Pune scientist Himanshu Kulkarni becomes first Indian to win International Water Prize

Dr. Himanshu Kulkarni, a Pune-based scientist, has become the first individual from the Indian subcontinent to receive the prestigious International Water Prize.

The biennial award, instituted in 2009 by the WaTER Center at the University of Oklahoma, USA, honours outstanding contributions in the field of water supply and sanitation, particularly in developing countries.

Although the award for Kulkarni was announced in 2024, he formally received it at a ceremony held on September 15. The recognition comes with a trophy and a cash prize of USD 25,000.

Kulkarni is the founder Trustee and Secretary of ACWADAM (Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management), Pune. He also serves as Professor of Practice in Rural Management at Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence Deemed to be University and Visiting Professor at the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

He has contributed significantly to groundwater management in India. As co-chair of a Working Group of the 12th Plan of the Niti Ayog, he played a key role in drafting the National Aquifer Mapping Program.

Kulkarni said that the award was a reflection of the many partnerships and collaborations that ACWADAM had been able to catalyse through its work on aquifer-based groundwater management using the concept of community partnerships. He added that enabling the management and governance of groundwater as a common pool resource was the way forward in resolving the crisis surrounding groundwater resources in India.

The International Water Prize recognizes individuals who have made impactful global contributions through research, teaching, or service activities. Its primary focus is on improving water supply and sanitation for the world’s poorest populations in developing nations.