Rajakumar Baskar holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW), with a specialisation in Medical and Psychiatric social work (M&P), from the Madras School of Social Work (MSSW). He has worked in the development sector for more than 22 years in the domains of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Communication, Advocacy and Partnership (CAP), People Living with HIV (PLHV), Sexually Transmitted Infections / Reproductive Tract Infections (STI/RTI), HIV-TB Co-infections and Public Health issues.

His functional areas have been Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin SBM(G) Phase I & II, WASH in schools, hospitals, Anganwadi centres and during emergencies. His expertise includes sanitation technologies and capacity building. He is recognised by the UNICEF and SIRD as a state-level resource person for rural sanitation, Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS/CAT/CAS), Open Defecation Free (ODF/ODF-S/ODF+), and Appropriate Twin Leach Pit Toilet Technology and Retrofitting of Individual Household Latrine (IHHL).

Since March 2022, Rajakumar has been based in Tiruchirappalli as a Specialist-Social Development in the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) project. He is assisting in the implementation of strategy and sanitation programmes/projects pertaining to the urban poor with a focus on converting settlements into ODF zones and the conversion of insanitary toilets to sanitary infrastructure. He also contributes to the development of guidelines, training manuals, behavioural change communication and advocacy materials.

Saritha has nine years of diverse experience in office administration, business development and client servicing, public relations, and media management. She has worked in various sectors, including ITES, apparel, event management and insurance.

Prior to IIHS, Saritha worked with the Raasi Group of Companies, handling business operations and politics. Her responsibilities involved managing publicity strategies and campaigns for Indian Solar Association to promote “Make in India,” and solar power by coordinating between Government agencies and Cabinet Ministries, International Solar Alliance and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Saritha previously managed her own event management company, which developed various concepts for FMCG promotion.

At TNUSSP, Saritha handles office management and administration in Chennai.

Abhilaasha is an architect-urban planner with a strong passion for working on urban inclusion. She was one of the lead researchers in the Chennai Slum Sanitation Assessment project. A Consultant at the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme, her work for the past four years has been primarily on inclusive sanitation, specifically around gender equity issues across the full cycle of sanitation.

Having a keen interest in teaching, she has been part of the programme’s capacity-building efforts, learning visits and events. She has anchored multiple visits, including an international delegation from the Development Planning Unit, UCL and Overdue JUST Sanitation Project, Africa. She also teaches at the Urban Fellowship Programme at IIHS.

She has been an instrumental part of the Behaviour Change and Communication efforts of the programme, including campaigns like ‘Kakkaman’, ‘Women in Sanitation’ and the ‘We Speak Too’ seminar series. She has anchored several side events and presented at international conferences like the UN Water Conference, FSM 6, UNC Water and Health Conference, and World Water Week.

Previously, she worked as a Teaching Associate at the Faculty of Planning, and a Research Associate (Urban Housing and Informality) at the Centre for Urban Equity, CEPT University, Ahmedabad.

Amala Jancy Celine Rani holds a bachelor’s degree in Tamil Literature and another in social work (BSW), with a specialisation in Community Development (CD). She also has a diploma in Fashion Designing & Embroidery. She has completed typewriting courses in English (Senior Grade) and Tamil(Junior Grade)

She has two decades of work experience with Self-Help Groups, Entrepreneurship and other Development Programmes.

Since Feb 2019, Amala works with IIHS, as a Junior Specialist in the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) project implemented at Tiruchirappalli. She works on activities related to NULM SHGs, livelihood promotion, school wash programmes, MHM awareness programmes, etc. She also supports mobilising participants for skills training, awareness programmes, etc.

Amit Mahanti is a filmmaker, cinematographer and editor based in New Delhi. He has worked on films and video installations exploring ecological transformation, culture and politics. His films include ‘Every Time You Tell A Story’, ‘Scratches On Stone’ and ‘Two Autumns in Wyszogrod’. His films have had several institutional and film festival screenings including the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, the International Film Festival of India, the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, and Film South Asia (Kathmandu), among others.

Amit has been selected for art/film residency programs at Khoj Studios, New Delhi; Parco Arte Vivente Experimental Centre of Contemporary Art, Turin; Kran Film, Brussels and Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw. His work has been featured in group exhibitions, including ‘Sic Vos Non-Vobis / For You But Not Yours’ at Parco Arte Vivente Experimental Centre of Contemporary Art (Turin, 2014); ‘Evidence Room’ at Khoj Studios (New Delhi, 2017), ‘Naga Land’ at the Humboldt Forum (Berlin, 2022) and the Kochi Muziris Biennale (Kochi, 2022-23). Amit was a recipient of the Charles Wallace India Trust Short-term Fellowship in 2016. He has also been involved with several media-based community art projects in Meghalaya, Delhi, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.

