SaciWATERs, South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies, is a society that was established in 2002 with the aim of bringing an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective to water resource studies. It's primary mandate is to engage in direct policy research or work that would carry strong policy implications. A few of the organization's current areas of work are peri-urban water issues, gender and water, transboundary river governance with specific reference to Brahmaputra, WASH and drought monitoring in Telangana, facilitating education for future women leaders in the water sector, etc. Based in Hyderabad, India, the consortium comprises of accomplished scholars and NGO partners from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SaciWATERs is engaged in producing new knowledge to address the pressing problems in the water sector in south Asia through education, research and advocacy.

Current Partners

INREM Foundation is a research institution probing societal issues concerning water, public health, agriculture and the environment. The institution develops innovative inter-disciplinary solutions and brings them into the wider domain of practice by participating with communities and government.
INREM was constituted in 1994 with support from Winrock International, Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. It originally started with a need felt by natural resource economists to impact teaching, training and research in their field in India.

The University of Cologne (German: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with more than 48,000 students.


BVIEER has a wide mandate of teaching, research and extension. The major achievements include its projects and programs that have led to influencing environment policy and implementation of environment education at school and college level along with strategies for Protected Area Management. The Institute actively collaborates with several international Universities and organizations and has instituted semester exchange programs and international internship programs.

The Researcher is a consultancy firm, established in 2006 by Partha Sarathi Banerjee and Dr. Dayabati Roy (as partners) in 2009. Since then it had been engaged in and accomplished a number of research studies under the aegis of different research institutes and agencies, Indian and international, e.g. Understanding the issue of Land Acquisition for Industrialization from Community perspective, Study of Integrated Urban Water Management" in two cities of West Bengal and Assam, Impact of metering of Agricultural Tube wells on Groundwater use and Groundwater markets in West Bengal, Multiple use, Sustainable Rain water harvesting Model-an Impact study of Happa, Coastal Zone Management in West Bengal and Bangladesh, Impact of changes in Groundwater Act on electricity use and agricultural production in West Bengal.


Anna University is a public state university located in Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Guindy, Chennai and the satellite campus is in Chromepet, Chennai. It was established on 4 September 1978. The main campus houses the College of Engineering, Guindy; Alagappa College of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, and three technical departments of the University of Madras. The Madras Institute of Technology campus is located in Chromepet.


Delft University of Technology (Dutch: Technische Universiteit Delft) also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technological university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2019, it is ranked in the top 20 of best universities for engineering and technology worldwide and is the highest ranked university in the Netherlands.


Bangladesh is predominantly a floodplain country where water is key to socio-economic development and sustainability of the eco-system. Flood, drought, cyclone, river erosion, siltation, and water scarcity in dry season have made water management a challenging task. The gradual degradation of the environment due to human interventions is adding further complexities to water management. To address these issues, the Institute of Flood Control and Drainage Research was established in 1974 and later renamed as the Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) in 2002.


The Nepal Engineering College (nec) was established in 1994 as the first privately led not-for-profit social organization providing engineering education in Nepal and is the largest engineering college in terms annual student intake as well as in terms of area. Its main campus is located at Changunarayan, Bhaktapur. A second campus, in which Bachelors for Diploma Holders programs are run, is located at Mahalaxmisthan and a third campus, in which Masters Programs are run, is located at Prayag Pokhari, Lagankhel, Lalitpur. Established on 25 September 1994.

The University of Peradeniya (Sinhala: පේරාදෙණිය විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය, Tamil: பேராதனைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a state university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission.It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was originally established as the University of Ceylon in 1942.


Previous Partners

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas.[2] ICIMOD serves eight regional member countries (RMCs) of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan—and the global mountain community. Founded in 1983, ICIMOD is based in Lalitpur, Nepal, and brings together a partnership of its regional member countries, partner institutions, and donors to secure a better future for the people and environment of the extended Himalayan region.

WUR consists of Wageningen University and the former agricultural research institute of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Wageningen University trains specialists (BSc, MSc and PhD) in life and social sciences and focuses its research on scientific, social and commercial problems in the field of life sciences and natural resources. It is widely known for its agriculture, forestry, and environmental studies programs. The university has about 12,000 students from over 100 countries. It is also a member of the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS) university network.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice, or simply The Hague Institute, is an international think tank based in The Hague, Netherlands.[1] It was established in 2011 by a consortium of partners including the Municipality of The Hague, an academic coalition of Hague-based organizations and with support from the Dutch government. Its current president is Jordanian businesswoman Sohair Salam Saber.

