Board of Governors
India Water Partnership
Dr. Alok K Sikka, President, India Water Partnership (IWP)
Dr. Alok K Sikka, President, India Water Partnership (IWP) is Emeritus Scientist, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), India; Formerly,
IWMI Representative, India and Bangladesh and Senior Fellow; Deputy Director General (NRM), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Technical Expert (Watershed Development), National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Planning Commission, Government of India; and Basin Coordinator Indo-Gangetic Basin-CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food.
Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Hydrology & Water Resources) from Utah State University, Logan, Dr Sikka has a rare combination of research & technology development, research management, policy formulation, project implementation, consultancy projects, teaching and
capacity building, extension and uptake in the field of hydrology, irrigation & water management, integrated water resources management, climate change, climate smart agri-water systems, managed aquifer recharge, soil & water conservation, watershed management, water risks management-drought and flood, solar irrigation, water institutions and policies, development of DSS/tools in water management including India Water
Productivity Atlas and integrated farming systems. Dr. Sikka has rich and wide-ranging experience of over 47 years across the interface of water,
agriculture, energy and environment including water-energy-food-environment nexus in different capacities.
He has served in various capacities in different Government of India departments including National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee; Director, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region and Head, Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Ooty. He was also visiting Professor at University of Arizona, Tucson; and faculty at Oregon State University; Corvallis; USA and has been associated with many internationally supported projects including DFID, ACIAR, USAID, GIZ, SDC, CGIAR, World Bank, etc.
Having more than 250 publications in the form of research papers in the International and National Journals/Proceedings, book chapters, bulletins, policy briefs/papers, reports and books to his credit, Dr. Alok K Sikka is recipient of many National awards/recognitions including fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS).
He has served as the Chairman/Member of many National and International Committees/Task Forces. To name a few, Chairman, Task Force on Bureau of Water Use Efficiency, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India; Member, National Task Force for Integrated Water Resources Development and Management (NTFIWRDM), Government of India and Chairman of its Working Group on IWRM; Chairman, Drought Management for
development of Drought Management Plan for Maharashtra, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India; Expert Member, Thematic Group on Water
Sector-National Adaptation Plan (NAP), MOEFCC, Govt. of India.
Dr. R.K Gupta, Vice-President India Water Partnership (IWP)
Dr. R.K Gupta, Vice-President India Water Partnership (IWP) is also Secretary General, International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage has more than 38 years of extensive experience and specialization in Water Resources Management, Hydraulic Engineering, and River Basin Development. His expertise spans various areas like flood management, water cooperation, planning & design of water resources schemes, including Dam Safety Management. Additionally, he has significant experience in Hydropower Development, including the design and construction of tunnels and other underground works.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from Delhi College of Engineering, a Master of Technology in Applied Mechanics from IIT Delhi, and both an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Hydraulics from IHE, Netherlands. Dr. Gupta began his career at the Central Water Commission (CWC), a premier Indian government organization in the water sector, and eventually served as its Chairman, a position equivalent to the Secretary to the Government of India. His extensive experience and academic credentials have established him as a highly respected figure in the Indian water resources management domain.
Mr. Sanjay Sharma, General Secretary (IWP)
Mr. Sanjay Sharma, General Secretary (IWP) is also Senior General Manager, (Infs.II), WAPCOS Limited. He is M. Tech in Water Resources Management from IIT Delhi & B. Tech in civil engineering from REC, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. He is a certified Project Management Professional with over 26 years of rich experience in various Water Resources & Infrastructure Projects in India and abroad. His experience involved in organizing detailed surveys and field investigations, preparation of Master Plans, City Development Plans, Feasibility Reports, and Detailed Project Reports etc.
Mr. Sanjay Sharma has rich experience in Project Planning, Contract Management, Material Management, Construction Supervision and Project Implementation.
He is also actively involved in business development activities of the Company in India and abroad. He is member of India Water Works Association, Nagpur and member Institution of Engineers (India).
Dr. Anil Mehta, Joint Secretary (IWP)
Dr. Anil Mehta, Joint Secretary (IWP) holds Ph.D (Civil Engineering) Integrated Water Resources Management. He has dedicated his past 31 years to protecting and conserving lakes and water resources. He is a renowned academician, researcher, and environmentalist and community organizer, instrumental in the conservation of Udaipur lakes including bio control of water hyacinth and the establishment of a lake development Authority. He is also known as “Jal Purush” and “Citizen Engineer”.
Dr. Mehta is the Founder Joint Secretary of the grassroots civil society organization, “Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti” (JSS) which is also a partner organization of GWP. He has served on the AICTE’s core group on preparing road map of conservation of the lakes of India. He has also served as the honorary visiting faculty at International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED) an institution of comptroller and auditor general of India. He gives lecture; and arranges field orientation of IAAS trainee officers.