Anand is a development professional with more than 10 years of experience in various thematic areas of WASH – market-based sanitation, designing, programmatic management, analysis and capacity and institution building, in Bihar and Mozambique.

Anand did his post-graduation in Social Work (MSW) with a specialisation in Rural & Urban Community Development. He was part of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship offered by the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India, with academic mentoring support from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). As part of the fellowship, he worked as the nodal person for Jahanabad District in Bihar and later as a State Consultant to design and implement the Swachh Bharat Mission in Bihar. His work with the district administration on addressing the challenges of open defecation in Jahanabad, Bihar, was documented and recognised by the Ministry of Rural Development.

His engagement at the state level focussed on leveraging the women-led community institutions nurtured by Jeevika (State Rural Livelihood Mission of Bihar) to improve and sustain the sanitation status quo of rural Bihar.

Anand was part of the UNICEF WASH emergency response team deployed in Kerala in the aftermath of the floods and landslides in 2018. He took part in drafting the WASH chapter of the ‘Post Disaster Needs Assessment’ report prepared by the United Nations for the Government of Kerala. He also developed and managed partnerships with community-based institutions, local self-governments and individuals at different levels. He has worked closely with the State Governments of Bihar and Kerala and NGOs to develop, implement and review sanitation programmes.

He was recently engaged as Sanitation Programme Support Officer (International Specialist, UNV) with the UNICEF Mozambique Country office with the key task of developing an appropriate Market-Based Sanitation roadmap for sustaining the ODF status and supporting the communities to climb the sanitation ladder by leveraging appropriate interventions. He was also engaged in the analysis of the sanitation and hygiene status of the country and the subsequent preparation of national and subnational sanitation profiling of Mozambique.

Ann is a Communication Consultant at TNUSSP since 2022. She began her career in the development sector in 2016. Ann holds an MPhil degree in Political Science from the University of Madras and completed her graduation in English Literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi. She has also completed a course on Strategic Management from IIM Bangalore.

Combining her skills in development research and communication, she has worked with various national and international non-governmental organisations with the ultimate aim of making a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. Ann is passionate about disability rights and hopes to develop a viable inclusive education model for children with intellectual disabilities.

When she’s not developing communication content and strategies, Ann loves to curl up in one corner with a book and a hot cup of cocoa, along with her little cat.

Arka was born in Kolkata, West Bengal. He completed his bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Calcutta and post-graduation in Human Rights from Rabindra Bharati University. Between under-graduation and post-graduation, he worked with grassroots organisations which worked for children.

With a wealth of experience spanning over 15 years, Divya Dhayalan is a versatile and dynamic design professional who has honed her skills to create compelling designs that effectively communicate complex ideas.

As a design consultant at TNUSSP, Divya collaborates with diverse teams of researchers and analysts to bring their ideas to life through visually stunning identity designs, data-driven posters, event collaterals, brochures, bilingual (English & Tamil) social media campaigns, templates, presentations, and report publications.

Donata Mary Rodrigues is an experienced development professional with a diverse portfolio of projects spanning over three decades. With a profound educational background and a fervent commitment to social development, she has consistently made a remarkable impact in her career. From her instrumental role as a Programme Assistant to her subsequent achievements as a Programme Manager and ultimately as a revered Country Director at a distinguished Swiss development organisation, she has showcased exceptional expertise in project coordination, strategic leadership, and advocacy. Her unwavering dedication to empowering marginalised communities establishes her as a development professional.

Currently, Donata works as a Lead in the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme, where she coordinates programme activities on gender and inclusive sanitation and manages key stakeholders in the government. She is responsible for ensuring effective quality assurance of programme outputs, managing the inter-dependencies of various sites and activities, and initiating appropriate corrective actions as needed.

Donata has an impressive academic background. She holds a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from the prestigious University of Oxford, along with an MBA in Accounting and Finance, a Certificate in Fundraising, an MA in Public Administration, and a B.Sc. in Zoology. Notably, she was honoured as a Commonwealth Scholar while pursuing her MA in Sustainable Development. These exceptional qualifications demonstrate her commitment to continuous learning and highlight her expertise in the field of development.

