how our future generation will co-exist with nature. As we commemorate this day to emphasise the importance of conserving our planet, addressing climate challenges while keeping <keyword id="49089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> in mind is the key to a better future. Today, natural disasters are occurring more frequently, displacing millions of people and causing significant economic losses. In 2020 alone, India <a href="https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/india-lost-87-bn-last-year-due-to-natural-calamities-wmo-11635269868365.html">reportedly</a> faced a staggering loss of $87 Billion due to natural disasters. Climate change is a reality that we are facing in our daily lives. For instance, March 2022 was India’s hottest March in the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/this-march-was-indias-hottest-in-122-years/articleshow/90599999.cms">last 122 years</a>. Therefore, today is a reminder for all of us to act on the climate emergency causing socio-economic disruptions globally. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is the world's fastest-growing major economy, and we must safeguard ourselves from future climate disruptions that can affect its growth prospects. This will only be possible through a strong climate action plan that will enable broader adoption of renewable energy, restore natural ecosystems, promote biodiversity and focus on water conservation and decarbonisation. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Safeguarding our natural resources" text="Safeguarding our natural resources">Safeguarding our natural resources</cmsannotation> As we experience a global shortage in raw materials, we need to rethink our approach toward using natural resources. Today, industrialisation and overpopulation are creating excessive demand for natural resources, threatening the balance of our ecosystem. The continued extraction of raw materials would disrupt the organic foundations of our ecosystems, which may undo the years of sustenance maintained between the planet and the life on it. An impactful alternative to the current linear method of consumption and production is a circular economy. A circular model can help contain the demand for newer materials and effectively utilise the available resources. This is where we design supply chains, products, manufacturing, and distribution for circularity and resource recovery, to reduce the amount of virgin raw materials in products and reclaim old products from the market to be refurbished and reused. Collective initiatives by organisations can help create a faster impact on restoring the planet, sharing ownership between every stakeholder of the planet. For instance, in cities like <keyword id="12864" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chennai" source="Orion">Chennai</keyword>, which witness severe water scarcity, activities like waterbody restoration campaigns will offer long-term, sustainable solutions for better-nourished ecosystems. Multiple private, non-profit and academic organisations have <a href="https://www.grundfos.com/in/about-us/news-and-media/news/cognizant-and-grundfos-join-hands-to-restore-sembakkam-lake">come together</a> to restore the 100-acre Sembakkam Lake in Chennai. Such efforts can holistically enhance the resilience of the ecosystem while recharging groundwater and restoring essential resources. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A less carbon-intense economy" text="A less carbon-intense economy">A less carbon-intense economy</cmsannotation> Today, as businesses bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, supply chains are becoming stronger and more connected. There is energy and water consumption involved in various stages of the supply chain ecosystem, leading to increased carbon and water footprints across product lifecycles. To move towards an economic structure that is less carbon and water-intensive, we should implement policies that help businesses adopt green supply chain models, formulate material assessment strategies, and make a mandatory framework for sustainability finance to power their green initiatives. These should be included in the company policies related to materials purchasing, logistics and packaging. Technology can play a key role towards ushering in such a transition. For instance, a recent tech partnership to build a blockchain-based Circular System for Assessing Rare Earth Sustainability (<a href="https://www.constructionweekonline.in/business/grundfos-partners-with-four-organisations-to-develop-a-blockchain-based-circular-system-for-assessing-rare-earth-sustainability#:~:text=Grundfos%20has%20partnered%20with%20BEC,Rare%20Earth%20Sustainability%20(CSyARES)">CSyARES</a>) is expected to help companies improve the transparency and sustainability of their supply chains when it comes to critical and rare earth materials. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Preparing for the future" text="Preparing for the future">Preparing for the future</cmsannotation> As we strategize to build a sustainable future, it is essential to cultivate environment-friendly behaviours across various levels of society. Businesses need to understand the direct and indirect impact they are creating on the planet and need to shift to making their operations more sustainable. Customers need to be sensitized about the benefits of using products with longer lifecycles and how to responsibly handle them to reduce their footprint. There is no planet B, hence individuals, in their capacity, should start adopting sustainable living practices to make a difference. All stakeholders, public and private need to work together to help protect our ‘only one Earth’! George Rajkumar is the Country President at Grundfos India. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are of the author/interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The article has been partly edited for length and clarity. This column is part of June 2022’s month-long awareness campaign on the theme “Only One Earth: Sustaining People, Planet and Prosperity” by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">Business Insider India’s Sustainability Insider</a>.

