Athena Infonomics has been engaged by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada under its 'Cities and Climate Change' initiative to develop climate-based adaptations in water management. This mandate involved designing and piloting a comprehensive integrated rural-urban water management for climate based adaptations (IAdapt) in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh, India).

As part of the IAdapt project, Athena Infonomics has institutionalized a bottom-up stakeholder driven RURBAN platform. The platform, through its stakeholders, is piloting a Decision Support Tool (DST) to simulate future climate adaptation scenarios for effective integration of water resource projects. The idea is to create dialogue between the concerned stakeholders and make decision making more scientific and inclusive.

Speaking about the efficacy of the platform, Ankit Chatri (Associate Director, Athena Infonomics) said: "IAdapt takes forward the spirit of cooperation wherein rural and urban managers come together to get the most of what is less i.e., water in our case."

Efforts are being made to drive actions at the state level and converge them into a policy framework. Institutionalization of such a platform will be the first of its kind replicable and scalable model in India. Athena plans to draw on its work in Vijayawada as a model city to showcase its work at the national level.