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Udisha Saklani

University of Cambridge, Department of Geography, Graduate Student

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Udisha Saklani is a PhD Student in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge and a recipient of the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies (MAC) scholarship awarded by Newnham College, Cambridge. She has a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore and a Bachelors (Hons) in Mathematics from St.Stephen's College, Delhi University. Her doctoral thesis examines India's international cooperation and the politics of mega dam construction in the Himalayas..
Supervisors: Dr.Emma Mawdsley

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Papers by Udisha Saklani

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

Energy Policy, Jun 1, 2018

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

India ’ s Development Cooperation in Bhutan ’ s Hydropower Sector : Concerns and Public Perceptions

The global landscape of international development is undergoing a rapid transition, with emerging... more The global landscape of international development is undergoing a rapid transition, with emerging actors playing a significant role in meeting the developmental needs of developing-country partners. Over the past six decades, India has emerged as a major donor and development partner, directing a significant share of its assistance and investments to countries in South Asia. This paper provides an overview of Indiaʼs development cooperation with Bhutan, the largest and one of the oldest beneficiaries of Indian assistance, with special attention to the hydropower sector. In recent years, the scale of Indiaʼs disbursement and development cooperation activities in Bhutan has come under scrutiny. In this paper, we document the official views, and those of the international organisations and the media in India and Bhutan, on the possible repercussions of these activities in the near, medium and long term and how the different concerns are being addressed. We argue that in future India wi...

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

Energy Policy, 2018

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

India's disasters management is a real disaster!

Water Scarcity and Regional Security in India

Water, Security and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2017

India&#39;s water management has been on an unsustainable path for centuries. As India&#3... more India&#39;s water management has been on an unsustainable path for centuries. As India&#39;s population has increased, so have its water requirements. Increases in population, in the absence of serious and sustained efforts to improve water use efficiencies, have become a major driver of water requirements in the country. India is facing another major problem: As the water requirements of the domestic and industrial sectors go up, the quantities of wastewater generated increase as well. Population growth, in the absence of proper domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, has created a serious water quality problem. The latest series of interstate river conflicts has triggered numerous protests, violence, and property destruction in many Indian states over existing water allocation decisions. One of the most important challenges in confronting interstate river conflicts is the absence of permanent and efficient dispute resolution mechanisms. Nowhere is demand management more essential than in water allocation to the different states on all the interstate rivers.

Hydro-energy cooperation in South Asia: Prospects for transboundary energy and water security

Environmental Science & Policy

New Delhi is running out of water

by Cecilia Tortajada, Prof. Asit K . Biswas, and Udisha Saklani

Delhi’s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises... more Delhi’s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises 20,000 litres of free water per household per month. Assuming a household has five members, this means some 130 litres per capita per day should be available every day. This plan is hampered by several basic problems. First and foremost, the city does not actually have enough water to make it happen, nor does it have enough money to give all this water away for free. Currently, some neighbourhoods have access to water just one to two hours a day

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

New Delhi is running out of water

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Delhi: A quintessential example of India's urban water mismanagement

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

UNDER the auspices of Singapore International Water Week, some 200 water utility leaders are meet... more UNDER the auspices of Singapore International Water Week, some 200 water utility leaders are meeting in Singapore this week to discuss how best their performance can be optimised by sharing knowledge and experience. This is an important consideration, especially for rapidly growing Asian urban centres. Take Delhi. Water shortages have become an annual ritual every summer. As summer temperature soars above 40 deg C, acute water shortages become pervasive.

Truth about urban flooding: Cities like Mumbai get inundated regularly due to administrative apathy, not climate change

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

While tropical storm Harvey in Texas has grabbed more international attention, flooding in South ... more

Solution to Delhi's never-ending water problems

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Even as this year’s monsoon rains brings relief to Delhi, its water problems are far from resolve... more

India’s rural-urban conundrum: Get smart to revitalise rural regions

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Policy Forum

Indians are flocking to the country’s megacities in huge numbers. More needs to be done to provid... more

The case for self-sustaining rural areas

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas, Udisha Saklani, and Cecilia Tortajada

The Business Times, 2017

Over the past several months, India's beleaguered cities have been the subject of much scrutiny a... more

India's hidden groundwater crisis

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Sanchar Express, 2017

India is facing a perfect storm in managing water. Centuries of mismanagement, political and inst... more India is facing a perfect storm in managing water. Centuries of mismanagement, political and institutional incompetence, indifference at central, state and municipal levels, a steadily increasing population to at least 2050 (estimated at 1.7 billion) which will require more and more water for domestic, industrial, agricultural, energy and environmental needs, a rapidly mushrooming middle class demanding an increasingly more protein-rich diet requiring significantly more water to produce, absence of any serious and sustained attempts at central or state levels to manage water quantity and quality, lack of implementation of existing laws and regulations, pervasive corruption and poor adoption rates of new and cost-effective technologies, are only some of the causes why water situations in all the Indian states are likely to continue to become progressively worse.

Water as a weapon: Water scarcity and regional security in India

by Cecilia Tortajada and Udisha Saklani

Water Scarcity and Regional Security in India

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India's wells are running dry, fast

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Over the past three years, the monsoon -the rainy season that runs from June through September, d... more

Water as a weapon: Water scarcity and regional security in India

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India’s groundwater crisis invisible — and getting worse

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India’s water mismanagement is enough to make one drown in despair. Today, all rivers and lakes ... more

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

Energy Policy, Jun 1, 2018

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

India ’ s Development Cooperation in Bhutan ’ s Hydropower Sector : Concerns and Public Perceptions

The global landscape of international development is undergoing a rapid transition, with emerging... more The global landscape of international development is undergoing a rapid transition, with emerging actors playing a significant role in meeting the developmental needs of developing-country partners. Over the past six decades, India has emerged as a major donor and development partner, directing a significant share of its assistance and investments to countries in South Asia. This paper provides an overview of Indiaʼs development cooperation with Bhutan, the largest and one of the oldest beneficiaries of Indian assistance, with special attention to the hydropower sector. In recent years, the scale of Indiaʼs disbursement and development cooperation activities in Bhutan has come under scrutiny. In this paper, we document the official views, and those of the international organisations and the media in India and Bhutan, on the possible repercussions of these activities in the near, medium and long term and how the different concerns are being addressed. We argue that in future India wi...