OPINION: We only have one Earth! Let’s act together to safeguard resources, decarbonise economy, and transition towards sustainability

<ul><li>Finance Minister of India, <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> reiterated the need for sustainable water management system in India. </li></ul><ul><li>The government has already identified 1592 block in 256 districts which are facing water crisis and is planning to infuse additional funds. </li></ul><ul><li>India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. </li></ul>Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated the need for sustainable water management system in India. She said, Constitution of Jal Shakti Mantralaya was a big step in water management-- the ministry will look at water-related issues in a holistic manner and will ensure water supply in every household by 2024. The government has already identified 1592 block in 256 districts which are facing water crisis and is planning to infuse additional funds. India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. It has already started affecting hundreds and millions of lives and livelihoods across the country. A large number of people are now washing utensils in dirty water, to save the clean water for cooking and drinking. There won’t be any relief anytime soon as the southwest monsoon — accounting 80% of India’s rainfall — is late and is expected to be <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/monsoon-to-be-below-normal-over-north-south-india-imd/articleshow/69602283.cms">lower than usual</a> in both north and south India. As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog Only some parts of the country have received rainfall — that too almost a week late. Apart from the water crisis, the harsh heatwaves in the country took more than <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/22/india/chennai-india-water-crisis-intl/index.html">137 lives </a>. India’s dwindling water sources worsened the situation. <a href="http://202.159.215.252:83/DocumentUploadRoot/DocumentId_32837/20.06.2019_CWC_Bull.pdf">According to the Central Water Commission</a>, two-thirds water reservoirs in the country are below normal levels. More than 100 districts across the country are officially affected by drought. Most of the districts (80%) in Karnataka and Maharashtra (72%) are hit by drought and crop failure. As many as 8.2 million farmers are struggling for livelihood. With scarcity comes strife. The state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra — are now fighting over sharing water resources. Not only this, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are amongst the 21 cities that will run out of groundwater by 2020. This will affect as many as 100 million people, claims a report by NITI Ayog. Furthermore, 40% of India’s population will struggle for drinking water by 2030. With India’s water crisis deepening by the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently created Ministry of Jal Shakti that is going to look after the water resource management. Modi also reiterated his promise to provide piped water to every rural house in India by 2024. The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) reported that 43.4% areas in the country are under drought as of 30 May 2019. A delayed monsoon is among the primary reasons for the current crisis.

Every household in India will get water supply by 2024 under the ‘Jal-Jeevan Mission’ says Nirmala Sitharaman

Hit by alarming floods because of heavy rains, residents of <keyword id="12864" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword> and its neighbourhood have finally found some relied in what can be called a relatively dry spell. Rains seem to have stopped, bringing relief to both residents and rescue agencies, and there are rising hopes of water receding fast. 
 
Even though several services, like ATMs, continue to remain shut, mobile phone services have partially restored after being down because of heavy downpour since a few days. 
 
However, power is still suspended in many areas as a precautionary measure, helping little in the misery of trapped citizens. Other problems being faced by residents include scarcity for safe water, irregular milk and newspaper supplies, and high rates of vegetables. 
Commercial flights have also started from the Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam near Chennai, but operations are limited as of now. Train services on the suburban Chennai Arakonnam stretch have also been partially restored. 
 
An intensified relief and rescue operation has been started by NDRF, adding ten more teams for the job and having rescued 9,000 people as of now. 
 
"We have rescued about 9,000 people till now. Ten more teams from Pune and Patna have been mobilised to Tamil Nadu. We expect to have better results today as things have improved and communication is enhanced," Director General of the force, O P Singh, said. 
 
Material ready for rescue operation includes 110 inflatable and other kinds of boats and numerous sets of buoys and life jackets. 011-24363260 and 09711077372 are the active helpline numbers at the force’s control room. 
 
Both Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa and Indian PM Narendra Modi have made aerial visits to the flood-affected areas. After their separate aerial surveys, both leaders met and Jayalalithaa urged for an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 crore. However, Modi responded by announcing Rs 1000 crore more for relief work in Tamil Nadu, in addition to the sum of Rs 940 crore already been announced by the centre. 
 
<a href="http://images.catchnews.com/uploads/images/2015/11/13/9.jpg">Image source</a>

