PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The South Asian Water (SAWA) Leadership Programme on Climate Change was a fellowship initiative that awarded funding to 36 women enrolled in master level Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) programmes across four leading universities in South Asia. Funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, the programme ran from November 2017 to October 2021 with SaciWATERs serving as the nodal agency, coordinating efforts across partner universities in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO

The programme aimed to create a community of interdisciplinary women leaders across South Asia with a shared understanding of the complex scientific and societal dimensions of water resources management. It did this through four core pillars:

Research Excellence: Intensive training in interdisciplinary research methods, ensuring fellows could apply rigorous analytical frameworks to real world water challenges.

Mentorship: Dedicated academic and professional mentorship to support each fellow throughout her research journey.

Internships: Hands on placements allowing fellows to connect their research directly to policy decisions and on the ground applications.

Common Curriculum: A shared learning framework developed across all four partner institutions to ensure coherence, consistency and regional relevance.

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

"Engineering frameworks alone fail to consider the socioeconomic and interdisciplinary dimensions of water. There is a dire need to adopt a more holistic approach... The implementation of IWRM techniques in all project planning, design, and implementation is critical."

— Nazmun Naher, SAWA Fellowship Recipient, BUET, Bangladesh

OUR IMPACT AT A GLANCE

All fellows integrated gender perspectives into their research on water and climate change.

Graduates are now working in academic institutions, government agencies and international research bodies across South Asia.

PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

A Collaborative Regional Network:

• India: Centre for Water Resources (CWR), Anna University, Tamil Nadu.
• Bangladesh: Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), BUET, Dhaka.
• Nepal: Nepal Engineering College (NEC), Kathmandu.
• Sri Lanka: Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya.