Context: Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA) and the Government of Australia have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Technical Cooperation in urban water management.

Australia-India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI)

• Aim: To work towards the Water Sensitive City vision which is based on holistic management of the integrated water cycle.
• The initiative will pair Australia’s expertise in water and urban design with Indian counterpart agencies and institutes – known as a “twinning arrangement”.
• It will address the increasing challenges associated with providing water and sanitation to cities.  
• Phase one of the initiative includes analysis and selection of two locations in New Delhi, employing spatial intelligence analysis and mapping to determine two suitable sites to design and demonstrate exemplar Water Sensitive Urban Design(WSUD) and Nature-Based Solutions.
• It will strengthen South Asian city-level water governance.
• It will undertake investments that provide urban water services support to disadvantaged communities to access reliable, safe water and sanitation services.

Significance of the MoU

• The MoU will enable both India and Australia to learn about technological advancements gained by two nations in key areas of urban water security and, it will promote exchange of learning, best practices and capacity building of institutions.
• It will also help promote cooperation between the two countries under Australia-India Water Security Initiative(AIWASI).

Additional Information

About Water Security

• As per the UN-Water, the water security is the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.