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Every time disaster strikes, you rush to bring relief. Why dont you do more to prevent it?

The words came from a teenage girl standing amid the devastation of the Odisha Super Cyclone in Eastern India in 1999. At the time, I was a member of the Indian Administrative Service, coordinating relief efforts 48 hours after the storm. Her question cut through the chaos and would shape my lifes work. Relief was necessary, but the real solution lies in building strong, adaptive water systems.

The Growing Water Crisis

The devastation in Odisha wasnt just about wind speeds and storm surgesit was about what followed. 

Entire water systems were wiped out, leaving communities without clean drinking water for weeks. Contaminated wells and destroyed infrastructure led to disease outbreaks. Disasters expose the weaknesses in our water systems. Without water security, disaster recovery stalls. 

But true resilience requires more than just emergency responseit demands smarter water systems designed for a world that has changed.

Over the last 50 years, natural water storage has declined by 27 trillion cubic meters due to land degradation, groundwater depletion, and loss of wetlands. Meanwhile, 83% of freshwater species have disappeared since 1970, signaling a broader collapse of ecosystems that once sustained water resources.

Today, one in ten people live in countries facing severe water shortages. By 2040, one in four children will experience these conditions. Extreme weather events are making water cycles more erratic. By 2050, nearly half of the world's population could be affected by droughts, disrupting agriculture and livelihoods. 

I have seen firsthand how changing weather patterns are reshaping water systems. In Afghanistan, once-reliable rivers are now unpredictable due to erratic snowmelt. In parts of Africa, slow-motion drought disasters are forcing migration and deepening food insecurity. A recent World Bank report, Droughts and Deficits, highlights the long-term impacts: Children born during droughts suffer malnutrition, limiting economic opportunities for decades. Without action, these cycles of deprivation will persist.

Why Our Water Systems Are No Longer Fit for Purpose

Water management as we know it is failing us. Our systems were designed for a world that no longer exists. Disasters highlight their vulnerabilities, and the growing water crisis demands urgent action.

Dams, for example, are essential for water storage and flood control, yet many are aging and at risk. Many of the worlds 40,000 large dams were designed decades ago, based on outdated hydrological data. In India alone, 6,886 damsmany over 50 years oldare at risk of failure. To address this, the country is leading efforts to strengthen the resilience of over 500 large dams with support from the World Bank. While an important step, thousands more dams will need modernization to withstand extreme weather events.

Beyond infrastructure, securing water for the future requires a broader set of solutionsbetter financing, stronger governance, cutting-edge technology, and partnerships that drive real impact.

Pathways to a Water-Secure Future

We must rethink water security, moving beyond reactionary responses to sustainable solutions. Here are four critical pathways:

1. Optimizing and Adapting Water Storage: A hybrid approach combining natural and built infrastructure is key. The Lower Racibrz Reservoir in Poland, designed as a floodplain rather than a traditional reservoir, successfully protected two cities during historic floods.
2. Harnessing Digital Innovation: AI, remote sensing, and real-time monitoring are revolutionizing water management. In Indias National Hydrology Project, AI-driven models provide 24-hour flood forecasts with 90% accuracy, helping dam operators control water releases. In Brazil, real-time drought monitoring has shifted government responses from crisis management to proactive preparedness.
3. Strengthening Governance and Partnerships: Managing water risks requires cooperation across governments, businesses, and communities. Of 360 internationally recognized river basins, only 41 have formal agreements among the countries that share them. Without strong governance, conflicts over water will escalate.
4. Scaling Up Investment and Finance: The financing gap in water security is staggering$6.7 trillion is needed by 2030, rising to $22.6 trillion by 2050. Governments alone cannot fill this gapwe need private sector engagement. In Chile and Peru, private investment is driving wastewater treatment and reuse, reducing reliance on freshwater. Blended finance models, climate bonds, and resilience bonds can help bridge the funding gap but remain underutilized.

Water, Jobs, and Economic Growth  

Smart water solutions do more than ensure resilience and securitythey drive economic development, create jobs, and sustain livelihoods. Reliable water access supports agriculture, energy, and industrysectors that employ millions, particularly in low-income countries. No country can achieve lasting prosperity without securing its water future. 

Water shortages can erase jobs, as seen in Cape Towns 2018 drought, which cost 20,000 agricultural workers their livelihoods. Smart water management, however, creates opportunities. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a water access program is expected to generate nearly 30,000 new jobs. Clean water and sanitation improve public health and enable greater workforce participation, especially for women.

Our Commitment to Water Security

Water security is not just about avoiding scarcityit underpins resilience, economic stability, and disaster risk reduction. Without water, economies falter, food production collapses, public health deteriorates. Without water, there is no livable planet.

That teenage girl in Odisha challenged me to do better: Why dont we do more to prevent this?

We must. And we will. Because the future depends on it.