Introduction [Emerging science for sustainable water resource management: a guide for water professionals and practitioners in India]

Chapter 1. “Why must we sustainably manage our freshwater?” is an easy enough question to answer when you first consider it: water is essential for life, we need water for everything from food, to health, to culture and wellbeing, and energy. However, according to a UN report on the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are failing on each of the six global indicators for SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation (United Nations 2021). Every day we hear more bad news about the state of the planet’s water, ecosystems, species, and climate. The more challenging question is, therefore, “how can we sustainably manage our water?”