Chennai breathes a sigh of relief as incessant rains take a break

Soaring temperatures and ill-timed closure of canals for maintenance left kinnow <keyword id="45092" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="farmers" source="Orion">farmers</keyword> in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district, with no choice but to switch to sowing moong, cluster bean and <keyword id="6359181" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="cotton" source="Orion">cotton</keyword> crops. "What could we do? Harvests were negligible in the last couple of years. Both blooms and fruit dropped for the third consecutive year. Due to scarcity of water, I could not sow anything this year. Now onwards, I intend to focus on cotton and wheat. Since this year, the season for cotton and wheat has already gone by, I sowed the less water-intensive crops (moong and cluster beans)," farmer Ranveer Jhatwal from Chak 25ML told 101Reporters. Jhatwal had been growing kinnow on 24 bighas of land for 15 years. But last year, he uprooted his orchards from 12 bighas, taking out the remaining this year. But Jhatwal is not the only farmer to take such an extreme step. Several small and big farmers in Rajasthan have been doing so. Heat and lack of irrigation ruined 80% to 92% of the orchards this year, forcing nearly every farmer to uproot his orchard, as compared to just a few who did so last year. Statistics furnished by the Horticulture Department reveal that out of 11,540ha under kinnow, 115ha of orchards were uprooted until May 17, and by June 3, the figure stood at 289ha. Farmers continue to uproot their kinnow orchards in every tehsil of the district. The kinnow disillusionment Orchards made their first appearance in Sriganganagar within two to three years of the Gang Canal coming up in 1927. However, it was in the past two decades that horticulturists saw fruit orchards literally bloom in the district. Even as sweet lime, guava, pomegranate, dates, amla and lemons thrived, kinnow was their most profitable fruit. While incentives extended by the National Horticulture Mission were a big draw, pest infestations on their cotton crop resulting in huge losses finally saw farmers opt for kinnow cultivation. Sriganganagar district alone produces 80,000 metric tonnes of kinnow annually, a large part of which was exported to China, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Australia and Bhutan. Joint Director of Agriculture (retd) VS Nain, who served earlier in Sriganganagar, said: "Wheat, mustard and cotton were the crops traditionally grown in this district. But when expenses on pesticides rose sharply following caterpillar attacks around two decades ago, harried farmers were compelled to spray nearly 30 to 40 rounds of pesticides to save a single crop of cotton. This was when they switched to kinnow. And it didn't disappoint them either; they earned ample profits on every crop. Unfortunately, the last three years brought them repeated losses and forced them to uproot their orchards." Narrating his woes, farmer Mahendra Kumar of Chak 25ML recalled how his 50-bigha orchard once fetched him Rs 35 lakh to Rs 40 lakh annually, but he couldn't break even in the last three years. "In 2020, there was very little produce, and in 2021, I earned a meagre Rs 5 lakh after spending Rs 7 lakh on inputs. This year, the intense heat and lack of irrigation caused the blooms and fruit to drop. Two years ago, I uprooted 10 bighas; last year, I uprooted another 12 bighas; this year, I uprooted another 5 bighas of orchard land," Kumar said, adding that he now intends to grow cotton since crop from a single bigha can earn him up to Rs 1 lakh. Usually, one has to wait four years for a kinnow crop after planting an orchard and hold on for seven years before one can harvest the best fruit. But presently, even farmers who planted saplings only two years ago are uprooting their orchards, anticipating losses in future. Farmer Bhupendra Singh of Chak 11ML had laid his orchard on 9 bighas of land at a total cost of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. He has uprooted his entire orchard. With a heavy heart, Singh said, "What is the point in keeping this orchard, when I cannot profit from it? My neighbour, farmer Jagseer Singh, also uprooted his two-year-old orchard." Excessive heat and lack of irrigation water also led farmer Ashok Chaudhary of village 24GB to uproot his orchard. "There were no blooms for the past two years. Excessive heat wilted my plants," Chaudhary told 101Reporters. "Last year, I uprooted 15 bighas of my orchard and planted mustard on this land, which yielded 5 to 6 quintals per bigha of produce. Recently, I uprooted another 10 bighas. Cotton has also proved more profitable than kinnow for me." Explaining why uprooting their orchards is their best option, farmer Jhatwal said, "One has to spend Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per bigha every year on the kinnow crop. It's a burden when the produce falls short consecutive years." Mercury spike, water scarcity, among others, are the biggest threats. Assistant Director of the Horticulture Department Priti <keyword id="17684" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bala" source="Orion">Bala</keyword> pointed out the temperatures in March were unprecedentedly high in the last two years. "Temperatures between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees in March-end are ideal for flowering. But this year, temperatures touched 40 degrees, she explained. "High temperatures can cause flowers and fruit to drop. This was also the time when canals were shut for repairs, preventing farmers from accessing much-needed irrigation water." Analysing the situation, VS Nain noted that the Water Resources Department must keep the needs of farmers in mind as and when they shut off irrigation canals for necessary repairs. Currently, they are turned out in April-May, which is when orchards need irrigation water. The rising prices of cotton in the mandis also drew farmers to cotton cultivation, Bala added. Though the department has advised farmers to remain patient "since cotton prices can also be unstable". Furthermore, the failure of the kinnow crop has not been confined to Sriganganagar alone, Agriculture Officer (Horticulture) Rajendra Nain in Horticulture Department Sriganganagar told 101Reporters. High temperatures wreaked havoc on the fruit trees in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana; compelling farmers in Abohar and Fazilka districts of Punjab and Sirsa in Haryana to uproot their orchards. Seeking compensation for the threat to their livelihood When orchards are uprooted, there's a threat to many kinnow-related industries, as well. There are around 36 kinnow packing and grading establishments in the district, each set up with an investment of Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1 crore. These grade the kinnow, apply preservatives on the fruit and pack them for export. Babu Khan Rizvi, the owner of one such wax and grading plant, told 101Reporters, "The destruction of the orchards spells disaster for us. If the orchards are uprooted, what will happen to us? Each plant employs around 100 to 150 labourers. Us factory owners and workers will have to pay the price." In light of these developments, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) <keyword id="96979" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="youth-wing" source="Orion">Youth Wing</keyword> has submitted a memorandum to the district administration. BKU (Youth Wing) District Secretary Shivprakash <keyword id="2394445" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="saharan" source="Orion">Saharan</keyword> emphasised, "The government ought to conduct a survey, and fix an amount of Rs 1 lakh per hectare as disaster relief compensation." Kinnow growers get just one crop a year, but the inputs needed are equal to that required for two crops, he pointed out. Hence, the administration must offer corresponding compensation. Claiming that the losses were much higher in reality than that reported by the authorities, Saharan also said that these orchards should be notified under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to be eligible for insurance ALSO SEE: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/india-heads-into-the-thunderstorm-zone-right-after-the-heatwave-orange-alerts-issued/articleshow/92333863.cms">India heads into the thunderstorm zone right after the heatwave, orange alerts issued</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/imd-predicts-heavy-rain-in-chennai-adjoining-districts/articleshow/92332545.cms">IMD predicts heavy rain in Chennai, adjoining districts</a>

