Beyond the Boundary gathers momentum

On the outskirts of Chennai, India lie the factories of some of the world’s largest manufacturers, producing items you likely encounter daily, from mobile phones to soft water bottles.

Last week, in central Chennai the Frank Water team facilitated a meeting of like minded organisations, committed to ensuring that manufacturing in Chennai doesn’t negatively impact local communities and the environment.  Our project, aptly named Beyond the Boundary, aims to transform water management so that it is planned and implemented collectively and most importantly, for the benefit of all.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders in India’s water sector to explore how unified action can address Chennai’s water challenges and create impactful solutions, and to guide these discussions, we identified critical gaps that hinder effective action.

One such gap is the disparity in data accessibility. While we possess extensive data at a macro level, the water basin, we have limited information at the smaller, watershed level. How can we bridge this divide?  

Another challenge is fostering transparency and collaboration among stakeholders. How can we share our initiatives, evaluate others’ efforts, and pool resources for more impactful projects?

Additionally, there’s a need to translate water mapping into manageable, budget-friendly projects with clear cost-benefit analyses that provide the required impact data that companies and governments need to invest.  Without this, companies may continue to pursue isolated projects near their factories, lacking assurance of their impact.

We’re fortunate to have remarkable partners on board for this journey towards collective action, including:

• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is renowned for its expertise in India’s water industry;
• Myrada, has over two decades of experience in implementing water solutions with significant societal impacts;
• The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is, a pioneer in data management and understanding India’s water sector dynamics;
• WELL Labs, is a relatively new and dynamic organisation specialising in integrating water, environment, land use, and people’s livelihoods.

As we enter the second year of Beyond the Boundary, the project is growing momentum and this workshop signifies a promising step forward.  Over the next three years, we intend to expand our efforts from Bangalore and Chennai to eventually Hyderabad, striving to establish a locally embedded, sustainable collective action led by local institutions.

What role will Frank Water play in this envisioned future? That decision lies with the collective.