Every day, we use water without giving much thought to where it goes afterward. Taking a quick shower, washing dishes, flushing the toilet, or doing laundry all produce wastewater that disappears down a drain. But its journey is far from over. Before that water can be safely discharged or reused , it must pass throughContinue reading “A Drop’s Journey: What Really Happens at a Wastewater Treatment Plant”
Category Archives: Non-Technical Blogs
From Microbiology to Water and Public Health: My Journey Continues
My professional journey has always been connected to one question: How can science make a real difference in the lives of living organisms and humanity? My academic journey began with a degree in Microbiology, where I developed a strong interest in microorganisms, infectious diseases, and public health. My graduation research was about hepatitis viruses, includingContinue reading “From Microbiology to Water and Public Health: My Journey Continues”
From a Childhood Poem to Water Research
When people ask me why I chose water research, I usually don’t have a short answer. Part of the answer goes back to my childhood. Growing up, one of my favourite places in the house was our family library, where a collection of novels, books, and poetry were kept. One day I came across aContinue reading “From a Childhood Poem to Water Research”
Why Reservoirs Matter More Than Ever: My Journey Toward Water and Food Security
Water has always been more than a research topic for me. It shapes lives, communities, and opportunities. Growing up, I witnessed how access to water could determine whether crops survived a dry season, whether families felt secure about the future, and whether entire communities could thrive. Those experiences inspired me to pursue water resources engineeringContinue reading “Why Reservoirs Matter More Than Ever: My Journey Toward Water and Food Security”
Finding Your Current: My pathway as a Young Water Professional
Water is everywhere. Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, I grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes. My summers were spent collecting bugs and frogs and searching for cool rocks. I was seven or eight when I received my first microscope; a small, monocular discovery scope from a children’s science kit. That giftContinue reading “Finding Your Current: My pathway as a Young Water Professional”
What We Bury Comes Back as Water: Rethinking Landfills as Water Infrastructure
One day, I visited one of Cairo’s largest dumpsites. The sight of the leachate pond seeping beneath the waste mountain was terrifying! The water was dark in color, almost black, really smelly, and attracted a lot of flies and mosquitoes. What struck me most was not just what I could see, but what was silentlyContinue reading “What We Bury Comes Back as Water: Rethinking Landfills as Water Infrastructure”
Water Finance: A Discipline Born Across Systems
My interests have never followed a straight line. Neither has my career, nor the geographies that shaped it. But over time, the pattern behind that movement became clearer.I grew up and trained in India, lived and worked across North America, and later across Europe. Over time, I came to understand that these were not simplyContinue reading “Water Finance: A Discipline Born Across Systems”
Tides of Growth: Insights from my first year as a Young Water Professional
Picture yourself as you’ve just finished your undergraduate degree. We’ve all been there before. Fresh out of university, ready to take on every challenge that comes our way, thinking our excitement and willpower are the only things needed for us to jumpstart our careers. These were my thoughts when I decided to enroll in a Master’sContinue reading “Tides of Growth: Insights from my first year as a Young Water Professional”
From Permit Conditions to Community Impacts: Practical Lessons from Water Governance in Northern Canada
Water governance in Canada often looks tidy on paper. Legislation is clear, permit conditions are detailed, and monitoring frameworks are well defined. In practice, however, effective water management depends less on perfect documents and more on how regulators, proponents, and communities interpret and apply those requirements on the ground. My work as an Environmental RegulatoryContinue reading “From Permit Conditions to Community Impacts: Practical Lessons from Water Governance in Northern Canada”
Between Ferries and Field Gear: The Reality of Urban Water Work
When you picture field work, you might imagine vast landscapes, rolling hills, and pristine, glistening water bodies in remote areas. What you probably don’t imagine is traffic noise, tourists, and the steady hum of city life. Yet that is exactly what urban water field work is, especially in the Toronto Harbour. Working in the TorontoContinue reading “Between Ferries and Field Gear: The Reality of Urban Water Work”