Canal closures make Rajasthan farmers uproot their kinnow orchards in bulk

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<keyword id="60669" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="unfccc" source="Orion">UNFCCC</keyword>) initiated an international environmental treaty to counter "dangerous human interference with the climate system". The nationally determined contributions or the NDCs are the first greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the UNFCCC applicable to developed and developing countries like <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. Using NDCs, governments can also communicate the steps they will take to address climate change in their countries. As per its NDC, one of India’s objectives is to reduce the intensity of carbon emissions by 33 to 35% by 2030 and create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 through afforestation. In 2021, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), India reiterated the goals, including a spike in the country’s non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity to 500 GW, meeting 50% of the country’s energy requirements using renewable energy sources, reducing the total projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes, and reducing 45% carbon intensity by 2030. The highlight of India’s renewed commitment to climate action was its long-term mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070! But how will we get there? According to the CEEW-Centre for Energy Finance, we need more than $10 trillion in investment to achieve this green goal. That is not a small amount, and that is where green financing can play a critical role! <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What exactly is Green Financing?" comment="subhead" text="What exactly is Green Financing?">What exactly is Green Financing?</cmsannotation> The UN Environment Programme defines 'Green Financing' as the inflow of finances from private, not-for-profit sectors, and public organisations for the cause of sustainable development. And it makes good business sense too! A study by NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business observes that a company's financial performance is directly proportional to its implementation of sustainable practices. With this long-term vision that blends profitability with sustainability, corporates, central banks, and governments are increasingly formulating green finance policies and frameworks. The U.N. identifies three main green finance strategies: aiding the public sector, assisting public-private partnerships, and building capacities for community enterprises on micro-credit. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Why is Green Financing smarter?" comment="subhead" text="Why is Green Financing smarter?">Why is Green Financing smarter?</cmsannotation> Green Financing is critical because it underscores inclusive growth, resulting in energy-efficient, eco-sensitive environments. It also gives institutional shareholders interested in impact investing a chance to make a measurable social and environmental difference. A case in point is JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co., which has set an investment target of more than $2.5 trillion over ten years to advance climate action and sustainable development. In 2020, Goldman Sachs also decided to back climate transition and inclusive growth with an investment of over $750 billion. That we need more such investments in India goes without saying, considering we need investment in hydro, geothermal, biogas, and wind energy to transition from fossil fuels. We also need investment in vehicles that emit less greenhouse gas emissions, efficient systems of waste disposal, and large-scale recycling processes. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Why is Green Financing critical for India?" comment="subhead" text="Why is Green Financing critical for India?">Why is Green Financing critical for India?</cmsannotation> The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has warned that unless greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced by 2030, it will become impossible for India to reverse a climate catastrophe. Many parts of the country will likely turn inhabitable due to extreme heat, with wet-bulb temperatures breaching 32°C. Climate change will lead to 40% of India's population facing water scarcity by 2050, while megacities like Mumbai and Chennai will be affected by rising sea levels. Floods will become frequent in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins, and crop production will also be impacted. However, the brunt of climate change will be borne by India's economically and socially marginalised citizens! But with the help of domestic policies, international financial help, and private investments, we can address this issue. If we don't, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has predicted that by 2030, 34 million full-time jobs will be lost, especially in the farming community. Considering these factors, in the 2022 Union Budget, the government has initiated steps like green bonds and aid for climate-friendly projects. Still, the country must also pool more finance from multilateral and international sources. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Green Financing in India" comment="subhead" text="Green Financing in India">Green Financing in India</cmsannotation> India issued around $6.11 billion of green bonds in just over 11 months in 2021 to fund positive environmental and/or climate benefits projects. Though we trail behind only the US and China in the green bonds market, a minuscule amount of international interest is expected as foreign players tend to look for risk-free processes, standardised tax structure, and a regulated financial infrastructure before considering a long-term investment. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) also notes that developing countries need a robust banking system to attract green finance. Acknowledging the challenges ahead, The <keyword id="6354335" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="Orion">Reserve Bank of India</keyword>, in its Trend and Progress of Banking in India Report (2018-19), highlighted how financial assets will be at risk due to climate change and why green finance needs to be further enhanced for a sustainable and green economy. One of the hurdles in the green financing boom is greenwashing, which refers to misleading information suggesting that products or investments are more environmentally sensitive or green than they really are. Experts fear that green bonds may be used for activities that result in adverse environmental impact; hence, stringent systems need to be put in place to discourage and weed out such discrepancies. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The path ahead" comment="subhead" text="The path ahead">The path ahead</cmsannotation> At the Bonn Climate Change Conference last month, India strongly emphasised the need for finances to mitigate the impacts of global warming. Indian delegates also demanded that wealthy nations support India and other developing countries needing significant investments through a loss-and-damage finance facility. They argued that since India is already susceptible to lose and damage due to climate change, it needs help to build early warning systems to prepare for disasters and also for recovery and reconstruction. Even though India has initiated steps for green finance and has been ahead of other countries, it still has a long way to go. I cannot help repeating that we need a successful integration between a competitive tax regime, trustworthy financial products, and clear green guidelines to attract more funding. Green financing and sustainable economic growth are not just distant dreams. They are achievable in the here and now with cohesive cooperation between policymakers, private, and public enterprises and a steady eye on the big picture. <keyword id="172613" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="alok-bansal" source="Orion">Alok Bansal</keyword> is the MD of Visionet Systems India and <keyword id="192276" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="global-head" source="Orion">Global Head</keyword> of BFSI Business This column is part of a year-long (2022-23) campaign on the theme “Only One Earth: Sustaining People, Planet and Prosperity” by Business Insider India’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">Sustainability Insider</a>. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/opinion-creating-a-truly-diverse-and-inclusive-workplace-sustainability-through-inclusivity/articleshow/92949079.cms">OPINION: Creating a truly diverse and inclusive workplace — Sustainability through inclusivity</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/opinion-fostering-sustainable-leadership-in-businesses-to-ensure-better-corporate-governance/articleshow/92948831.cms">OPINION: Fostering sustainable leadership in businesses to ensure better corporate governance</a> Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author/interviewee do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The article has been partly edited for length and clarity.

