Episode 08: Water and health

“Whether our efforts are, or not, favored by life, let us be able to say, when we come near to the great goal, I have done what I could.”

- Louis Pasteur

Thanks everyone for joining us on this journey as we discover the ecosystem around infectious disease research, practice and policy in India.

In this episode of IDRF Speaks we speak to Vishwanath S - a.k.a zenrainman, Director of the Biome Environmental solutions and trustee of the the Biome Trust - working on -“Facilitating livelihood-centered sustainable water and sanitation systems”. He is also the visiting faculty at the Azim Premji University’s School of Development, where he teaches a course on water conservation, sustainable groundwater management, water ‑reuse and recycle. He is a Civil Engineer from Mysore University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT, Ahmedabad. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban Environmental Management from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He has worked with policy teams on the State Water Policy, Rainwater harvesting policy and bye-laws for Bengaluru city, Wastewater reuse policy for the state of Karnataka and was also an adviser for the National Wastewater Policy.

We are speaking to him because of his contribution the the wastewater surveillance programs in the Bengaluru area that are tracking SARS-CoV-2. This is a delightful and candid conversation - I always learn a lot when Vishwanath is part of the conversation, and I am happy to be able to share this with you.

Vishwanath S

We start with asking the question - Why isn’t tap water potable in India and how to wet get there? We keep returning to the inadequate support for institutions in providing a 24 hour water supply and explore the multifaceted problem of delivering adequate water that is safe for human use. We talk about his experience of engaging with stakeholders contributions to policy -and the challenges at the interface of the scientific enterprise and the real world. The discussion veers from discussing the cost of water, the history and marvel of water supply to the city of Bengaluru, monitoring the health of the water, treatment of wastewater and monitoring it for diseases such as cholera and antimicrobial resistance.

This conversation is filled with insights - and Vishwanth brings the same empathy, the ability to listen that he recommends for those who aspire to be change-makers.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are entering a new era in the environmental surveillance for pathogens. It seems reasonable to ask the question, what is going around us and get useful answers. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

#wastewater #BWSSB #wastewaterSurveillance #sewage #Bengaluru #pathogens #AMR #sewageTreatmentPlants #waterpolicy #urbanHealth

We recorded this at Takshashila- to everyone who made this possible, thank you!