Global South Academic Conclave on WASH and Climate 2025
The Center for Water and Sanitation organized the second edition of the Global South Academic Conclave on WASH and Climate at CEPT between the 21st and 23rd of February 2025. The conclave was organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Planning - CEPT University with support from the Viega Foundation and the Gates Foundation. The conclave is envisioned as a cross-learning platform for sector partners, academia, and researchers and this three-day event brought together experts and stakeholders to address critical challenges in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) amidst a changing climate. This year, 435 participants from 23 countries attended in person. Further, 835 persons viewed the live proceedings on YouTube.
A key highlight of the opening day was the launch of the PAS@15 report, celebrating 15 years of the Performance Assessment System (PAS). This digital platform for urban WASH performance assessment in India, developed by CWAS, has become a vital tool for data-driven improvements in water, sanitation, and climate resilience. Since its launch in 2009, PAS has expanded its reach from 414 to over 800 cities in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, and Sikkim, covering a population of 115 million and making it the country’s largest WASH and climate-linked database for urban areas. After the launch of the report, faculty members and Heads of CWAS, Prof Dinesh Mehta and Prof Meera Mehta, reflected on the 15-year journey of the initiative and shared the report's key findings.
Professor Barjor Mehta, President of CEPT University, delivered the opening address. He highlighted the importance of academic gatherings focused on climate change and stressed the power of academia to bring diverse stakeholders together to build consensus and drive action. "We, the academia, are the custodians of knowledge, experience, and the drive to address the issues of climate change. We must document the developments and foster an active community so that we can continue contributing to policymaking in the years to come," he said.
Over the next two days, the conclave featured discussions on various topics, including WASH outcome monitoring, governance and financing for climate-resilient WASH, and the intersection of WASH, climate, and urban planning. Keynote addresses were delivered by Mr. K Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India; Ms. Sheela Patel, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource (SPARC); Ms. Sunita Narain, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); Mr. Rakesh Mohan, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP); Mr. Rick Johnston, World Health Organization (WHO); Mr. Ashok Khosla, Development Alternatives and Mr. Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, International Water Association (IWA). During the technical sessions, more than 100 participants presented their work as technical presentations of posters. Participant posters were also accompanied by a student poster exhibition featuring relevant work on climate and WASH from semester studios.
All presentations, recordings, and photographs from the event can be found here.
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