Assumptions and risk in water planning

As water systems face growing pressure, certainty is harder to come by. Yet many planning decisions still rely on assumptions that are rarely revisited.

In this video, Pradeep Nagarajan, Distinguished Technical Leader at GHD, examines how these unchecked assumptions can increase risk across water planning and infrastructure projects. He reflects on why good decisions depend on challenging what we think we know, combining multiple data sources and grounding analysis in real world operational knowledge.

• how assumptions influence risk and outcomes in water planning
• why uncertainty, not lack of data, often drives poor decisions
• how combining data with operational knowledge strengthens engineering judgement

Watch the video to see how a deliberate pause in the planning process can reshape decision‑making in complex water planning contexts.