MetaMeta provides research and consultancy services in water governance, and offers specialised communication products geared to the international resource management & development sectors. MetaMeta has also developed innovative new models for managing and monitoring complex programmes.

Aaranyak is a leading wildlife NGO based in Guwahati. It is a Scientific, Industrial Research and frontline environmental organization of India. It works all over the eastern Himalayan region on nature conservation, natural resources management, climate change, disaster management and livelihood enhancement of marginalized communities through research, education and advocacy.

Akvo is a not-for-profit internet and software developer, headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The foundation specializes primarily in building and operating data collection and visualization systems to be used in international development and aid activity. Akvo also operates the sustainable development wiki Akvopedia, which as of 2017 has 1956 content pages about water, sanitation and agriculture. Akvo was initially started as a project under the Netherlands Water Partnership in 2006

Bangladesh Agricultural University (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Bangladesh Krishi Bishshobiddalôe) or BAU was established as the only university of its kind in Bangladesh in 1961. The scheme for BAU was finalised on 8 June 1961 and its ordinance was promulgated on 18 August 1961. It started functioning with the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry at Mymensingh as its nucleus. The university has six faculties and 43 departments covering all aspects of agricultural education and research.

Huge plastic drums in lurid colours are lined up by the roadside. A train trundles past in the background. The scene is from a tiny ‘basti’ (slum) in Pattigadda in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. A flourishing metropolis driven by twin booms in pharmaceuticals and information technology, Hyderabad is also the India headquarters for companies like Google and Facebook.
The pipeline is being placed thanks to the female members of the local Basti Vikas Manch (BVM; slum development platform), who drafted petitions and relentlessly chased up city municipal authorities.

Together with environmental justice and human rights groups from poor and developing countries, Both ENDS works towards a sustainable, fair and inclusive world.

The Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (CNES) works on a range of issues and areas at both field and policy levels relating to health, education and other areas of governance, participative planning and rights, water resources, environment, rural livelihoods, peace building and building better understanding among communities.

The Center for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) is an Indian autonomous research institute, established in 1980 to facilitate research activity in Economics and Social Sciences. It was a brain child of B.P.R. Vithal, IAS (Retd)., a former Principal Secretary to Government of Andhra Pradesh, Finance and Planning Department. The campus is situated at Begumpet, in Hyderabad.

The Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR), established in 1970, is a premier organisation recognised and supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and Government of Gujarat. It is an approved institute of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat. GIDR undertakes analytical and policy-oriented research concerning development issues.

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, the sixth member of the IIT fraternity, was established in 1994. The academic programme of IIT Guwahati commenced in 1995. At present the Institute has eleven departments and five inter-disciplinary academic centres covering all the major engineering, science and humanities disciplines, offering BTech, BDes, MA, MDes, MTech, MSc and PhD programmes

The Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi (ICS) is one of the oldest research institutions on China and East Asia in India. With support from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, it is the mandate of the ICS to develop a strategic vision for India’s dealings with China and to help adapt India’s priorities quickly and appropriately to address the research and educational demands arising from China’s emergence. The ICS seeks to promote interdisciplinary study and research on China and the rest of East Asia with a focus on expertise in China’s domestic politics, international relations, economy, history, health, education, border studies, language and culture, and on India-China comparative studies. It also looks to fostering active links with business, media, government and non-governmental organizations in India through applied research, executive training programmes, and seminars and conferences, and to serve as a repository of knowledge and data grounded in first-hand research on Chinese politics, economy, international relations, society and culture.

Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) is a non-profit research organisation, registered under both Public Trusts Act and Societies Act. It was set up in August 2008 and undertakes inter- and multi-disciplinary research projects, consultancies and training in the field of natural resources management. Its goal is to promote sustainable systems for management of natural resources and their related services, particularly land and water resources, for improved food security, livelihoods and environment. Its administrative office is located in Hyderabad, India and has a liaison office in New Delhi.

IWMI is a research-for-development (R4D) organization, with offices in 13 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 30 countries. For over three decades, our research results have led to changes in water management that have contributed to social and economic development.