Fayaz Ahamed holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has seven years of experience in construction and environment-related projects. Prior to IIHS, he worked as Assistant Engineer at a renowned private sector company in Chennai.

At IIHS, he is part of the TNUSSP quality assurance and quality control teams. He provides technical support for the construction of FSTPs and decanting stations in the STPs. He also works in the area of Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) and co-treatment assessment, where he visits FSM plants and Sewage Treatment Plants across Tamil Nadu, assesses the Operations and Management of treatment facilities and provides implementation support for treatment systems.

Outside of work, he enjoys playing carrom and cricket. He is obsessed with music, especially melodies which help him stay focused during long work trips.

Gokul is a journalist and communications expert with over 13 years of experience in producing editorial content for print, digital and visual media. His articles on climate change, human rights and development have been published and reproduced across South Asia and Europe.

As a reporter, Gokul has travelled across the country, covering major developmental challenges. He has written extensively on the displacement of people from the Kosi River flooding in Bihar; the impact of climate change on the Gulf of Mannar ecosystem in Tamil Nadu; politics and policymaking on slum relocation and redevelopment in major cities of India; and environmental justice for victims of chronic pollution.

Gokul has also worked as an editor and newsroom manager. He was part of the leadership team creating editorial strategies at The New Indian Express. A media graduate, Gokul is skilled in audio and video editing, design and photography.

Govardhan is an Assistant Admin supporting the Administration team at the IIHS Chennai office. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), Chennai.

He previously worked as an Office Assistant at VP Associates, Chennai. Govardhan enjoys listening to music, playing cricket and cooking.

J Venketlakshmi holds a master’s degree in Microbiology, gaining 2nd rank at Bharathidasan University. Her passion for writing made her publish a paper at the International Conference at Bharathiar University during the year 2006. Her interests in researching life sciences paved the way to find novel antimycobacterial components from marine cyanobacteria: Nostoc sp and Oscillatoria sp at microlevels. She has also contributed a literature review of “Molecular Adaptations of Thermophiles.”

She won the TWAS fellowship in 2007 for doing a 4-year PhD programme in South America. She had won many prizes in quiz competitions, theme paintings, and indoor events at Intra and Inter-collegiate levels. Her curiosity in food microbiology and FSSAI led her to receive much training from lead professionals. She got engaged as a medical microbiologist for 4 years doing antibiotic assays, analysis (screening and differentiation of ubiquitous microbes), etc. Also worked as a senior supervisor in organising theme-based-outdoor-events for 3 years in the world’s biggest chain of group of hotels, Choice Hospitality achieving laurels in terms of digital feedback from corporates, launch events, etc.

At IIHS, Venketlakshi works for the CWIS project taking care of the front desk and other admin tasks like maintaining the travel desk (at Trichy), managing local transport and other event bookings.

In her free time, she loves reading, watching historic epics & dance-drama.

Jeevanraj is an Environmental Management Specialist with over 20 years of experience in the design, construction, commissioning and operation of industrial/municipal/domestic water and wastewater treatment plant projects. He worked as a Principal Advisor to the National Productivity Council, Government of India and as an External Faculty and Consultant for the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

Jeevanraj has also worked as the Head of a wastewater treatment plant in Dubai as well as other Water Management Service Firms where he was involved in the design, construction, commissioning and troubleshooting of water/wastewater treatment plants, zero discharge plants and energy recovery plants for medium and large-scale industries. He was also working as a Faculty at KAR Polytechnic College, where he developed the curriculum for the three-year polytechnic diploma in ‘Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control.

Jefflin Persis is a Communication Consultant at IIHS since September 2022. She has previously worked in multiple sectors, including development, digital marketing, technology, education, health & wellbeing, and website design.

As a consultant, Jefflin is all about executing creative ideas, being efficient, and collaborating to ensure optimal productivity. Jefflin is an avid learner who looks for new challenges to solve and builds skills along the way. She holds a ton of certifications and publications to testify to her learning, application, and growth over the years.

At TNUSSP, she is the SPOC with the MAWS department of the Government of Tamil Nadu and she maintains all content updates for the TNUSSP website. Apart from these, she also supports the entire TNUSSP team with any communication needs like mailer write-ups, newsletter & magazine articles, social media content, etc., in English or Tamil.

