Position: The Water Seekers' Fellowship 2021

Organization: Social and Political Research Foundation

Apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xiDm2wUqfU1jD8joMKes-W5rvRlVVmpnNGXawVnp6po/viewform?edit_requested=true

Specifically, the fellowship will address the following themes: 

•  Watershed management and environmental flows in urban areas  

•  Fluid heritage, tangible (built) and intangible (practices, rituals, cultures)  

•  Equity and access to water in informal settlements  

•  Wastewater management (sewage, faecal sludge, toxic effluents)  

•  Public health and WASH (from everyday vulnerability to pandemics)  

•  Disaster risk management (urban floods, water scarcity and the poor)  

•  Hydropolitics (citizen action for sustainable and just water governance )

Deliverables:

Case study (upto 1000 words)
An in-depth look at an individual or a community or a collective or an organisation relevant to the context or issue or geographical area selected by the applicant as part of their proposal. The case study shall specifically look at how a particular issue affects an individual or a community and whether there are localised responses to mitigate the same.

Visual narrative (1500 words):
Data visualisation is core to communicating our water challenges from an interdisciplinary lens. The visual narrative can be in the form of a photo-essay with original or archival photographs, or art-work, graphics, a short film or other multimedia. Both the text and the images tell a story about our changing urban waterscapes.

Policy brief (1000-1200 words):
Borrowing from the case study, the policy brief will give a bird’s eye view of the current state of affairs and what they could look like through policy interventions. It comprises a brief analysis and explanation of policy issues/ challenges and recommending policy options or solutions to the gaps identified. Essentially, it will bring together what is and what can be

Eligibility:

1. Graduate or Postgraduate degree in social sciences, water management, development studies, environmental science, sustainability and other relevant disciplines.
2. Keen interest in communicating stories and research surrounding the urban water landscape in India.
3. Self-motivated, proactive and responsive to dynamic situations.
4. Strong writing and communication skills in English (other languages will be considered for translation and communication to local communities, but the primary output should be in English).
5. Access to the internet and a computer to effectively work from home. 
6. Must have prior experience of internet-based research. 

The applicant must be an Indian citizen between 21 to 35 years of age. Women and individuals from marginalised communities are particularly encouraged to apply.