Adani Foundation, CEE Host Water Security Dialogue on World Water Day 2026

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — The Adani Foundation, the social welfare and development arm of the Adani Group, in partnership with the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), a nationally recognised environmental education organisation, convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue on water security at the CEE campus in Ahmedabad to mark World Water Day 2026.

The event brought together policymakers, industry representatives, corporate social responsibility (CSR) leaders and development practitioners to discuss solutions to India’s water challenges.

Mr Kartikeya Sarabhai, Director, CEE, said: “Water will remain one of the defining challenges of our time. We must move beyond the illusion of abundance and recognise the disproportionate burden water scarcity places on women in rural India. The way forward lies in combining traditional knowledge with youth-led action. A Viksit Bharat must begin with valuing every drop.”

Mr Vasant Gadhavi, Director, Adani Foundation, who attended as Chief Guest, said: “Water security cannot be addressed through policy alone. It must be driven by communities. The World Water Day is a moment to reflect on the urgency of groundwater depletion and climate variability, but also to act. At the Adani Foundation, we focus on enabling local ownership of water resources so that conservation becomes a sustained, collective movement.” 

Aligned with the United Nations’ theme for the World Water Day 2026, “Water and Gender,” the dialogue highlighted the link between water access and gender equity and the need for coordinated and scalable interventions.

India supports nearly one-fifth of the global population with limited freshwater availability, making water security a key development priority. Participants said water access remains critical to livelihoods, agriculture and long-term economic resilience.

The Foundation said it continues to expand community-led water management programmes in water-stressed regions, integrating conservation, access and governance.

As part of these efforts, 16.28 billion litres of additional water storage capacity have been created across India. The initiatives span Kutch in Gujarat, parts of Rajasthan and Vidarbha in Maharashtra, with a focus on watershed development, rainwater harvesting and community-led water governance. 

The event included technical sessions on urban water systems, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions and community-led governance models. A panel discussion examined partnerships between government, industry and civil society to scale water solutions.

Dignitaries at the event included Mr Gadhavi; Mr Sarabhai; Dr Abhishek Lakhtakia, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Adani Foundation; and Mr Vinay Kumar Jain, Head – Environment, Mundra Petrochemicals Ltd.

The dialogue concluded with a call for coordinated action, with participants emphasising the role of collaboration and innovation in ensuring sustainable water access.