Speaker

Dr Partha Jyoti Das

Head, Water, Climate and Hazard Division, AARANYAK

Dr. Partha Jyoti Das is an environmental scientist with special interest in the fields of ‘water, climate change and hydrometeorological hazards. He has done research for more than 20 years on inter-disciplinary areas in the interface of natural science, environmental science, and social science.

He has explored, researched, spoken, and written regularly on various aspects of climate-water-disaster-development nexus, with special reference to the Brahmaputra-Meghna River basin in India as well as Northeast India in general. He has been advocating for comprehensive review and reforms in existing institutions, policies, and practices, highlighting the need of long-term action plan and strategy for effective water and river management, risk mitigation and climate resilience integrating good science and technology with people’s indigenous knowledge and local experience.

Dr. Das is a member of the (i) Steering Committee of the ‘Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India’; (ii) Expert Group on REDD+ of Government of Assam; (iii) Member, ‘Technical Committee on “Dolphin conservation in the Kulsi river, Kamrup District and local livelihood security”, constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup District’; (iv)Organizational Focal Point (OFP) in the BRIDGE-GBM-CSO Network (Building River Dialogue and Governance for Civil Society Organisations in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Basins) constituted by the IUCN; (v). Member, Technical Advisory Panel, Elopa-Etugu Eco-Cultural Preserve’ (EECEP) Community Conserved Area, Rowing, Lower Dibang Valley District, Arunachal Pradesh;(vi). Core Committee Member,  Transboundary Working Group on Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM), Koshi Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Hub (KDKH), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal; (vii)Monitoring and Advisory Committee, Chief Minister’s Climate Resilient Village Fellowship Programme, ‘Science, Technology and Climate Change Department’, Government of Assam.

Dr. Das was a member of the (i) Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Assam for the rejuvenation of the River Kolong, Assam; (ii) Expert Committee on ‘Closing of Sub-Channels of River Brahmaputra to protect erosion and to confine the stream into a single channel in between Koliabhomora and Saraighat Bridge’

He has completed more than 25 research and action research projects and has more than 45 publications comprising research papers in national and international journals, technical reports, monographs, book chapters, edited books, and thematic articles.

He has delivered presentations, invited talks and keynote speeches as well as acted as a Resource Person in more than 200 events (seminar, conference, workshop, symposium, consultation, training program, discussion forum, awareness meetings including webinars and other online forums) both in India and abroad.

Dr. Das has worked as consultant to several national and international agencies. He has also experience of teaching environmental science, environmental education, and natural resources management at undergraduate and post graduate level.

He received the ‘Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship in Climate Change’ from the Department of State, US Government in August 2022.

Currently he is working as the Head of the ‘Water, Climate and Hazard Division’ of Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org), a premier environmental NGO of Northeast India.