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

Energy Policy, 2018

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961-7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

India's disasters management is a real disaster!

Water Scarcity and Regional Security in India

Water, Security and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2017

India&#39;s water management has been on an unsustainable path for centuries. As India&#3... more India&#39;s water management has been on an unsustainable path for centuries. As India&#39;s population has increased, so have its water requirements. Increases in population, in the absence of serious and sustained efforts to improve water use efficiencies, have become a major driver of water requirements in the country. India is facing another major problem: As the water requirements of the domestic and industrial sectors go up, the quantities of wastewater generated increase as well. Population growth, in the absence of proper domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, has created a serious water quality problem. The latest series of interstate river conflicts has triggered numerous protests, violence, and property destruction in many Indian states over existing water allocation decisions. One of the most important challenges in confronting interstate river conflicts is the absence of permanent and efficient dispute resolution mechanisms. Nowhere is demand management more essential than in water allocation to the different states on all the interstate rivers.

Hydro-energy cooperation in South Asia: Prospects for transboundary energy and water security

Environmental Science & Policy

New Delhi is running out of water

by Cecilia Tortajada, Prof. Asit K . Biswas, and Udisha Saklani

Delhi’s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises... more Delhi’s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises 20,000 litres of free water per household per month. Assuming a household has five members, this means some 130 litres per capita per day should be available every day. This plan is hampered by several basic problems. First and foremost, the city does not actually have enough water to make it happen, nor does it have enough money to give all this water away for free. Currently, some neighbourhoods have access to water just one to two hours a day

Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan

India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, ha... more India's increasing growth in GDP, which rose from 3.7% annually in 1961–7.9% annually in 2015, has resulted in a rising demand for energy that almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. This trend is expected to continue due to urbanization, industrialization, and expansion of domestic manufacturing, encouraged by the Make in India initiative. A framework that considers a long-term road map for energy security is necessary to transform India from a country of chronic power shortages to one with reliable sources of energy. Elements of this framework include a sustainable energy mix, stronger reliance on green energy sources like hydro, solar and wind power, less dependency on coal, and strengthened cooperation on energy trade with neighbouring countries in South Asia. This paper discusses the long-term transboundary energy collaboration between India and Bhutan and the benefits for India in terms of diversification of energy sources and overall energy security. By assessing reciprocal benefits for India, we attempt to substantiate our claim that the India-Bhutan energy collaboration is strongly based on the principle of mutual benefits that extend to overall security. Cooperation between India and Bhutan is unique rather than a model in the region mainly due to mistrust and geopolitics.

New Delhi is running out of water

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Delhi: A quintessential example of India's urban water mismanagement

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

UNDER the auspices of Singapore International Water Week, some 200 water utility leaders are meet... more UNDER the auspices of Singapore International Water Week, some 200 water utility leaders are meeting in Singapore this week to discuss how best their performance can be optimised by sharing knowledge and experience. This is an important consideration, especially for rapidly growing Asian urban centres. Take Delhi. Water shortages have become an annual ritual every summer. As summer temperature soars above 40 deg C, acute water shortages become pervasive.

Truth about urban flooding: Cities like Mumbai get inundated regularly due to administrative apathy, not climate change

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

While tropical storm Harvey in Texas has grabbed more international attention, flooding in South ... more

Solution to Delhi's never-ending water problems

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Even as this year’s monsoon rains brings relief to Delhi, its water problems are far from resolve... more

India’s rural-urban conundrum: Get smart to revitalise rural regions

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Policy Forum

Indians are flocking to the country’s megacities in huge numbers. More needs to be done to provid... more

The case for self-sustaining rural areas

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas, Udisha Saklani, and Cecilia Tortajada

The Business Times, 2017

Over the past several months, India's beleaguered cities have been the subject of much scrutiny a... more

India's hidden groundwater crisis

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Sanchar Express, 2017

India is facing a perfect storm in managing water. Centuries of mismanagement, political and inst... more India is facing a perfect storm in managing water. Centuries of mismanagement, political and institutional incompetence, indifference at central, state and municipal levels, a steadily increasing population to at least 2050 (estimated at 1.7 billion) which will require more and more water for domestic, industrial, agricultural, energy and environmental needs, a rapidly mushrooming middle class demanding an increasingly more protein-rich diet requiring significantly more water to produce, absence of any serious and sustained attempts at central or state levels to manage water quantity and quality, lack of implementation of existing laws and regulations, pervasive corruption and poor adoption rates of new and cost-effective technologies, are only some of the causes why water situations in all the Indian states are likely to continue to become progressively worse.

Water as a weapon: Water scarcity and regional security in India

by Cecilia Tortajada and Udisha Saklani

Water Scarcity and Regional Security in India

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India's wells are running dry, fast

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

Over the past three years, the monsoon -the rainy season that runs from June through September, d... more

Water as a weapon: Water scarcity and regional security in India

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India’s groundwater crisis invisible — and getting worse

by Prof. Asit K . Biswas and Udisha Saklani

India’s water mismanagement is enough to make one drown in despair. Today, all rivers and lakes ... more