Dr. Mehta expertise in Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM), Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), and eco-centric urban planning has earned him national and international recognition. He is honoured by numerous organizations for his contributions to environmental conservation, including the Dr. Yashwant Rao Kelkar Award.
He is presently Heading Vidya Bhawan Polytechnic ( IWP Partner Organisation)
Ms. A Uma Rani, Treasurer (IWP)
Ms. A Uma Rani, Treasurer (IWP) is Bachelor’s in Science (Agriculture) from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University Coimbatore and Masters in Sociology and Management Education Program (MEP) from IIM, Ahmadabad. She is also Programme Leader in Dhan Foundation and CEO for Kalanjiam Foundation, a subsidiary of Dhan foundation. Throughout her career she has been engaged in providing training and capacity building to various national and international stakeholders’ e.g. Advanced reflective and education and training program on development finance and livelihood development, classes on livelihood and human resource management for middle level executives of other NGOs.
She is instrumental in management of a national level institution, implementing community banking programme (women SHGs and their federations) with more than 9 lakhs poor households in 12 states of India. She is also involved in framing policies on community banking, institution sustainability and integration of livelihoods models in to SHG federations. She has also visited microfinance and micro insurance organizations as part of study and learning assignment to Bangladesh, Philippines, The Netherlands, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Dr. A K Nayak, Member (IWP)
Dr. Amaresh Kumar Nayak, Member, IWP is Deputy Director General (NRM) ICAR. He completed his B.Sc. (Ag.) from OUAT, Bhubaneswar in the year 1991, M.Sc. (Ag) in 1993 and Ph.D. in 1996 from BHU Varanasi. He joined ICAR as an ARS Scientist in the year 1996. He is a renowned Soil Scientist with specialized research area on Nutrient management, Carbon sequestration, Problem soil management, Water quality assessment and modeling, and Climate change: adaptation and mitigation. He has been awarded with many prestigious awards such as Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASc) 2022; Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS) 2015;
Nanaji Deshmukh ICAR Team Award for outstanding interdisciplinary team research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences 2020; Hari Om Ashram Trust Award for Outstanding Team Research Award 2012; Indo-U.S Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship 2008; Dr. J.S.P. Yadav Memorial Award 2013; Australian Endeavour Executive Fellow 2018; Visiting Scientist to SWERI, ARC, Egypt 2007-2008; IPNI-FAI Award 2016; SCON & SIT Excellence in Science Award 2021; CRRI Best Working Award 2013; Basudha Samman (Prahallad Nath Birth Centenary Celebration)-2023; Dr. MS Swaminathan Agriculture Excellence Award-Agri-vision 2024; Lifetime Achievement Award- 2024 by Pragati International Scientific Research Foundation, India; and many more. He has over 284 research papers; 16 books and several book chapters and technical bulletin for his
credit. H-index: 51; i10-index: 182; Citations: 9874
Mr. Padma Dorje Gyamba, Member (IWP)
Mr. Padma Dorje Gyamba, Member (IWP) is a 1993 batch Central Water Engineering Services (CWES) Officer. He is currently Chief Engineer, POMIO in Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India and associated with CWC new initiative Support for Irrigation Modernisation Programme (SIMP) in India supported by Asian Development Bank. He was associated with managing Trans-boundary floods viz Sutlej Flood 2000, Parechu Flood 2005 Artificial lake creation during 2015 (inside Tibet-China) and Phuktal Gonpa Flood-2013 in Zanskar River in Ladakh. Mr. Dorje has worked in water resources sector in Government of India for 30 years at Central Water Commission (CWC), in the fields of Hydrological Observation, Flood Forecasting, Snow Hydrology Studies, Project Monitoring and Appraisal both Irrigation and Flood Management Project (FMP).
He obtained his graduation in Mechanical Engineering in the year 1991. Before joining CWC, he has worked with Bharat Electronics Ltd., a Ministry of Defence undertaking in the year 1992.
Dr. Sanjay Belsare, Member, IWP is Secretary
Dr. Sanjay Belsare, Member, IWP is Secretary (CAD), Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra. He is responsible for Irrigation Management, Flood Management, Hydropower development and implementation of PMKSY (National flagship programme) in the State. He has rich experience of 32 years in Water Sector. He has been instrumental in implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in the State. He has been part of core team involved in reforms in water sector in Maharashtra.
He is responsible for Irrigation Management, Flood Management, Hydropower development and implementation of PMKSY (National flagship programme) in the State. He has rich experience of 32 years in Water Sector. He has been instrumental in implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in the State. He has been part of core team involved in reforms in water sector in Maharashtra.
He was Vice chairman of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) working group on Young Professional Forum. Presently he is member of ICID working on Modernization and Revitalization of Irrigation Projects. He has participated in many international conference and recently completed Certificate program in Public Policy at Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley.