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The Water Data Podcast
The Water Data Podcast is a talk show on the science, systems, and stories of water hosted by Veena Srinivasan. Every other Tuesday, sit down and listen to researchers, innovators, government officials and business leaders working on the forefront of water systems.
Veena Srinivasan is an award-winning socio-hydrologist as well as the founder and Executive Director of WELL Labs, a water systems research and innovation centre based in Bengaluru, India.
The Water Data Podcast features discussions on what data and research tell us about water systems, about how climate change is affecting them and how human use of water is transforming the stock and flow of water across diverse landscapes and aquifers. The show focuses on how we can collectively manage water systems better.
Subscribe to The Water Data Podcast on your favourite podcast app - and catch video episodes on the WELL Labs YouTube channel.
The Water Data Podcast
Environmental Water flows with Kate Brauman and Sejal Worah
How do we balance the science of water flows with the spiritual and social lives that rivers sustain? What does it mean to define “environmental flows” in a country where rivers are sacred? How can data, stories, and citizen science come together to restore river health?
In this episode, host Veena Srinivasan and guest co-host Nirat Bhatnagar of Dalberg Advisors are joined by two remarkable guests: Dr. Sejal Worah, Programme Director at WWF India, and Dr. Kate Brauman, Lead Scientist at the Global Water Security Center, University of Alabama.
Together, they explore the evolution of environmental flows, the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows needed to sustain ecosystems and human well-being. Dr. Worah reflects on WWF India’s 18-year journey from pioneering environmental flow assessments in the Ganga to mobilizing citizen scientists through “Ganga Mitras” to monitor river health. Dr. Brauman, meanwhile, shares insights from Latin America and the U.S. on how data and narrative intersect - how communities, governments, and ecosystems co-create meaning around water.
The conversation ranges from the challenges of gathering hydrological data in India to the cultural significance of the Ganga, from payments for ecosystem services in South America to inefficiencies in canal systems in India. Both guests share how values, relationships, and adaptive management are as critical as data itself in governing water.
For all references and further readings related to the episode, visit https://welllabs.org/wdp-brauman-worah/
Subscribe to The Water Data Podcast on your favourite podcast app - and catch video episodes on the WELL Labs YouTube channel @welllabs.
Subscription links: Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Castbox, and wherever you get your podcasts!
Recording by Dalberg. Audio mixing and mastering by Vijay Doiphode. Podcast production and management by Nabina Chakraborty and Pavan Srinath.
