India, as other South Asian countries, is heading towards freshwater crisis mainly due to improper management and use of water resources and environmental degradation. Depletion and overexploitation of fresh water resources is threatening the very existence of life on earth. There is an urgent need to make society responsible partners in solving the problems related to water – with youth and teachers in young countries of South Asia being an extremely important constituency for this movement.

The stress on human populations and ecosystems from this depleting water situation is further aggravated by a rapidly declining quality – in particular in urban areas. While the challenges on better water management remain huge, the situation on sanitation is much worse. Considering the costs of providing proper sanitation facilities, the state of public finances in most governments and the lack of skill sets available do not allow states to do justice to the sector of sanitation. Further, for protecting valuable drinking water from contamination, one of the key steps is to break the vicious cycle of inadequate water supply and concentrated water pollution through proper collection, treatment and hygienic disposal of sewage. If sewage is eliminated, bacteriological contamination would end and so would water borne diseases, subsequently risk to health may be reduced. Therefore, these two aims- water supply and sanitation- need to be synchronized by planners at policy formulation as well as at operational levels.

These critical issues have been highly debated in various forums and a unanimous understanding among policy makers, designers and implementers was arrived that the need for an inclusive approach towards addressing the problem was required. Thus, in this context, the Coca-Cola Department of Regional Water Studies with the support of USAID is inviting applications for offering scholarships to final year graduate and post graduate students who are interested in showcasing their ingenuity in the field of managing water and sanitation.

Thematic Areas: 

• Health And Hygiene In Informal Settlements-Establishment Of Sanitation-Health Risk Nexus, Development Of Mobile Apps For WASH Determinable, Risk Identification, Development Of Water Borne Disease Surveillance System, Especially In Known Disease Hubs
• Compendium Of Toilet Designs
• Sludge Management Of Decentralised Toilets, Social Acceptability, Attitude On Public, Shared And Private Toilets
• Groundwater Management Interventions -Focus On Sub-Surface Hydrology
• Restructuring Urban Water Hydrology Towards Alternative Management Of Rain Water And Reduction In Water Logging
• Sanitation Plan For Smart Cities, Study Of Water Contamination Episodes In Unplanned Urban Settlements – Devising Of Response Plans To Deal With Contamination.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria: 

• The Proposal Should Meet The Following Criteria To Qualify For Consideration Under The Project “Water And Sanitation In Urban Settings”.
• Well Defined Problem Statement
• Clear Identification Of Research Gaps
• Scope And Objectives – Emerging From The Identified Research Gaps
• Proposed Methodology To Achieve Each Objective Should Be Mentioned In The Same Order As Objectives. This Should Specifically Highlight The Novelty In Terms Of Suggested Solution
• Expected Verifiable Outcomes Linked To Solutions To WASH Challenges.

Who can Submit?

• The Project Proposal Can Be Submitted For Grant By Final Year Graduate And Postgraduate Students From The Following Disciplines:
• Engineering/Architecture/Urban Planning
• Physics/Chemistry/ Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Mathematics/Zoology/Botany
• Economics/Anthropology/Geography/Statistics

Terms and Conditions:

• The Student Shall Be Awarded A Research Grant Amount Of Maximum Upto Two Lakhs For A Period Of One Academic Year Consisting Of Two Academic Semesters (July-December, 2016, January-June, 2017) Or A Research Grant Amount Of A Maximum Of Fifty Thousand Rupees For A Period Of Six Months (July-December, 2016 Or January-June, 2017).
• Student’s Fellowship Amount Shall Not Exceed 75% Of The Research Grant And The Remaining Grant Amount Shall Be Used For Collection Of Field Data, Consumables Etc. The Disbursement Of Grant Shall Be In Phased Manner. Progress Reports Shall Be Submitted, And Interim Milestones Will Be Submitted And Evaluated, Based On Which Further Grant Shall Be Released.
• No Fund Shall Be Allotted For Purchase Of Non-Consumable Items (Infrastructure Items, College Laboratory Is Expected To Have These Facilities). Commensurate Contribution In-Kind Must Be Made By The College To Which The Student Is Affiliated With.
• The Student Has To Identify A Supervisor From His/Her Institution. The Student’s Proposal Shall Be Vetted By The Identified Faculty Member From The Student’s Parent Department Who Shall Continue To Mentor The Student Throughout The Duration Of The Project. The Supervisor Shall Be Responsible To Ensure That The Objectives Of The Project Are Carried Out In A Scientific Manner.
• The Funds Shall Be Transferred To The Institution To Which The Student Is Affiliated With. The College/Institution Shall Sign An Undertaking That The Funds Will Be Disbursed As Per The Budget Head As Proposed In The Student’s Work Plan And The Utilization Certificate Shall Be Submitted To The TERI University, In The Prescribed Format (As Provided In Annexure).

Submission of Proposals:

The last date for proposal submission is March 31, 2016 in Microsoft Word in the prescribed format along with a covering letter expressing interest in the proposed area of work and forwarded through a faculty member, who has agreed to be the supervisor and mentor to the applicant.

The chosen students shall be awarded fellowship from July, 2016 onwards.

The proposal should be submitted in electronic copy by the deadline to:
Ranjana Ray Chaudhuri
Coca-Cola Department of Regional Water Studies
TERI University
10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070

Email: ranjana.chaudhuri@teriuniversity.ac.in

Disbursement of Fellowship: 

• The Grant Approved By The Fellowship Committee Will Be Released To The Winning Proposals In Four Installments:
• First Installment: 25% Of The Approved Grant Will Be Released On Signing Of The Letter Of Acceptance And The Terms And Conditions By The Student.
• Remaining Installments Shall Be Released As Per The Submitted Budget, Work Plan And On Reaching Of Interim Milestones (The Budget Cash Flow Will Be Linked To Interim Milestones) And Submission Of Interim Reports.
• The Final Installment Shall Be Released After Submission Of The Final Report And Its Acceptance By The Departmental Committee And Submission Of Fund Utilization Certificate Duly Signed By The Student And The Internal Supervisor (Format Provided In Annexure).
• Disbursal Of Research Grant Can Cease If Performance Of Student (S) Is Not Found Satisfactory At Any Stage Of The Research Project.
• The Final Report Submitted By The Student (S) Will Be Compiled And An Annual Report Shall Be Submitted To The USAID. The Awardees Will Make A Presentation At A Seminar/Workshop Organized Subsequently.