When she’s not staring at a Google Doc, you can find her staring at a screen, watching her comfort shows with a big mug of coffee.

Ravi, an environmental engineer, has worked for over 30 years in urban water supply and sanitation, industrial effluent treatment, and municipal solid and hazardous waste management. He has worked on policy, institution, technology, financing and monitoring. He has worked on projects in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives. His interests are in wastewater reuse, non-network sanitation and the financial sustainability of urban sanitation systems.

Kavita Wankhade works at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable, and efficient transformation of Indian settlements. With training in urban design, planning and social sciences, Kavita has worked as a researcher, project manager, and educator, and has developed her expertise through a rich mix of field research, managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders, teaching, and training. In her 17+ years of practice, she has been involved in serious engagement with various state governments in India, and multilateral institutions, as well as experience in the UK public sector. She has worked across sectors, with a focus on environmental services.

She has also anchored the development of a national policy paper on water and sanitation in Urban India; carried out monitoring and evaluation of an urban sanitation project in Katihar (Bihar), provided knowledge support to a national groundwater sanitation nexus programme (supported by Arghyam, a grant-maker in the water and sanitation sector). Kavita was the lead researcher in the Rockefeller – IIHS Urban India Policy Support partnership, where she was involved in the development of policy papers and briefs on urban water and sanitation and dissemination of findings through a series of workshops.

She currently leads the water and sanitation portfolio at IIHS. The key programmes under this include the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) which is supporting the Government of Tamil Nadu to scale up FSM across the 664 urban local bodies of the state- and City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) programme at Trichy, focussing on FSM and inclusive sanitation service delivery for all. A strong advocate of inclusive planning, her work specifically focuses on gender and the overall well-being of sanitation workers, looking at their occupational safety, welfare, health, and livelihoods. She has an overarching endeavour to be interdisciplinary, contextual, reflective and systemic in her work, and in bridging the practice-research divide.

Krishnapriya has an appreciable sixteen years of diverse customer-centric interventions prior to joining IIHS at Chennai.

Krishnapriya’s professional engagement began with All India Radio & Doordarshan as a programme assistant. At Skycel (Airtel) she began her journey with customer interaction, providing detailed information and maintaining their profiles. The role at Air Maldives made her more accustomed to customer interaction in the hospitality industry. When she moved to Supreme Power Equipment as a coordinator, she was well equipped to comfortably manoeuvre the orbit that agglomerated customers, vendors, board members, marketing and admin teams. As a front office executive, later on, in ITI Financial Services Krishnapriya focused on customers to respond to broking-related queries. At Godwill Enterprises, Krishnapriya continued to work in the same field as a customer relation manager.

At IIHS, Krishnapriya manages the front office, coordinates complete travel logistics, organises meetings and events, and supports library management. Away from professional commitment, Krishnapriya spends time reading books and listening to music.

Mahima Vijendra has a background in urban planning and environmental policy. She started her career in the UK working in development planning and has managed socioeconomic impact assessments, employment / industrial land reviews and infrastructure strategies. Since moving back to India, Mahima worked in environmental and sustainability consulting. She joined IIHS in 2018 and has since focused on urban water and sanitation.

As part of TNUSSP, Mahima has worked on areas related to institutional strengthening, policy and regulation, and funding. She has been involved in framing governance mechanisms and updating policy and legal documents for urban sanitation. Mahima has also conceptualised and executed several events on the work of TNUSSP. Over the course of her career, Mahima has developed skills to manage complex projects and multiple stakeholders, as well as anchor proposals and support business development efforts.

Manikandan holds a master’s in Computer Applications from Anna University, Coimbatore. He began his career as a system administrator at Jayaram College. He has more than six years of professional experience in IT. In the following years, he worked as an IT support engineer in hardware, networking and managing IT infrastructure. He spends his leisure time watching movies and cycling.

Mercy Clara is a social worker with 30 years of immense field-level experience. She holds a PG degree in Social Work and a Diploma in Social Development from Canada. She was trained on the Gramine model in Bangladesh for replication and the Corporative Banks model in Indonesia. She started her career at Activist for Social Alternatives (ASA) as an animator and was promoted to coordinator. Mercy also worked in various fields, including joint liability groups (JLG) and Self-help groups (SHGs).

She has been part of various programs against racism and casteism. She is a master trainer for SHGs. She has worked as the district officer in the Tamil Nadu livelihood program. She has worked with IFAD, Post Tsunami sustainable livelihood promotion as a state-level consultant.

