BENGALURU (India CSR): The second edition of the India Water Sustainability Forum (IWSF), held at the Bangalore International Centre brought together CSR leaders, sustainability experts, NGOs, and practitioners to address how strategic CSR interventions can address India’s growing water challenges, spanning rural watershed conservation and urban lake restoration.
Organised by SoulAce, the Forum featured two panel discussions that explored the interconnections between water security, climate resilience, and livelihoods, while highlighting scalable, on-ground solutions supported by CSR initiatives across India.
The first panel on Watershed Conservation and Its Impact on Climate & Livelihoods, focused on how CSR-led watershed conservation programmes are strengthening water availability, enhancing climate resilience, and supporting sustainable rural livelihoods.
The panel brought together Dhanalakshmi Ramachandra, CSR Business Partner, Bayer, Dhenuka Srinivasan, Assistant Vice President – Environment & Sustainability, ABB; B. Rajaram, Vice President – HR Planning & TQM, Srinivasan Services Trust; and Surendra Gogineni, State Lead (Andhra Pradesh), Reliance Foundation
Moderated by Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce, the discussion emphasised the importance of community participation and sustained monitoring to deliver lasting watershed outcomes. Panellists shared learnings from long-running CSR-supported initiatives that have successfully linked water conservation with livelihood security.
The second panel on Urban Water Security through Lake Restoration, turned the spotlight on urban water security, examining how CSR-supported lake restoration projects are making Indian cities more liveable and climate-resilient.
Panellists included Avinash Krishnamurthy, Co-Founder & Director, Biome Environmental Trust, Guruprakash Sastry, Head – Climate Action, Infosys, Dr. Priyanka Jamwal, Programme Lead & Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and Sudhir S. Sharma, Senior Vice President, CGI. The session was moderated by Mr. Vimarsh Bajpai, Lead – Communications, SoulAce.
The discussions highlighted best practices such as pollution source control, science-led restoration approaches and community stewardship models, supported by success stories from CSR-backed lake rejuvenation projects across Indian cities.
Commenting on the Forum, Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce, said,
“CSR programmes to address India’s water challenges must be science-led, collaborative, and outcome-driven. When designed with a long-term lens, water initiatives not only strengthen climate resilience but also support livelihoods and improve quality of life for communities.”
The Forum also marked the launch of SoulAce’s research study on the Impact of CSR on Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. Based on insights from over 100 impact studies, the report highlights how CSR initiatives are advancing rural livelihoods, complementing state-led missions, and addressing structural challenges in employment and income generation across India.
The sessions reinforced a key message: effective water stewardship requires integrated approaches that connect ecosystems, governance, and communities, with CSR playing a catalytic role in enabling scalable and sustainable solutions.
SoulAce continues to work closely with corporates and ecosystem partners to design, implement, and measure impact-driven water stewardship and climate resilience programmes across the country.
(India CSR)
