The world is in a rapid and painful transition from believing that water was plentiful and free (or at the very least inexpensive) to facing the impacts of water scarcity, poor water quality and the variabilities of hydrologic events from climate change. This realization is slowly unfolding as the public sector faces the realization that policy reform is urgently called for to address human tragedies unfolding in cities such as Flint, Michigan and Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is not alone as other global cities face a similar water scarcity crisis: Bangalore, India; São Paulo, Brazil; Beijing, China; Cairo, Egypt; Jakarta, Indonesia; Istanbul, Turkey; Mexico City, Mexico; London, England; Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.

The private sector is also slowly recognizing that water risks impact business continuity and growth along with brand value from their actions in managing water as a shared resource. For those industries that rely upon water for manufacturing (e.g., food, beverage, manufacturing, and semiconductors) access to water is essential for current operations and projected business growth.

What the world is now experiencing can no longer be framed as"normal." The past can no longer be used to predict seasonal weather events and precipitation (e.g., a loss of stationarity). Increasing population growth places demands on the need for water and negatively impacts water quality. As a result, there is a pressing need for: new public policies and business strategies; and innovation in technology, financing, business models and partnerships to thrive in the 21st century. These new policies, strategies and innovative solutions are only possible with better and accessible data and actionable information. We need to deploy digital solutions (information and communication technologies (ICT)) to enable the more efficient and effective use of water data for public sector business, societal, and ecosystem needs.

Read the full article about rethinking water by Will Sarni at GreenBiz.