Mercy is currently working with Indian IIHS-TNUSSP in the CWIS project as a Specialist in Social Development. She has played a key role in working with desludging operators for their occupational health and safety, organising federation and implementing the record-keeping app.

Monissha is a civil engineer with 5 years of experience in design, site inspection, costing, and tendering. She started her work at Cheralathan Associates as a structural designer, where her responsibilities included designing and drafting structural drawings. She also worked with the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) as a technical assistant, where she was responsible for checking the structural drawings and conducting site inspections.
She got placed at Bharathidasan University as a technical assistant, where she was involved in estimation, costing, and tendering in many civil engineering activities, in which she was responsible for commissioning wastewater treatment plants, gender-friendly toilets, and greywater management.

At IIHS, Monissha is a part of the City-wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) project as a junior specialist in engineering and governance. She is a professional classical dancer and loves doodling.

Nandagopal is part of the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) where he is involved in programme management. Nandagopal comes with close to 2.5 years of experience in research and programme management, and he has hands-on experience working on projects for various Government Agencies like the Food Corporation of India, MoHUA, South Carolina Department of Commerce and Australian Trade and Investment Commission India Office. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Cochin University of Science and Technology.

Nirvikalpa is a filmmaking professional and documentary filmmaker who has successfully written, shot, directed and edited over six long-form documentaries. The topics of his films largely cover the ecological and human capital devastation that the mainstream narrative of ‘development’ engenders.

Nirvikalpa’s last film, Devi’s Dilemma, was in the aftermath of the Kedarnath floods, and the causes that led up to it. His latest film, The Devi Chronicles, explores the myth and culture of Nanda Devi, the mountain, and the Goddess.

As part of the Media Lab in the IIHS-led TNUSSP, he has been working on creating films, videos and other media-related collateral that helps in disseminating TNUSSP’s vision and mission.

Niladri leads the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation Program (CWIS) in Trichy. He did his Masters in Ecology and Environmental Science and Population Studies. Niladri is a WASH practitioner with more than 16 years of experience. Working with people and solving real-world problems gives him an adrenalin rush. He is an avid traveller, reader, and photographer. During his leisure time, Niladri loves cooking scrumptious meals and watching gripping crime thrillers.

Nishchay holds a PG Diploma in application of Remote Sensing and GIS in urban and regional studies, IIRS, Dehradun, an M.Tech in URP, SPA Mysore, University of Mysore and a BE in Civil, The National Institute of Engineering, Mysore. He is an Urban Planner/Remote sensing and GIS enthusiast with proven experience in the preparation of GIS-based Master plans.

He has a keen interest and basic understanding of Remote Sensing and GeoSpatial Technology and its application in the urban planning domain. He also has a foundational understanding of Python, Javascript, and other necessary applications for handling, analysing, and building databases His hobbies include charcoal drawing, reading novels, cycling, aim and shoot photography.

Prasanth is a Media Specialist at IIHS. While working with ‘Zth Orbit’, a PR company, he was associated with Government bodies like Greater Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, Chennai Metro Water Board, etc. Documentation during the pandemic is another feather added to his cap apart from winning the Photography competition sorganised by the Thiruvallur District Collectorate.

While pursuing Post Graduation in the University of Madras, he was a part of teaching the tribal children, sorganised by the Journalism and Communication Department. He is passionate about teaching photography to kids. His other interests include cinematography and video editing.

Prithivi has diverse experience in working for projects of multi-governmental bodies like MoHUA, NITI Aayog, State Urban Development departments and the local governments. He worked as a Team Lead at the All India Institute of Local Self-government New Delhi, on projects of Master Plans, Zoning regulations, Training and Capacity building and proposal writing. He was also part of the core team of the National Urban Learning Platform with MoHUA and the National Institute of Urban Affairs for the implementation of the Phase 1 program in 15+ ULBs.

At IIHS, Prithivi is a part of the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Project (TNUSSP). He is involved in capacity building, IT backbone interventions, and implementation support of the project in the ULBs. He is a keen trekker and enjoys exploring untrodden places.

Madhumithra holds a LLM from Annamalai University and BAL, LLB from KLE Society’s Law College affiliated to Bangalore University. During his early career days, He interned at Krishna and Saurastri IP Law firm, Bengaluru from 2007-2008. He is enrolled as an Advocate with The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and has varied experience in transactional and litigation matters in Chennai and Bengaluru.