OPINION: Green financing in India — Need, significance, urgency, and way forward

The <keyword id="6360789" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi-Government">Modi government</keyword>’s plan to develop 100 <keyword id="6377036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities">smart cities</keyword> has stirred a debate on its strategy or lack of it on the fate of the existing cities in the country. 
 
Over the years, lack of infrastructure and unplanned growth turned Indian cities into a real mess. While urbanisation has enhanced economic, social and political progress, it has resulted in socio-economic mismatch among people. Also, rapid growth of urban population has put enormous pressure on public utilities like housing, sanitation, transport, water and electricity besides pushing unemployment among rural immigrants. Urbanisation deserves immediate attention as according to reports by 2030, more than 50 % of India’s population is expected to live in urban areas. 
 
Urban sprawl, the expansion of the cities in terms of population and geographical area (which is rapidly taking over the precious agricultural land) has been one of the key problems which authorities failed to tackle. Continuous immigration from rural areas has consistently added to the size of the cities. This has led to a situation where economic base of most cities is incapable of dealing with the problems created by the huge growth of urban population. Metro cities are clear examples urban sprawl due to large scale migration of people from the different states, seeking employment opportunities. 
 
Unplanned growth has also resulted in overcrowding—a situation where too many people live in too little space. For instance, Mumbai has one-sixth of an acre open space per thousand people though four acre is considered normal. This kind of overcrowding leads to heavy pressure on infrastructural facilities. 
 
Overcrowding leads to shortage of houses in urban areas. Housing is a bigger issue in those cities where there is large influx of immigrants. According to a recent study, around 40% of all married couples in India do not have an independent room for themselves. Around 35% of families in urban areas live in one-room houses. About one third of urban Indian families have houses without a proper kitchen, bathroom and a toilet—and there is no supply of water or power in some cases. 
 
Overcrowded cities are a breeding ground for unemployment. According to an estimate, about 50% of all urban unemployed who are educated are concentrated in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Though those living in cities earn more than those in the villages, their incomes are low considering the high cost of living in urban pockets. Unless government streamlines the large-scale migration to cities, unemployment in cities will continue to rise. 
 Another consequence of unplanned growth of urban areas is the spread of <keyword id="6367743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="slums">slums</keyword>. In the recent years, industrialisation has led to rapid urbanisation which has resulted in undeterred growth of slums. 
 
A slew of reasons such as the large influx of rural migrants to the cities, the shortage of land for housing development and high prices of land contribute to the growth of slums. No wonder, this has been exerting huge pressure on civic amenities and infrastructure. 
Inadequate transportation is another challenge faced by people living in cities. As cities grow, more people are required to travel to work or shop, leading to clogged roads and unending traffic jams. 
 
Scarcity of drinking water is perhaps the biggest challenge thrown up by haphazard development of cities in India. In fact, no city in India gets sufficient water to meet the needs of city dwellers. In many cities, people get water from the municipal sources for less than half an hour every alternative day. In dry summer season, taps remain dry for days together. 
 
This in addition to growing problems of lack of proper sewerage management, trash disposal and pollution besides surging crime rates in cities. It is high time the government figured out whether developing select smart cities or solving the litany of problems faced by people living in existing cities should be its priority. 
 
Image: thinkstock

Smart Cities Are Good Idea, But What About Existing Ones?

