The Village Water Resilience Index (VWRI) was developed for the villages of Gujarat as a robust, field-implementable tool that brings hydrological, infrastructural, water-quality, climatic and socio-economic dimensions of water resilience into a single, comparable score.
Overview
Objectives
Standardised, Evidence-Based Assessment
Provide a standardised, evidence-based method to assess village-level water resilience across multiple dimensions rather than a single indicator (e.g., only groundwater depth or only supply coverage).
Cross-Village & Temporal Benchmarking
Enable comparison across villages and over time using fixed, standards-anchored benchmarks (CGWB, BIS 10500:2012, Jal Jeevan Mission, Falkenmark Index, IMD/WMO climate classifications, IPCC, NSSO/Census).
Targeted, Cost-Effective Interventions
Identify Realm-specific weaknesses (e.g., strong infrastructure but poor water quality) to guide targeted, cost-effective interventions.
Local Governance & Investment Support
Support Gram Panchayats, VWSCs/Pani Samitis, and line departments in monitoring progress and prioritising investment.
Alignment with National & Global Goals
Feed into planning aligned with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and the Jal Jeevan Mission ‘Har Ghar Jal’ goals.
Scope & Scale of Assessment
The framework is designed to be assessed at the village (or habitation) scale using a mix of secondary records (CGWB, IMD, JJM-IMIS, Census/SECC, Livestock Census, District Disaster Management Authority) and primary field data collected through household surveys, VWSC records, and water-quality testing.