The Water Risk Present KPI provides a comprehensive assessment of current water-related risks for a monitored site, drawing on 15 present-baseline indicators from the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas 4.0 framework. Indicators span three macro-categories: Quantitative Physical Risks (water scarcity, floods, drought), Qualitative Physical Risks (water pollution, eutrophication), and Regulatory & Reputational Risks (governance gaps, ESG exposure).
Water risk is one of the primary environmental vulnerability factors for ecosystems and business activities: freshwater scarcity, seasonal variability, and qualitative pressures directly affect biodiversity, agricultural production, and the resilience of natural habitats. Sites in water-stressed sub-basins face compounding risks from climate change, over-extraction, and declining regulatory contexts.
Scale: This KPI is inverted — higher values indicate worse conditions. A score near 0 means very low water risk (grade A); a score near 5 means extremely high water risk (grade E). The single exception is the Water Supply indicator, where higher values indicate greater water availability and are therefore better. All scores are expressed on a 0–5 continuous scale derived from WRI Aqueduct's sub-basin level hydrological model.
On-demand generation: Water risk data must be explicitly requested. The platform displays a generation prompt until data has been calculated for the site's polygon.
For each monitored site polygon, the platform registers the geometry with the WRI Resource Watch API to obtain a location identifier, then retrieves baseline (present) water risk data via the Aqueduct analysis endpoint. The response provides indicator values at sub-basin level, which are then mapped to the platform's quality ranges.
The four category composites (Overall Water Risk, Physical Risks — Quantity, Physical Risks — Quality, Regulatory & Reputational Risk) are pre-computed by WRI Aqueduct and returned directly from the API. The "Combined" mode displayed on the platform for individual indicators within a category is computed as a simple average of the selected indicators' normalised values.
The overall water risk score uses a weighted aggregation of 13 directly weighted indicators:
where = weight for indicator , = normalised value (0–5) for indicator
Data are sourced from the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas 4.0 (WRI) at sub-basin level resolution with a baseline reference period around 2019.
Ring Gauge. A circular gauge element displaying the current water risk score for the selected indicator or category, on a 0–5 scale.
Purpose: To assess the current water risk exposure of a monitored site across up to 15 individual indicators and 4 category composites, and understand which dimensions of water risk are most critical.
Description: The gauge shows a semicircular arc from 0 (left, best) to 5 (right, worst) with five colour-coded quality segments. The centre of the gauge displays the current value and grade. A cascading Category selector (4 options: General, Physical Quantity, Physical Quality, Regulatory & Reputational) and Indicator selector (indicators per category, plus a "Combined" option that averages all indicators in the category) allow the user to explore each dimension. The section header reads "Water Risk - Present" with the ESRS tag "E3". When data has not yet been generated, the panel shows a call-to-action button to request generation.
1.8Water Risk Present
How it's calculated: For composite indicators (Overall Water Risk, category composites), the value is pre-computed by WRI Aqueduct and returned from the API. For individual sub-indicators, the raw value is mapped to the 0–5 scale using the platform's quality ranges. "Combined" mode averages the normalised values of all indicators within the selected category (frontend calculation only). Grade thresholds: A = 0–0.99, B = 1–1.99, C = 2–2.99, D = 3–3.99, E = 4–5.
Note: This indicator is inverted — lower values indicate better conditions (less water risk). Only Water Supply is non-inverted.
Legend:
| Level | Range (0–5) | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (Excellent) | 0 — 0.99 | ■ #00A67A | Very low water risk |
| B (Good) | 1 — 1.99 | ■ #00DF80 | Low risk, minor seasonal pressures |
| C (Moderate) | 2 — 2.99 | ■ #FFD21E | Moderate pressures, management needed |
| D (Poor) | 3 — 3.99 | ■ #FF8B16 | High risk — significant stress or flood exposure |
| E (Critical) | 4 — 5 | ■ #FF367F | Water crisis — extreme compounding pressures |
Interpretation example:
If the gauge shows Overall Water Risk = 0.94 (grade A), the site is located in a sub-basin with very low overall water risk — abundant water resources, limited seasonal variability, and a stable regulatory environment. A site scoring 4.2 (grade E) would face severe combined water stress, high drought likelihood, and significant regulatory uncertainty.
Line Chart. An area line chart displaying projected future values for a selected water indicator across three time horizons and three climate scenarios.
Purpose: To understand how water risk conditions are projected to evolve at 2030, 2050, and 2080 under optimistic, business-as-usual, and pessimistic climate trajectories.
