Professor Himanshu Kulkarni Becomes First Recipient from the Indian Subcontinent of the International Water Prize

Professor Himanshu Kulkarni, Professor of Practice in Rural Management at Shiv Nadar University, has become the first recipient from the Indian subcontinent of the biennial International Water Prize, awarded by the WaTER Center at the University of Oklahoma since 2009.

The prize recognises significant contributions to water supply and sanitation in emerging regions.

Though announced in 2024, Professor Kulkarni received the award on September 15 this year. He is a co-chair of a Working Group for the National Aquifer Mapping Program and a founder of ACWADAM in Pune. Currently, he serves as a Visiting Professor at IIT Bombay and TISS.

Professor Kulkarni stated, “This award reflects the partnerships ACWADAM has fostered in aquifer-based groundwater management. Effective governance of groundwater as a common resource is essential to addressing India’s groundwater crisis.”