We are entering an Age of Complexity manifested by intensified economic unpredictability, tectonic demographic and technological shifts, and accelerating scarcity of resources. Adversity has become the new normal. The good news is that we humans are typically good at coping with adversity. From a biological perspective, humans are pre-programmed to react predictably to adverse—and even hostile—situations thanks to our well-perfected “fight-or-flight” instinct. Sadly, however, this preconditioned “fight-or-flight” reaction fails to produce optimal responses in today’s complex world. When we face an intractable problem many of us tend to throw in the towel quickly or keep on fighting the issue wishing it will vanish. Now visualize this: what if you could transcend this binary “fight-or-flight” reaction and uncover a “third way”—a new outlook that empowers you to see adversity as an opportunity for personal and collective growth? Adversity will suddenly morph into your ally—an ally that can ignite your ingenuity and drive you to the unearthing of revolutionary solutions that yield amazing value for yourselves and for humanity. You will become a modern day alchemist—one who can literally transmute adversity into opportunity. Such alchemists do exist—and many of them live in emerging markets like India. 
 
Take Kanak Das, a young man who lives in Morigaon, a remote village in the northeast Indian state of Assam. Das got sick of riding his bicycle on poor village roads filled with potholes and bumps. Assume you were an R&amp;D engineer who works for <keyword id="6355174" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ford">Ford</keyword>, <keyword id="6355119" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="BMW">BMW</keyword>, or <keyword id="6374528" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Toyota">Toyota</keyword> trying to design a car that can ride smoothly on such potholes-filled roads: your “fight” instinct would have told you to design better shock absorbers to overcome the bumps. But Das didn’t “fight” the bumps: instead, he used this constraint to his advantage by equipping his bicycle with a makeshift device that converts the shocks it gets into acceleration energy—enabling his bicycle to run faster on bumpy roads! 
 
Das literally transformed adversity into an opportunity to innovate and extract value from the very problem he confronted. Das epitomizes the spirit of jugaad. Jugaad is a hindi word meaning an innovative fix or an improvised solution born from ingenuity and cleverness. Jugaad is, quite simply, a unique way of thinking and acting in response to challenges; it is the gutsy art of spotting opportunities in the most adverse circumstances and resourcefully improvising solutions using simple means. Jugaad is about seeing the glass always half-full. 
 
Jugaad Innovators: The Modern Day Alchemists 
 Jugaad is practised by almost all Indians in their daily lives to make the most of what they have. Jugaad applications include finding new shrewd uses for everyday objects—Indian kitchens are replete with empty soft drink or pickle bottles reused as containers for water, spices, or lentils— or inventing new utilitarian applications and ingenious solutions with everyday objects, like using cellphones to make “missed calls”. 
The entrepreneurial spirit of jugaad is not limited to India. It is widely practised across all emerging economies such as China, <keyword id="12925" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Africa">Africa</keyword>, and Brazil, where resilient entrepreneurs are also pursuing growth in difficult circumstances. The Brazilians have their own word for this resourceful approach: jeitinho. The Chinese call it zizhu chuangxin, or indigenous innovation (in contrast with shanzhai, meaning copycat versions of foreign-made products). The Kenyans refer to it as jua kali. In our book Jugaad Innovation, my co-authors and I delved into the frugal and flexible mindset of thousands of ingenious entrepreneurs and enterprises around the world practicing jugaad to creatively address critical socio-economic issues in their communities. In Kenya, for instance, entrepreneurs have invented a device that enables bicycle riders to charge their cellphones while pedalling. 
 
In the Philippines, Illac Diaz invented A litre of light—a recycled plastic bottle containing bleach-processed water that refracts sunlight, producing the equivalent of a 55-watt light bulb. This product—which costs only $1—is a boon for scores of Filipino families living in makeshift houses in off-the-grid shantytowns. And in <keyword id="15735" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Lima">Lima</keyword>, <keyword id="6360497" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Peru">Peru</keyword> (a country with 98% humidity that receives only 1 inch of rain a year), the local university of engineering and Technology (UTEC) has designed advertising billboards that can generate up to 100 litres of potable water out of humid air each day. 
 
The jugaad innovators we studied all hail from different cultures and social and professional backgrounds. Yet they all share one unique quality: their uncanny ability to “make lemonade with any lemon” they are given. They are resilient entrepreneurs who overcame tremendous difficulties to invent ingenious solutions to vexing issues afflicting our societies. Like magicians, they conjured up these innovative solutions out of thin air—using meagre resources. Just as an alchemist can convert low-value metal into high-value gold, these frugal innovators can “do more with less”: they can create lot more value using far fewer resources. 
 
What Makes Jugaad innovators— And Their solutions—Unique? 
Despite their diversity, all the jugaad innovators—be they entrepreneurs or corporate leaders—we studied in India and other emerging markets all have the following unique personality traits in common: 
 
They are empathetic 
They recognize that their fellow citizens are suffering from adverse circumstances (e.g., poor access to healthcare or education services) and strive to lessen their pain. It is this compassion for other beings that sparks their own passion to discovering pertinent solutions to issues afflicting others. 
 