Madhumithra has received professional acknowledgement as a star performer during his work tenure at Tata Motor Finance Ltd, in the process of streamlining the litigation management filed against the company. Madhumithra also received professional recognition as a star performer during his tenure at Amicorp Management India Private Ltd, in streamlining the Incorporation and company management processes. His interests are drafting and reviewing contracts and conducting in-depth analyses of Court cases. His hobbies are playing cricket, music and singing.

At IIHS, Madhumithra supports the Legal and Regulation team. He works on assignments related to contract drafting, contract management, documentation support, legal memos, and opinion writing and assists with research work related to urban law regulation and policy.

Sadhana Holds a Masters In Research (MRes) in Human Rights and International Politics from the University of Glasgow. She had ardently pursued her MRes in Human rights to have strong Qualitative and quantitative research skills. She has been keen on Human rights issues associated with Ambedkarite and Dalit populations. She is keenly invested in gender and development in the Bahujan and Dalit communities. Keeping this research track in mind, she worked as a Researcher to enhance local self-governance with technology at Chennai’s Ward 135, a reserved ward for SC/ST women.

She has also been a project fellow for the RUSA 2.0 “Accessing public utility services at smaller villages of Tamilnadu”– A multidisciplinary project she was assigned to the Politics and Public Administration department at the University of Madras.

Sakthi has joined the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) at IIHS, as an Associate-Practice. Sakthi works with the team responsible for the Quality Assurance of the ongoing FSTPs and their allied activities. He has been working on the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project for more than five years. He has a keen interest in designing and executing nature-based treatment systems.

A sports enthusiast, Sakthi is a sprinter, hiker and passionate about cycling. He also holds two Guinness World Records for the most backward body skips in one minute and thirty seconds. He has also made it to the Limca, Asia and India Book of Records.

Santhosh is a Senior Lead at IIHS and is currently leading TNUSSP. An engineer by profession, he has a Master’s in Environmental Health from Cyprus International Institute. With over two decades of work experience in energy and environment services, he is currently working on sanitation, specifically on non-sewered sanitation. His hobbies and interests are reading, travelling and playing sports.

Sasikumar is a Senior Specialist at IIHS. He has more than 17 years of experience in the water supply and sanitation sector. Primarily a Civil Engineer, where he works on the engineering, planning, and implementation support component of the TNUSSP Project, interacting with the Directorate of Municipal Administration, Directorate of Town Panchayat, and other Go TN officials, partners, communities, institutions, and other stakeholders for essential TNUSSP activities at the state and city levels.

Under the project he was involved in overall construction management, quality assurance, performance monitoring, and contract management under the project at the assigned state and city level, as well as supporting the complete full-cycle sanitation value chain.

Senthil Kumar is part of the TNUSSP team at IIHS. He works in the areas of Faecal Sludge Management and Co-treatment assessment. He reviews sewage treatment plants across Tamil Nadu, assesses the operation and maintenance of treatment facilities and provides implementation support for treatment systems.

Senthil has 17 years of experience in designing, assessing and project planning of water and wastewater treatment systems. He has worked with different treatment technologies for sewage treatment and water recovery units. He also has experience in designing and implementing decentralised wastewater treatment systems of capacities varying from 5-kilo litres per day to 7 million litres per day. He has designed various water treatment plants ranging from plants for drinking water to industrial applications. He is a member of the Indian Water Works Association.

In Senthil’s last assignment with Lakshmi Energy and environment designs Limited, he implemented over 50 STPs, 40 ETPs and 25 R O plants. He works with technologies and systems of extended aeration, MBBR, SBR and MBR for wastewater treatment. He also designed and commissioned biogas plants for poultry waste and food waste.

In parallel, he worked with consultants to implement water treatment projects in Karnataka and with corporates to implement sewage treatment, water recovery and recycling plants. He also designed and installed treatment systems in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Nepal.

Shamna is a Specialist at TNUSSP. Following her B.Arch, she completed her M.Plan in Environmental Planning (School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal). Before joining TNUSSP in 2021, she worked with government bodies such as the Udaipur Municipal Corporation and Greater Chennai Corporation on Faecal Sludge Management and Smart School Project, respectively.

