EVENT DETAILS:

Learning Event of the Australia India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI)
8 August 2025
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Viceroy Hall, The Claridges, New Delhi

Register Here

Across India’s cities, the need for resilient, community-driven water solutions grows more urgent. What insights from inclusive, community-led water solutions can shape the future of Indian cities?

Through the Australia India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI), a learning event is being held on 8 August 2025 at The Claridges, New Delhi. In the past few years, AIWASI has envisioned transitioning Indian cities towards becoming water sensitive through a two-pronged approach.

The first is a community-based model aimed at improving water security and livability conditions for two disadvantaged communities in Delhi, aligned with the principles of water-sensitive cities (WSC) and gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI). The second is the technical assistance (TA) component, which aims to support the implementation of the AMRUT 2.0 Mission by advancing the goals of water circularity, climate resilience and digital innovation.

As AIWASI comes to a close, this event highlights key insights from the initiative and serves as a platform to:

• Share achievements, challenges, and lessons learned
• Reflect on approaches and outcomes realized in project communities for improved service provision in water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH), and climate resilience
• Encourage discussion on water sensitive cities, and understand how Australian expertise is contributing to promoting Water Circularity and Climate Resilience through technical assistance on Government of India’s flagship AMRUT 2.0
• Explore opportunities for sustaining and scaling water security initiatives beyond AIWASI

Who might find this useful?

• Government officials and urban policy practitioners
• Civil society organizations working on water, climate resilience or inclusive urban development
• Researchers and technical experts working on urban design and planning

Held in July 2025 in Delhi, the AIWASI Roundtable convened community members, government officials, practitioners and development partners to reflect on inclusive and climate-resilient urban water and sanitation solutions. Hosted by the consortium partners of Australia India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI), the event foregrounded lived experiences, especially those of women and persons with disabilities, in shaping water-sensitive interventions.

Participants highlighted how structured community engagement — through leadership training, participatory tools and locally-driven action planning — has enabled residents to identify, prioritize and address issues such as solid waste, flooding and access to green spaces. Emphasizing intersectionality, speakers underlined the need to integrate disability-inclusive WASH design within broader planning systems, backed by community-led audits and retrofitted solutions.

Discussions also stressed the value of strengthening data systems, promoting hybrid governance models, and moving beyond binary roles of ‘community’ and ‘expert’. The event reinforced AIWASI’s commitment to embedding gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) across policy and practice.

As Ms. Babita, a community member from Mubarakpur Dabas, reflected: “We feel empowered — not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to co-develop solutions for our neighborhood.”

Community Water Forums

Community Water Forums (CWFs) were held in Bakkarwala and Mubarakpur Dabas to strengthen dialogue betweenresidents and government representatives, including local officials. These sessions focused on key water-sensitive themes such as solid waste management (SWM), green spaces and rainwater harvesting.

A major emphasis was placed on composting practices, with expert-led discussions guiding residents on how to segregate waste and compost effectively. Participants also explored “Waste to Wealth” concepts, including hands-on training in making eco-bricks using PET bottles and plastic wrappers.

In Mubarakpur Dabas, the forum also included a tree census activity, mapping community preferences for green spaces and underlining the role of vegetation in climate resilience and groundwater recharge. Discussions on household-level and public rainwater harvesting initiatives further supported water-sensitive planning.

Each participating household received a composting kit, and 60 certificates were awarded to community members involved in the tree census.

These forums have helped build shared ownership of urban challenges, enabling stronger collaboration between communities and local authorities, and marking a step ahead in the transition towards a water-sensitive city.

The Water Sensitive Cities approach (WSC) goes beyond technical solutions; it’s about integrating the urban water cycle with our built environment – and driving cultural, social, and institutional changes. This was the crux of our rich discussion with a panel of experts at the Connect Karo 2024 session on ‘Transitioning towards Water Sensitive Indian Cities‘.

In her keynote address, Emily Megow, First Secretary (Development), Australian High Commission, outlined how the Australia India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI) draws upon community knowledge to inform technical interventions. Panelists Rajiv Mishra, Kirtiman Awasthi, Nitin Bassi, Dr. Fawzia Tarannum, and Neha Mungekar, and moderator Prerna Vijaykumar Mehta, explored next steps in strengthening approaches that empower citizens to steer water governance.

The session saw the launch of a compendium on Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), published by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with inputs from AIWASI consortium partners. It provides a comprehensive overview of global initiatives that address water quality, flood resilience, and urban liveability challenges, illustrating the effectiveness of nature-based solutions and WSUD.

Read the compendium here: https://niua.in/intranet/sites/default/files/3216.pdf 

WRI India hosted the RECOURSE roundtable at Connect Karo 2023 to explore actionable pathways for building urban resilience, particularly in underserved and vulnerable communities. Experts, practitioners and community voices convened to exchange experiences and ideas on strengthening local systems in the face of climate impacts.

A central theme was the need to blend top-down planning with community-led adaptation. Participants stressed that while communities are often the most affected by climate change, they rarely have meaningful influence in shaping the responses. Building local leadership that is agile and informed was seen as key to closing this gap.

Discussions also highlighted smaller towns and overlooked geographies, which face increasing climate risks but receive limited attention and resources. Speakers noted the importance of addressing systemic and behavioral barriers, advocating for quality of services over just quantity, and integrating tools like climate insurance to safeguard homes and livelihoods.

The roundtable reaffirmed that resilience-building efforts must be rooted in local knowledge, inclusive processes, and sustained engagement.

Small actions lead to big change. The women of the Bakkarwala Resettlement Colony, New Delhi celebrated World Environment Day 2023 by collecting plastic waste and solid waste in their community area. They also made posters with creative messages to spread awareness on plastic pollution and how to minimize the use of plastic, as well as waste segregation.

We were honoured to welcome Senator Hon. Sue Lines, President of the Australian Senate, to the Bakkarwala Resettlement as part of the Australia-India Water Security Initiative.

Ms. Lines met schoolgirls from the community as they demonstrated a snakes and ladders game, designed to engage and raise awareness about water and sanitation issues. Additionally, she spoke to women-led local community groups and listened to their experiences in driving water positive change. The residents demonstrated various initiatives undertaken by them, to improve the lives of their families and community.

Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr. Philip Green spoke about the importance of ‘male champions of change’ supporting women in their communities to take on leadership roles.

A greening initiative was undertaken along with the active participation of the community members and in partnership with Kintsugi Regenerating Ecosystems at the Bakkarwala Resettlement Colony in Delhi. The initiative included a wide range of participatory activities that empower and educate the residents of Bakkarwala:

• Training sessions on soil quality
• Waste segregation workshops
• Rainwater harvesting techniques
• Soil health and ecology awareness
• Composting practices

The community also participated in a plantation drive to green public spaces in the area. As we deepen our engagement with the community, we are continuously inspired by the enthusiasm and focus of the residents and their desire to be empowered to embark on water sensitive living themselves. We are extending our support by building their capacity and sensitizing the residents towards a more sustainable and water-sensitive future.

The Australia-India Water Security Initiative community demonstration project was honoured to welcome the Australian Ambassador Stephanie Copus Campbell at Bakkarwala Resettlement Colony in Delhi

In their interaction with the Ambassador, the women community action group leaders explained their role and how this leadership opportunity has empowered them to take action to ensure access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene services enabling healthy families and healthy communities.