For instance, Jane Chen, a Stanford MBA, was deeply moved by the fact that 20 million babies are born prematurely or with a low birth weight each year worldwide, and four million of them die, most in developing nations, because their parents can’t afford to maintain them in baby incubators, which are too expensive. To address this issue, Jane co-founded Embrace, which makes inexpensive portable infant warmers that low income mothers in rural India, China, and Africa can use to keep their premature babies warm, and thus save their lives. 
 
They are driven by a higher purpose 
 
Jugaad innovators are not driven by fame or money. Rather, they are motivated by the aspiration to build “a better world”. This higher purpose provides them great ethical clarity and serves as an inner compass that guides all their decisions and actions. 
 
For instance, brothers <keyword id="299988" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Abhishek-Sinha">Abhishek Sinha</keyword> and Abhinav Sinha co-founded Eko to make <keyword id="6354241" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Financial-Services">financial services</keyword> affordable and accessible to the 600 million Indians who can’t avail of banking services. Eko enables low income people to open a savings account in a kirana (neighborhood retail store) and then merely use a mobile phone to deposit/withdraw cash as well as send/receive money. 
 
They are nonconformists 
 
Jugaad innovators boldly challenge the status quo by relentlessly posing the question: “why not?” They exhibit what Samuel Taylor Coleridge calls “uncommon common sense”: they develop counterintuitive solutions that flout conventional wisdom or even turn it on its head. 
 
For example, when <keyword id="6360722" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="ratan-tata">Ratan Tata</keyword> announced his decision to produce the Nano industry experts and media analysts scoffed at the idea of making a $2,000 car, for which they believed there would be no market. But the maverick Tata stuck to his counterintuitive decision and he ended up creating not only a breakthrough car but he also shaped an entire new market for subcompact cars that western automakers are jumping into lately. 
 
They are ingeniously resourceful 
 
Just like MacGyver (the famed TV action hero who can escape from any predicament by improvising solutions using just his Swiss Army knife), jugaad innovators display great ingenuity in the face of challenges. They leverage their (inner) resourcefulness when they have no external resources to tap into. They embody the frugal “bricoleurs” whom the legendary anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss lauded in his seminal book La Pensée Sauvage. According to Lévi-Strauss, a bricoleur taps into existing resources to quickly solve a problem—unlike an engineer who goes searching for the best resources available to design a perfect solution. 
 
Mansukh Prajapati is one such bricoleur: a potter by training, he created Mitticool, the world’s “greenest” fridge made entirely of clay that consumes no electricity and is 100% biodegradable. 
 
They are adaptable 
 
Jugaad innovators possess an agile mindset that enables them to rapidly shift course and reach their objectives by trying out various approaches. They are not wedded to any specific approach or tool to solving problems. Their sense of purpose is steadfast (“make the world a better place”) but their method to serving that purpose is dynamic and constantly evolving. Hence, they are resilient and can “reinvent” themselves continually. 
 
For example, Harish Hande founded Selco in 1995 to debunk the myths that poor people can’t afford <keyword id="6357019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="solar-energy">solar energy</keyword> and cannot maintain sustainable technologies. Conservative banks refused to fund his start-up and he initially struggled to convince rural consumers to switch from cheap-but-polluting kerosene to solar systems. But Hande applied his flexible thinking to improvise an ingenious solution that involves a grassroots network of micro-entrepreneurs who charge, install, maintain, and collect payment for solar lighting systems that they rent to people in remote villages. 
 
These personality traits of jugaad innovators also pervade the clever solutions they conceive. All their astute solutions (products or services) share the following attributes: 
 
• They deliver more value at less cost: Their ingenious solutions are low-cost (or much less expensive than alternative solutions in the market) and yet they offer much greater value for users. As a result, these solutions deliver “more value for less”. For instance, the embrace portable infant warmer costs less than $200—or 1% of the cost of western baby incubators priced at $20,000. More importantly, mothers can now hold against them their premature babies— dramatically boosting their chances of survival. That’s real value! 
• They are simple to use and maintain: The solutions are designed to be incredibly simple to use and maintain, thus lowering their “adoption barriers” for a larger number of users. For example, Eko’s mobile banking and payment services can be accessed using even the most basic mobile handset. This ease of use is a key success factor of Eko’s service which today counts 2 million clients. 
• They are inclusive: The solutions make critical products and services available and accessible to “marginal segments” of the society—e.g., low income people, the elderly, ethnic minorities— who traditionally couldn’t afford or access these products/services due their high cost or high complexity. For example, Selco’s solar lighting systems are now used by over 125,000 rural households across India (Selco aims to serve 200,00 households by 2013). 
• They are sustainable: The solutions are both environmentally and socially sustainable. First, these solutions are eco-friendly and minimize use of natural resources. Second, these solutions contribute to the social sustainability of local communities by spawning new “ecosystems” that create new jobs, etc.—thus catalysing a virtuous cycle of enduring socio-economic growth. For instance, Mansukh Prajapati involves many women in his village in Gujarat to produce his Mitticools, thus creating gainful employment for local community members. 
 