Description: The chart shows the X-axis as projection years (2030 / 2050 / 2080) and the Y-axis as the indicator's value. Each data point is individually coloured according to the same A–E quality scale as the present gauge. An Indicator selector allows choosing from 6 future-projected indicators: Water Stress, Seasonal Variability, Water Supply, Water Demand, Interannual Variability, and Water Depletion. A Scenario selector switches between Optimistic (SSP1-2.6), Business As Usual (SSP3), and Pessimistic (SSP5-8.5).
How it's calculated: Future values are derived from WRI Aqueduct 4.0 climate projections using CMIP6 climate models. Each data point represents the modelled indicator value at a specific year and scenario combination. Multiple API calls (6 indicators × 3 years × 3 scenarios) are made at generation time and stored for display.
Note: Water Supply is non-inverted — higher future values indicate greater projected water availability, which is better.
Legend: Per-point colouring uses the same A–E scale as the present gauge. Scenario lines are distinguished by the scenario selector (one scenario displayed at a time).
Interpretation example:
If Water Stress under Business As Usual shows 2.8 in 2030, 3.5 in 2050, and 4.1 in 2080, the site faces progressively worsening water competition as climate change intensifies demand relative to supply — escalating from moderate to extreme risk by 2080.
Assessment Sidebar Row. A grade row in the right-side assessment panel summarising the E3 Water ESRS topic.
Purpose: To provide an at-a-glance grade for the E3 Water topic, aggregating water-related KPIs including Water Risk Present as part of the overall site assessment.
Description: The sidebar shows the ESRS topic label "E3 | Water" with a summary grade. The grade reflects the platform's holistic assessment of all E3 indicators for this site, of which Water Risk Present is a key component. Clicking the row navigates to the full Assessment > Risks > Water panel.
How it's calculated: The E3 Water grade aggregates across water-related KPIs following the platform's ESRS scoring framework. The overall Water Risk Present score contributes to this grade.
Interpretation example:
A grade A in the E3 Water sidebar row indicates the site faces very low overall water-related risk across all E3 sub-indicators including current and projected water stress.
Highlights Table Row. A row in the tabbed summary table (Table tab) within the Assessment > Risks section, summarising the Water Risk Present score in a compact format.
Purpose: To provide a scannable comparison of water risk scores across indicators in a tabular layout alongside other risk metrics.
Description: The Table tab shows a condensed row for "Water Risk - Present" with: the KPI name, ESRS tag (E3), the selected category (e.g., "General"), the site grade (A–E), and the raw numeric value (0–5). Reference values for the worst end of the scale (E = 5) are shown for context.
How it's calculated: Same methodology as the gauge — reflects the currently selected category and indicator composite. The grade is derived from the same A–E thresholds (0–0.99 = A, 4–5 = E).
Interpretation example:
A row showing "Water Risk - Present / E3 / General / A / 0.94" means the site has an overall water risk score of 0.94 — grade A, indicating very low risk in the General (overall) category.
| Source | Provider | Coverage | Resolution | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas 4.0 | WRI (World Resources Institute) | Global | Sub-basin level | Continuous (baseline ~2019) |
| CMIP6 Multi-Model Ensemble (future projections) | CMIP6 / World Climate Research Programme | Global | ~100 km | 2030–2080, SSP1-2.6 / SSP3 / SSP5-8.5 |
The platform registers each site polygon with the WRI Resource Watch API to obtain a GeoStore identifier, then queries the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas 4.0 analysis endpoint for both baseline (present) and projected (future) water risk data.
For present-baseline indicators, the API returns sub-basin level values for 15 indicators across 4 categories. The four category composites (Overall Water Risk, Physical Risks — Quantity, Physical Risks — Quality, Regulatory & Reputational Risk) are pre-aggregated by WRI using a weighted scheme. The 13 directly weighted indicators receive the following weights in the overall composite: 4.0, 4.0, 0.5, 0.5, 4.0, 1.0, 1.0, 2.0, 2.0, 1.0, 2.0, 2.0, 0.5.
The "Combined" mode for individual indicators within a category is a frontend-only calculation: a simple arithmetic mean of the normalised (0–5) values of all indicators in the selected category. It does not correspond to a WRI composite index.
For future projections, 6 indicators are available across 3 time horizons (2030, 2050, 2080) and 3 IPCC scenarios (Optimistic SSP1-2.6, Business As Usual SSP3, Pessimistic SSP5-8.5), requiring 54 individual API calls per site. Results are stored and cached after generation.
All values are mapped to the platform's 0–5 continuous scale and assigned A–E quality grades using fixed thresholds: A = 0–0.99, B = 1–1.99, C = 2–2.99, D = 3–3.99, E = 4–5. Most indicators are inverted (higher = worse), with the sole exception of Water Supply where higher values indicate greater availability.