Udisha Saklani
- Biography
- Recent Publications
- Career Information
Udisha Saklani is a PhD Student in the Department of Geography at the
University of Cambridge.
Her research explores India’s role as a development cooperation partner, specifically focusing on Indian dam building activities abroad. Her study aims to advance existing debates within international development and governance literature by reflecting on the changing nature of foreign aid and the construction of knowledge and expertise on sustainability, infrastructure and energy production.
Prior to coming to Cambridge, Udisha worked as a policy consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India. She also collaborated with the Institute of Water Policy in Singapore on several water and energy governance projects.
Udisha is a member of the Geographies of Knowledge and Political Ecology groups in the Department of Geography.
Selected academic publications and presentations:
- Tortajada, C. & Saklani, U. (2018) Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: The case of India and Bhutan, Energy Policy
- Saklani, U. (2017) India’s hydropower sector: Recent trends and development perspectives. Paper presented at the ICIMOD-IWP conference held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Tortajada, C., Saklani. U. and Biswas, A.K. (2017) Water Scarcity and Regional Security in India, in D. Reed (Ed.), Water, Security and U.S. Foreign Policy (pp. 237–252). London: Routledge
- Saklani, U. (2016) The Indian River-Linking Programme, in Vijay P. Singh (Ed.), Handbook of Applied Hydrology, Second Edition, (pp. 143.1 – 143.10). USA: Tata McGraw-Hill
- Ziegler, et al (2014) Pilgrims, progress, and the political economy of disaster preparedness – the example of the 2013 Uttarakhand flood and Kedarnath disaster, Hydrological Processes 28(24): 5985-5990.
Popular publications:
- Biswas, A.K., Saklani, U. and Tortajada, C. (2017) India’s rising problem: Urban floods, The Strait Times
- Biswas, A.K., Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U. (2017), New Delhi is running out of water, The Conversation
- Biswas, A.K., Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U. (2017) Pumped Dry: India’s accelerating and invisible groundwater crisis, Policy Forum
- Biswas, A.K., Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U. (2016) Water Scarcity a key factor to regional security in India, The Business Times
- Biswas, A.K., Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U. (2016) Water as a Weapon, Policy Forum
- Saklani, U. and Tortajada, C. (2016) The China factor in India–Bhutan relations, East Asia Forum
- Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U, (2016) India and Bhutan: Cross-Country Power Connectivity’, The Diplomat
- Tortajada, C. and Saklani, U, (2015) India's River-Linking program highlights costs, opportunities of large-scale water infrastructure projects, OOSKA News
Career:
- May 2018 - September 2018: Consultant, United Nations Development Programme, India
- July 2017 – September 2018: Social Media Editor, International Journal for Water Resources Development, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
- October 2015 - September 2018: Consultant, Institute of Water Policy, Singapore
- August 2014 - September 2015: Research Assistant, Institute of Water Policy, Singapore
- October 2012- March 2014: Graduate Research Assistant (multiple projects), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore
Qualifications:
- 2018-Present: PhD candidate, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
- 2012-2014: Master’s in Public Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
- 2008-2011: BA (Hons) Mathematics, St.Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