The rise of Jugaad innovation in The West The developed world, like emerging economies, is increasingly facing its own problems in areas such as healthcare, education, finance, and community development. Cash-strapped western governments, however, are unable to deal with these challenges on their own. In this context, a new wave of flexible-minded jugaad innovators in the US and Europe are emerging. These nonconformists are turning the conventional practices of many industries upside down, and in the process creating affordable and sustainable products and services for more citizens. 
 
For instance, Sal Khan founded Khan Academy to democratize access to education and make learning more fun for kids. He has created over 4,000 video tutorials for math, sciences, and engineering that are freely available on <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword> and are today viewed by over 6 million users a month. Similarly, Erik Douglas co-founded CellScope, a start-up that converts your smartphone into a medical diagnosis tool so you can do ear, throat, and skin exams at home without having to visit an expensive lab. CellScope is a boon for the 50 million Americans who lack medical insurance. And to meet the needs of the 68 million Americans today who are unbanked or underbanked, <keyword id="2787085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Danny-Shader">Danny Shader</keyword> founded PayNearme, which enables US citizens without credit/debit cards to pay for online transactions by cash in local convenient stores. 
 
Universities too are joining this jugaad innovation movement in the west. Several higher education institutions in the US and Europe are training a new breed of engineers and managers to design next-generation products and services that can deal with scarcity in a frugal and sustainable manner. For instance, Stanford runs a very popular multidisciplinary program called entrepreneurial design for Extreme Affordability. And <keyword id="54274" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="MIT">MIT</keyword>, with funding from Ratan Tata, recently launched the <keyword id="2481320" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Tata-Center-for-Technology-and-Design">Tata Center for Technology and Design</keyword> to train future generation of engineers and business leaders to create affordable technologies and inclusive systems that meet the needs of resource-constrained communities in the developing world. Finally, several vanguard western corporations— helmed by visionary CEOs—are pioneering the adoption of jugaad innovation. The most notable of them is the global carmaker <keyword id="70040" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Renault-Nissan">Renault-Nissan</keyword>, whose CEO, <keyword id="69288" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Carlos-Ghosn">Carlos Ghosn</keyword> famously coined the term “frugal engineering” in 2006 to describe the Indian engineers’ unique ability to conceive high-quality solutions faster, better, and cheaper. Ghosn is a big admirer of the jugaad mindset. As he puts it: “In the west, when we face huge problems and we lack resources, we tend to give up (too) easily. Jugaad is about never giving up!” In 2012, he sent Gérard Detourbet, a senior French executive in charge of <keyword id="43777" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Renault">Renault</keyword>’s entry-level car business, to India. From his new R&amp;D center in Chennai, Detourbet will be designing and producing several vehicles—all built on the ultra-low-cost “A-entry” platform—that will first be launched in India and then marketed in Brazil and <keyword id="6355117" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="South-Africa">South Africa</keyword>. There is no doubt that when Detourbet returns to Renault’s headquarters in Paris, he will carry with him the flexible jugaad mindset he acquired in India. 
 
Ultimately, the ingenious solutions devised by these audacious jugaad innovators—our modern day alchemists—in emerging markets as well as in developed economies stand out not because they are “clever” but because they bring hope to millions around the world. In today’s morose economic climate and challenging social context, these alchemists help transmute pessimism into optimism—and that, by itself, is priceless. These ingenious alchemists—and their frugal and agile jugaad mindset—not only represent the hope for humanity but they also help restore our faith in humanity. 
 This article is partially adapted from the book Jugaad Innovation: A Frugal And Flexible Approach To Innovation For The 21st Century (<keyword id="189391" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Random-House-India">Random House India</keyword>, 2012). 
 (<keyword id="373112" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Navi-Radjou">Navi Radjou</keyword>, an innovation and leadership strategist based in <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> and <keyword id="192175" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="co-author">co-author</keyword> of best selling books including Jugaad Innovation; From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom; and most recently Frugal Innovation: How to do more with less, leads an engaging discussion with a group of like minded individuals brought together by Thinkers (<a href="http://www.thinkers.in/">www.thinkers.in</a>) on how new technologies (mobility, social media, Internet of Things, 3D printing) and groundswell socio-economic movements (e.g., sharing and circular economy, maker movement) are dramatically lowering the cost of innovation worldwide.)

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As North India battles severe monsoon, heavy rain lashes parts of Tamil Nadu too

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Five years on, India may not even get a chance to solve its on-going water crisis risking hundreds of millions of lives

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New Mexico faces extreme water scarcity on par with the United Arab Emirates. Experts warn more 'day zeros' are looming.

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OPINION: We only have one Earth! Let’s act together to safeguard resources, decarbonise economy, and transition towards sustainability

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Every household in India will get water supply by 2024 under the ‘Jal-Jeevan Mission’ says Nirmala Sitharaman

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Chennai breathes a sigh of relief as incessant rains take a break

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Canal closures make Rajasthan farmers uproot their kinnow orchards in bulk

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OPINION: Green financing in India — Need, significance, urgency, and way forward

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Smart Cities Are Good Idea, But What About Existing Ones?

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