Sep 01 2026 to Sep 01 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

India is home to 18% of the global population, but has only 4% of the world’s available freshwater resources. In an increasingly warming world, water may yet become India’s weakest link. This panel discussion explores water as both a critical challenge and a strategic resource for India’s economic future. Based on the book Water, Nature, Progress: Solutions for a New India, the discussion presents a blueprint for action through policy reform, public finance, private investment and behavioural change.

As the ultimate resource, the impact of water on public health, energy, agriculture, urbanization, infrastructure, manufacturing and human development is pervasive, making water resource management vital to the country’s future. The issues at hand are complicated, from the need for equity between the agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors and the impact of unsustainable water management to increased urbanization and climate change. Governed differently, though, water could become a key driver of sustainable economic transformation.

Venue: Auditorium
Speakers

Parameswaran Iyer
Former Executive Director, World Bank
Parameswaran Iyer is former Executive Director, World Bank, and previously CEO of NITI Aayog. An IAS officer of the 1981 batch, he served as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, overseeing implementation of the national flagship Swachh Bharat Mission. He is also the author of two books.

Arunabha Ghosh
Founder-CEO, CEEW
Arunabha Ghosh is founder-CEO of CEEW, a leading global sustainability and development think tank. He is an internationally recognized public policy expert, author, and institution builder who has shaped debates on climate, energy, and development policy in India and over fifty countries.

William Rex
Practice Manager for Water in India, World Bank
William Rex is the Water Practice Manager for India at the World Bank. During his 25 years there, he has worked as a technical Global Lead, team leader for large complex projects across several regions, and in corporate strategy functions, and was Senior Advisor at the International Water Management Institute while on sabbatical. He has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water, the Stockholm Water Week Advisory Committee, and the 2030 Water Resources Group’s Steering Board. He is currently based in Delhi.

Gopal Naik
JJM Chair Professor, IIM Bangalore
Professor Gopal Naik is the JJM Chair Professor at IIM Bangalore and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore, having been appointed the first Jal Jeevan Mission Chair in Utility Development and Water Economics there. His research focuses on agricultural and environmental economics, rural development, and technology adoption. He is the recipient of the Dr. D. K. Desai Award and the American Agricultural Economics Association Award.

Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta
Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Government of Karnataka
Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta currently serves as Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner in the Government of Karnataka. She has over 34 years’ experience across state and central government sectors, including most recently skill development and livelihoods, rural development and panchayat raj, women and child development, and planning. She has served on Government of India taskforces on service delivery and local governance, and writes regularly on development issues.