She has a penchant for research and an interest in working with government institutions and other stakeholders. At TNUSSP, she works majorly on governance and regulation, including supporting and liaising with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN), and FSM implementation across Tamil Nadu. She was part of the team that supported GoTN in formulating regulatory documents such as the revision of Operative Guidelines for Septage Management and other FSM governance mechanisms, formulation of Septage Management Rules etc.

She also supports the team on spatial and non-spatial data visualisation/analysis and project communications. As part of TNUSSP, she was selected to present at the 7th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference, held in Ivory Coast on the topic “Governance Mechanism for Shared FSM Services”. She enjoys social gatherings and, in her free time, likes to paint, read, swim, and play board games.

Shankar has over 19 years of experience in supply chain management, specialisation in procurement and vendor management. He has spent ten years of his career in a mechanical components manufacturing unit as a Plant Manager heading entire manufacturing operations and administration.
At TNUSSP, he is responsible for the office management and administration of the Trichy office.

Srinithi Sudhakar has a Master’s in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. She has 10 years of experience in planning, research and implementation of government development projects. At IIHS, she primarily works with the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation and Support Program (TNUSSP) and City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS).

At TNUSSP, she works on the study and strengthening of institutions and governance systems, which includes framing of legislative and regulatory frameworks and implementation support by liaising with the government for planning and delivery.

In the CWIS programme, she works on research and documentation for improving the occupational safety of sanitation workers. She has co-authored a journal article “Framework for Addressing Occupational Safety of De-sludging Operators” in the Journal of Environmental Management (JEMA) which was selected as the “Best published research paper” at the UNC Water and Health Conference 2021.

As part of IIHS, she is also involved in policy research and analysis, proposal development and communication.

Prior to IIHS, she worked with CDM Smith India Private Limited, where she was involved in the preparation of Social Impact Assessment reports, and Rehabilitation and Feasibility Reports for government infrastructure development projects.

Sriram has a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Civil Engineering. He has worked as a design and drafting engineer for the past 6 years in a private concern in Chennai. He has been working as a Junior consultant in IIHS-TNUSSP Trichy for the past one and a half years.

Subashini is an External Consultant with the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP). As part of her bachelor’s, she did a one-year internship in six areas, including Social Research, Community Medicine, and Psychiatry. Subashini did her final year dissertation, ‘A Study on Prevalence of Anxiety Disorder among Cancer Patients’, at Adayar Cancer Institute (WIA) in Chennai. She was also involved in a community-based study’ Re-Orientation of Medical Education (ROME) posting for Active Case Finding of Tuberculosis and Leprosy’ in the Villianur Primary Health Centre area at Puducherry.

She presented a research paper on ‘Sanitation & Hygiene Practices in Urban Slums in Chennai’ at the University of Madras while doing her under graduation. Previously, she worked as a part-time creative content writer at Medindia4u.com

Priscilla is a senior specialist in social development with over 24 years of extensive field research and global work experience in promoting the economic empowerment of women and the inclusive growth of societies. She has specialised in entrepreneurship development, community-driven development systems, participatory methodologies, gender-differentiated impact and skill development.

Priscilla has been involved in implementing the women’s self-help group movement in 7 states of India. She has supported the implementation of SHG poverty reduction programmes in Afghanistan, South Africa, Kenya, Brazil and Cambodia. Having worked with government projects and INGOs, she holds the unique advantage and skill set to navigate public-private partnerships. Priscilla has work experience in skills and placement, enterprise development and livelihoods promotion. She comes with proven skills in identifying/reviewing business initiatives, paving out activities and timelines, mentoring, implementation, and effective use of financial and monitoring tools related to enterprise promotion in more than 28 trades and has established 3 enterprise HUBs and an Enterprise Incubation centres including B2B online business among SHG women entrepreneurs.

She has been a part of the technical assistance team in the projects funded by in Brazil, ADB (Asian Development Bank) in Madhya Pradesh, SIDBI’s Poorest States Inclusive Growth (PSIG) project, and European UnionPondicherry government’s Tank Rehabilitation Project supported by.

Currently, As part of the TNUSSP, her work focuses on providing a gender lens to sanitation. She also coordinates several programs related to the improvement of community toilets, menstrual hygiene, and sanitation workers under the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation project in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.

She has managed a wide range of development projects in various capacities- from implementation in the field to senior management level. Priscila has been appreciated for her skills in preparing client-friendly learning materials and training modules. She is certified as a grade-A National level trainer under the central government’s Nation Rural Livelihood Mission. Priscilla holds a Master’s in Rural Technology and is currently proceeding with her doctorate in Women’s Empowerment.