The Lancang-Mekong area is one of the regions with the greatest development potential in Asia and beyond. Lancang and Mekong differ in name, but refer to the same river—an important river running across China and the Indo-China Peninsula. Originating from China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the river has its source in Yushu of Qinghai Province. It is called Lancang River in China, while in its downstream after flowing out of Yunnan Province, it is called the Mekong River, running across Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, measuring 4,880 kilometers in length, covering an area of 795,000 square kilometers, and feeding altogether 326 million people

Nepal Madhesh Foundation (NEMAF) is an independent non-governmental organization, established in September, 2007. Its head office is located in Kupandole, Lalitpur and the provincial office is at Janakpur, Nepal.

The University of North Bengal ; also known as NBU is a public research university in Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. A second campus is in Danguajhar, Jalpaiguri in Jalpaiguri district, also in West Bengal. The university was established in 1962 to fill growing manpower needs in the six North Bengal districts and the neighbouring state of Sikkim. North Bengal University offers degrees in undergraduate, post-graduate, M. Phil and doctorate programs.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) (Dzongkha: རྒྱལ་འཛིན་རང་བཞིན་སྲུང་སྐྱོབ་ཚོགས་སྡེ་; Wylie: Rgyal-'dzin Rang-bzhin Srung-skyob Tshogs-sde; Gyäzin Rangzhin Rungchop Tshogde) is Bhutan's first and only non-governmental organization nonprofit organization with nationwide operations.
Since its establishment in 1987, the RSPN has promoted environmental education and advocacy, conservation and sustainable livelihoods, research and emerging issues like climate change, water and solid waste. The Society was registered under the Companies Act of Bhutan until last quarter of 2009 without proper authority which regulated the non-profit organization, with a special clause on non-profit entity. With the establishment of Civil Society Authority of Bhutan, the Society is now registered Civil Society Organization Authority as one of the Public Benefit Organizations under Bhutanese law. The RSPN celebrated its Silver Jubilee on 24 October 2012

SOPPECOM is one of the core group members of the Vikalp Sangam, a network of people and organisations on Alternatives. The Vikalp Sangam Core Group has recently published a document on resilient community responses to livelihood, food, and health crises, 'Extraordinary Work of 'Ordinary' People: Beyond Pandemics and Lockdowns'. This is the first in a series of documents on the theme, showcasing inspiring initiatives across India and is available in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Tamil and Spanish.

Government of Telangana is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Telangana, India. The state government is headed by the Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of states of India Governor of Telangana as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as the real head of the executive. The governor who is appointed for five years appoints the chief minister and his council of ministers. Even though the governor remains the ceremonial head of the state, the day-to-day running of the government is taken care of by the chief minister and his council of ministers in whom a great deal of legislative powers is vested. The state government maintains its capital at Hyderabad and is seated at the Government Secretariat or the Sachivalayam.
The Government of Telangana was formed on 2 June 2014 after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as part of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is a multi-campus public research university in Mumbai, India. It is Asia's oldest institute for professional social work education and was founded in 1936 in then Bombay Presidency of British India as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. In 1944, the institute was officially renamed as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and in 1964, the Government of India declared TISS as deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act (UGC), 1956

SaciWATERs offers fellowship for students and professionals in the field of research, administration, media management etc. The applicants would be offered the fellowship depending on their qualification and area of interest. If you would like to get involved, please write to us with a detailed CV and a cover letter stating the reasons for your interest at: jobs@saciwaters.org. Please do mention “Fellowship” in the subject heading.

SaciWATERs is always looking to engage with professionals and scholars from Environmental sciences/ Geography/ Economics/ Agriculture/ Hydrology/ Social work/ Disaster Management/ Development Studies/ or any other scientific field associated with water-society relationships, on our various action-research projects on water policy and governance, water quality, urban water, and WASH. If you would like to engage with us, please write to us with a detailed CV and a cover letter stating the reasons for your interest at: jobs@saciwaters.org.

SaciWATERs offers various internship position for students and professionals in the field of research, administration, media management etc. The applicants would be offered the assignments depending on their qualification and area of interest. If you would like to get involved, please write to us with a detailed CV and a cover letter stating the reasons for your interest at: jobs@saciwaters.org. Please do mention “Internship position” in the subject heading.

SaciWATERs offers various volunteer position for students and professionals in the field of research, administration, media management etc. The applicants would be offered the assignments depending on their qualification and area of interest. If you would like to get involved, please write to us with a detailed CV and a cover letter stating the reasons for your interest at: jobs@saciwaters.org. Please do mention “Volunteering position” in the subject heading.