Tanya is a Program Officer under the Sanitation Capacity Building Platform at NIUA. She is an Architect and Urban Regeneration professional and graduated with honors from the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She received the merit excellence scholarship for securing the first position throughout her master's. She has 2 years of experience as a landscape architect and has interned as a researcher with SMART City Chandigarh and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA). She has also worked on the city-level planning for Leh, Ladakh from a water and ecological perspective and in Shillong from a sociocultural lens. Her interests lie in water rejuvenation and conservation, building climate resilience and working towards enhancing the quality of life in urban areas whilst strengthening communities and marginalised groups

Anant is an Environmental and Civil Engineer with a specialisation in Urban Water Management. His expertise spans across research, capacity building, implementation, and policy analysis. In his current role as a Programme Officer with Sanitation Capacity Building Programme, Anant works on building capacities of relevant and important stakeholders in the sector of Water and Sanitation through his work on the development and dissemination of technical modules at National and Regional levels. Anant is a Birkigt Scholar and Holland Excellence Scholar and holds a Master’s degree from ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He holds an International experience in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector given his time working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Furthermore, he worked at the grassroot level during his time with Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) on increasing access to water and wastewater management for vulnerable communities in Tier 3 cities of India. With published literature on Sanitation planning frameworks, Decentralized wastewater management, and Nature based solutions, Anant takes keen interest in bringing research to the forefront of his work.

Mr. Shantanu Kumar Padhi, an Environmental Engineer, works as a Senior Program Manager - SCBP at National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), a national think tank. Shantanu has closely worked with the governments at city, state and national level of India and African countries to jointly find solutions for achieving sanitation for all. He has authored reports/guides like Integrated Wastewater and Faecal Sludge for Ghana, Guidebook on Co-treatment for Dehradun contributed to the development of web-based tools like Shit Flow Diagram. Prior joining to NIUA he was working with Centre for Science and Environment where he was co-ordinating technical support units in two small towns of Uttar Pradesh for mainstreaming faecal sludge and septage management to achieve citywide sanitation.

Environmental researcher and capacity building trainer with 15 years of experience in mainstreaming urban water and sanitation management across human settlements of India, South Asia and African Countries. The work includes research, capacity building, advocacy and project implementation on decentralized wastewater management, citywide inclusive sanitation, water and sanitation safety planning, preparation of city sanitation plans and faecal sludge and septage management.

Mr. Suvajit Dey, who served as a Program Officer at SCBP-NIUA, from March 2024 to January 2026, is a Water Resources Management professional with over four years of experience (as of 2026) specializing in River Basin Management, WASH planning, and Geoinformatics. He is a UGC JRF awardee and holds a master's degree from JNU, New Delhi. During his tenure at SCBP-NIUA, he worked extensively on improving water and sanitation service delivery across the state of Uttarakhand and the town of Darjeeling in West Bengal. His work focused on strengthening water governance, urban sanitation planning, capacity building, and climate-resilient water management strategies. His research on Water Governance and Stormwater Management was selected for presentation at the International Water Association (IWA) Water Congress 2025 in Thailand, highlighting his contributions to the field. Through his work, he integrates WASH planning, geospatial analysis, and climate resilience approaches, bridging technical solutions with policy and planning frameworks to address contemporary water management challenges.

Greetings! I'm Sachin Sahani, currently contributing as a Program Officer (Technical) at NIUA in New Delhi. My journey includes an MTech in Environmental Engineering from Central University of Pondicherry, complemented by a background in civil engineering and 3 years of dedicated experience in the WASH sector. My passion lies in pioneering research, notably on Fecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) across India. I've also provided crucial technical support to municipalities in Bangladesh and South Africa, focusing on advancing Sanitation Advocacy tools with an emphasis on Non-sewered Nature Based Sanitation. My expertise extends to preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the Co-treatment of faecal sludge at Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), as well as designing Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) and Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) for optimal FSSM outcomes. Beyond my professional pursuits, I indulge in culinary adventures and love exploring new destinations.

