The changing climate pattern all over the world has raised many concerns in various countries as they face the grave problem of water shortage. The monsoon season has seen a shift in various countries which has led to drought conditions and increased tension between farmers and other major users of water such as manufacturing factories and plants. This phenomenon has been observed throughout the world and global companies are facing hardships to expand and establish themselves in different regions of the world. Many global brands and manufacturers face real risks in managing raw materials and supplier contacts on a global scale. One real risk is water related as water is a major driving force to run any manufacturing factory. In the past few years, there have been many cases around the world where huge global brands have been forced to shut down their manufacturing plants in order to sustain the water needs of that respective region. In 2004, Pepsi Bottling and Coca-Cola closed down plants in India that local farmers believed were competing with them for water. In 2011 floods forced Toyota and Honda to stop all production in Thailand as the plant was consuming way too much water compared to the water available in that region. Many companies are playing the game of Risk blindfolded when it comes to water. Companies are moving supply chain pieces often without the ability to identify, quantify, and mitigate water-related risks.
In order to solve this issue, the World Resources Institute has released a tool to help global companies evaluate their exposure to water risk called the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. As Google Maps proved before others, people love simple interactive maps. The Water Atlas is a user friendly interactive map based on 12 indicators of risk, such as water stress, flood occurrence, access to water, and drought. These maps have various layers embedded in them which help in analyzing water availability in different regions throughout the world.
Link to the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas- http://aqueduct.wri.org
Aqueduct Futures 