Thinking critically about the future of water security in Bengaluru, India using Transformative Scenario Planning

This short report provides an overview of the proceedings of a workshop titled ‘Water and You – Bangalore’s Future’ that was convened by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in July, 2017.

There are several issues plaguing the city which include declining groundwater levels, supply shortages, pollution and contamination of water bodies, frequent flooding of low lying settlements, encroachment of lakebeds and storm water drains. Projected decrease in precipitation and water yield in the Cauvery basin coupled with increased frequency of extreme events indicate elevated levels of water stress thus posing a challenge to the sustainability and liveability of the city. Finding solutions to these complex problems in an integrated manner is above and beyond the scope and capacity of any one agency, authority, user or organisation, hence necessitating the involvement of all stakeholders. Transformative Scenario Planning (TSP) offers a useful way forward in addressing such complex, stuck issues. Developed by Reos Partners, TSP is a participatory process that engages with multiple concerned stakeholders, to create a shared understanding of what is happening in their system and what actions the stakeholders can, must and will take to address them. Structured around the development and use of scenarios, it provides a framework and language for strategic conversations within and across stakeholder groups.

Here we provide an overview of the proceedings of the first workshop titled ‘Water and You – Bangalore’s Future’ convened by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in July, 2017.

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