Mr. Harshvardhan Nigam currently holds the position of Senior Programme Officer at SCBP NIUA. He is an Architect and an Urban Planner by qualification. With 5 years of experience in SWM & WASH with various Government bodies, Mr. Nigam brings in a portfolio of Capacity Building and Project Consultancy & Strategy. He has a record of sound judgement and a steadfast commitment to ethical principles during his tenure. Outside of work, Harshvardhan enjoys occasional swims and treks.

An Architect and an Urban Regeneration specialist by profession, Vanshika Bajaj is a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated professional with a background in Urban Design, Planning, and Research. She is skilled in conducting spatial Analysis to identify issues and potential related to socio-ecological aspects of urban Areas. She has also gained experience in research, and documentation along with on-site surveys, fieldwork, interviews, community participation, and focused group discussions. She joined the Sanitation Capacity Building Platform at the National Institute of Urban Affairs for the City Sanitation Project in 2024.

A dedicated post-graduate student with a passion for urban planning. With a background in Architecture from Integral University and 4 years of industry experience, she made a deliberate shift into urban planning during graduate studies. Currently immersed in the impactful 'Sanitation and Capacity Building Platform' project with NIUA in Dehradun, Fatma is driven by her passion for shaping sustainable urban landscapes.

Dr. Debolina Kundu is a Professor at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, India and has over 20 years of professional experience in the field of development studies. She is a doctoral fellow with the ICSSR and has a Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University on urban governance. She has worked as consultant with, ADB, LSE, IIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCAP, KfW, GIZ, Urban Institute, Washington, East-West Centre, Honolulu etc., on issues of urbanization, migration, urban development policies, municipal finance, governance and exclusion. She is currently Professor and Editor of journals Environment and Urbanisation, Asia (SAGE) and Urban India (NIUA). She is the Country Investigator – India, for the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Centre for Sustainable Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (SHLC), which is supported by UK Research and Innovation. SHLC is an international, interdisciplinary and collaborative project, which aims to strengthen capacity in order to increase understanding of sustainable neighbourhoods and address urban, health and education challenges in fast growing cities across Africa and Asia. A member of the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission, she has several articles published in books and journals.

An architect whose professional development is currently underway to become an urban planner, emphasizing community-centric design and environmental consciousness.

She comes from an architecture background with a master's in urban regeneration. She has a keen interest in geo-informatics, spatial analysis, and regenerative approaches for ecological and socio-economical issues in urban areas. She is skilled in research, data visualisation, documentation, and fieldwork.

Possessing a master's degree in Energy and Environmental Management and over 10 years of experience, with demonstrated expertise in various facets of environmental management, including solid and liquid waste management, environmental impact assessments, compliance with regulatory safeguards, and the formulation of comprehensive management plans. Extensive experience in hilly terrains has cultivated a profound understanding of the unique challenges and solutions pertinent to these regions. Currently serving as the State Coordinator for the State Capacity Building Programme (SCBP) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in Uttarakhand, specializing in faecal sludge and septage management, alongside other WASH-related domains.

I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Planning from Jamia Millia Islamia, with an academic background in Geography and a strong interest in environmental planning. My work includes environmental analysis, GIS-based spatial studies, and thematic mapping. I am passionate about applying planning tools to address sustainability and environmental challenges.

Anamta Zehra is an Architect and Urban Regeneration specialist with a strong interest in spatial analysis and digital mapping to support regenerative approaches to urban development. She has developed expertise in research, documentation, data visualization, fieldwork, on-site surveys, interviews, and focused group discussions. Her work is guided by a deep interest in understanding how urban environments shape – and are shaped by – socio-economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of cities.

Saud Siddiqui holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Jamia Millia Islamia. His academic and professional interests lie in geo-informatics, spatial planning, and urban development strategies aimed at promoting inclusivity, sustainability, and addressing socio-economic challenges in urban areas. He possesses strong skills in research, data visualization, documentation, fieldwork, and survey methodologies