Stanford Study Outlines Policy Roadmap to Prevent Water Poverty in India’s Emerging Megacities as Climate Pressures Intensify

New Stanford study shows how regulated water markets and infrastructure policy can save Pune, India, from a 2050 water crisis and protect low-income residents.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 5:36 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Stanford University

The Looming Urban Water Crisis

By the middle of this century, nearly half of the world's urban population will grapple with water scarcity. Pune, India, serves as a primary example of this global challenge. Currently home to 7 million people and expected to reach 11 million by 2050, the city faces a perfect storm of aging infrastructure, climate-driven multi-year droughts, and extreme socioeconomic inequality. Stanford Professor Steven Gorelick and his team integrated hydrology, economics, and sociology to model how the city can survive these pressures without leaving its poorest residents behind.

A Future of Inequality

The study utilized complex modeling to forecast water supply under various climate trajectories. If Pune maintains its current "status quo" policies, the results are grim:

Reservoir Depletion: Major surface water sources are predicted to dry up during multi-year droughts.

Groundwater Collapse: Pumping levels will plummet as residents scramble for alternatives.