Suhasini is a Communications Consultant with over nine years of work experience in content development and design. She specialises in strategising, developing, and styling research and communication materials for the development sector, including but not limited to, organisations in the gender, sustainability, and education space. She particularly enjoys working with think tanks, research consultancies, academic institutions, NGOs, and social enterprises.

Suhasini has a background in Sustainable Development and Gender. Her interests ad hobbies involve organising, solving jigsaw puzzles, and making ink and watercolour paintings.

Sundari is a post-graduate in Environmental Sciences with a passion for participating in environmental activities. During her studies, she volunteered in the Tiger census in Tamilnadu. Sundari joined IIHS in December 2022 as a consultant supporting the Engineering practice team in Trichy as part of the CWIS project. Her role involves the assessment of water pollution load and improving sanitation in Urban poor settlements in Kodappu, Trichy. In her free time, Sundari enjoys reading books, and creating abstract paintings and has a keen interest in Russian sculpture painting. She also enjoys hiking to explore and connect with nature.

Sunil is an engineer with a rural development management qualification. Over the past 19 years, he has worked in the areas of water and sanitation, livelihoods, community enterprises, agriculture value chain development, governance, and social risk advisory. He has worked across implementation, design, monitoring and evaluation, and policy advisory of social, rural, and urban development projects. He has worked with State and Central Governments, INGOs, multilateral agencies and private agencies.

Swapnil is an external consultant at TNUSSP. He supports interventions in sanitation and undertakes relevant research and advisory for programmes related to sanitation workers. He completed his Bachelor’s in Social Work with specialisation in Rural Development from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He also has a master’s degree in political science and over 1.5 decades of experience in the development sector. Over the years, he has worked for development project management, research, monitoring & evaluation, social enterprise development, resettlement & rehabilitation, community health, philanthropy, and fundraising.

Udhaya Kumar is an environmental engineer who worked in design, sampling and research in wastewater treatment projects for two years. He has freelanced as a Team Coordinator and Consultant in several sanitation-related environmental projects. He has also served as a vendor in community monitoring and data collection assignments with IIHS, Trichy.

At IIHS, Udhaya works on the CWIS project for the development of community-driven monitoring systems for sanitation-related infrastructures in Trichy.

Sivaraj is a Civil Engineer with over 8 years of experience. He has worked as an Assistant Engineer (Civil) at renowned private sector companies in high-rise residential construction projects and Wate Water Treatments Plants. At IIHS, he is an External consultant with TNUSSP and provides technical support for the ongoing FSTPs & STP co-treatment implementation in Tamil Nadu, which aligns with his interest in soil and water management.

After completing his graduation, Venkatraman B started his accounting career in Raman Associate as an article assistant, where he gained knowledge in audit and accounting for three years. Later, he joined Sree Pradha Management Services Private Limited as Senior Accounts Executive for 2.5 years, where he handled accounting for three companies. After this, he joined the Srisattva group as Business Analyst for 1.4 years, where he handled the accounting for four companies.

At IIHS-TNUSSP, he is an Associate of Finance & Accounts.

Yohananthan S is a dedicated and experienced Civil Engineer with over 16 years of expertise in building construction, water/ wastewater, and the WASH sector. He has substantial knowledge and experience with environmentally sustainable construction and is adept in carefully diagnosing and assessing issues and offering viable solutions.

He has worked on several significant projects, including the construction and supervision of Ground level service reservoirs, designing and executing sewer network systems, and supervising the construction of a water treatment plant in Bengaluru city. He has also worked in the utility sector in Vijayawada.

Currently, Yohananthan is a Senior Associate at Indian Institute for Human Settlements, where he leads engineering activities at the city-level in the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) project under TNUSSP. His responsibilities include providing engineering and implementation support to the CWIS project, implementing sanitation improvement methods in Trichy, assisting the Trichy City Corporation with various sanitation assessments and solutions, training the engineers, masons, and plumber on the onsite sanitation systems, technical support to ULB officers in the city, and other stakeholders of the project. Additionally, he will be supporting the scale-up of FSM in and around the Trichy region under TNUSSP.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Salem (Anna University), an MBA from Alagappa University, and is currently pursuing a master’s in environmental engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pits. Additionally, he has completed various training courses in underground drainage, FSM, and MS Projects. Also, he has participated in and contributed to various write-ups and reports under the CWIS project.