Piramal Sarvajal, the safe drinking water initiative of Piramal Foundation launched a tool named Composite Water Vulnerability Index (CWVI). The CWVI tool is designed to rank slums on various parameters such as Availability, Accessibility, Reliability, Quality and Burden of Disease.
This tool designed by Piramal Sarvajal in partnership with CWAS was demonstrated through a Pilot study in 23 slums of Nagpur, in alliance with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), that has led the way in smart-city thinking.
As opined and agreed by the panelists during the Webinar, this tool could be replicated in ten smart cities in Maharashtra and then scaled-up and administered across various smart cities in India.
The CWVI tool will go a long way in defining and identifying highly vulnerable communities and their specific areas of challenge.
This will further help governing bodies to take a more robust approach to resolve the current problem of provision of reliable and safe drinking water to urban beyond-the-pipe communities.
Leveraging technology and innovation along with cloud computing, digital finance and development finance will better equip the country to resolve water management problems. These solutions will also lead to women empowerment by mobilizing them towards community engagement in water.
Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice-Chairperson, Piramal Group and Director Piramal Foundation, said, “Over the past years, India has made great strides in providing access to improved water sources. To truly achieve our SDG targets, it is imperative for us to focus on ensuring safely managed water and strengthen water security, especially for the urban under-served communities. We collaborate with like-minded partners as we remain committed in our endeavor to provide access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.”
