Candidates South Asia
Dhawal Patil
Short Bio
Dhawal Patil is a water and sanitation professional with nearly 14 years of experience advancing sustainable and decentralized sanitation solutions across India and South Asia. As General Manager at Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF), he leads initiatives in decentralized wastewater management, circular sanitation economy, faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM), and WASH entrepreneurship. His work bridges technology, capacity building, and policy advocacy to enable cities and communities to adopt inclusive and climate-resilient sanitation systems.
Dhawal has steered multiple national and international projects focusing on capacity building for urban sanitation workers, training programs for decentralized wastewater treatment, and entrepreneurship development for the next generation of WASH innovators. Through his leadership, ESF has become a knowledge and training hub supporting government missions such as SBM 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0.
He brings strong networks across academia, practitioners, and development partners, and is deeply committed to advancing SuSanA’s mission through knowledge exchange, collaboration, and youth engagement.
Motivation/Commitment to the GSC
I am committed to strengthening the voice of the Global South within SuSanA by fostering collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. My motivation is to promote circular sanitation approaches, strengthen practitioner networks, and bring new energy to the alliance by engaging young WASH professionals and entrepreneurs. I aim to contribute to SuSanA’s strategic direction by translating grassroots experiences into global learning, enabling south-south knowledge sharing, and promoting sustainable sanitation as a driver of resilience and equity.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the SuSanA community?
The SuSanA community has long been a cornerstone for advancing sustainable sanitation worldwide, connecting practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who share a passion for transformative solutions. As a practitioner from the Global South, I have seen firsthand how SuSanA’s knowledge and networks can inspire real change on the ground. My commitment is to strengthen these bridges—bringing southern innovations, youth leaders, local entrepreneurs, and grassroots implementers into global conversations. Together, we can make SuSanA more inclusive, future-ready, and action-oriented, transforming knowledge into collective action and achieving safely managed sanitation for all.
Links to personal website, social media
General Manager -
Ecosan Services Foundation
Nitya Jacob
Short Bio
Nitya is passionate about all issues concerning WASH. He is an avid observer of people, places and processes. He has spent much time traveling around India’s cities and villages to observe how water and sanitation issues have been addressed, or not, for the past two decades. He likes to engage in conversations with people at the thin edge of the WASH wedge, in policy and practice, to gauge their aspirations and achievements. He has worked with several non-profit organizations that have given him a bird’s eye view of things. And his field expeditions have given him a worm’s perspective. He has written books on India’s traditional water systems, sanitation programmes, rural governance, trends in rural development and a chapter for the UN-sponsored publication Water Voices from Around the World. He has been a WASH influencer since 2004. Nitya has helped shape WASH strategies of the Government of India and several national non-profits through evidence-based advocacy.
Motivation/Commitment to the GSC
I have been active in SuSanA, first as a member since 2009, and later as the coordinator of the India Chapter, since 2016. It has been a pleasure to it grow from strength to strength to become the definitive global sanitation go-to resource. At the recent workshops in Stockholm, where I engaged with the global team, I was strongly motivated to step up my commitment to the network. In addition to being the coordinator, I feel I have much more to contribute to the network on a larger stage by leveraging my skills in network building and knowledge of WASH.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the SuSanA community?
It’s a beautiful and pulsating network. The SuSanA network brims with ideas and is ready to take the next step in both the virtual and real worlds to help address challenges in realising sustainable sanitation for everybody. I have been engaged with building international networks since 1999 when the internet was young, and have seen them evolve from hesitant entities with low participation to vibrant spaces where people freely share information and opinions. I would like to be part of SuSanA and help guide it along the path to 2030 and beyond, leveraging the newly emerging AI technologies.
Links to personal website, social media
Consultant -
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Girija Ramakrishna
Short Bio
Girija Ramakrishna is a development professional and research scholar specialising in sustainable sanitation, resource recovery, and circular economy principles. She currently serves as the Technical Expert (Reuse and Circularity) at CDD India, Bengaluru, where she leads projects focused on sanitation systems — including the treatment and reuse of used water, faecal sludge, sewage sludge, and municipal solid waste. With over a decade of experience, her work spans research, policy development, and implementation at the intersection of sanitation, health, and food security.
She is currently a PhD researcher at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, focusing on resource recovery from sanitation systems and closing the loop between waste and resource. Girija previously worked with the Foundation for Ecological Security, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices. She represents India on the Management Committee of the International Water Association’s Resource-Oriented Sanitation Specialist Group, where she advocates for integrating circular approaches into sanitation systems.
Her contributions have received international recognition: her work was featured in CGTN America’s Zero Hour during COP26, and she received the Bright Polestar and Innovative Polestar Team Awards from the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) at COP27. She also served as a Global Youth Ambassador for Climate Action, promoting youth-led initiatives for climate resilience and sustainability.
Motivation/Commitment to the GSC
I am eager to contribute to the SuSanA Global Steering Committee by advancing its agenda on safe sanitation, resource recovery, circular economy, and climate-resilient systems. With over fifteen years of experience, my work bridges science, policy, and practice. I have led award-winning reuse pilots, authored policy briefs, and supported South–South knowledge exchange. As an IWA ROS Committee member and Global Youth Ambassador, I bring technical depth and collaborative leadership. I am confident in committing beyond the required time to GSC, contributing sector knowledge through grounded field experience and inclusive dialogue and strategic partnerships.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the SuSanA community?
I see SuSanA as a unique global platform that not only connects practitioners, researchers, and policymakers but is now evolving strategically through SuSanA 2.0. I am particularly excited by the renewed focus on international advocacy, knowledge exchange, and regional chapter engagement. I look forward to contributing actively, not just through technical expertise, but also by strengthening chapter participation, supporting KPI-driven accountability, and amplifying field-based learning from the Global South in shaping post-2030 sanitation dialogues.
Links to personal website, social media
Technical Expert (Reuse & Circularity), Doctoral Researcher -
CDD India
