International Development academics involved in key project tackling water security

Two academics from the School of Politics and International Studies are taking a lead role in a pioneering international collaboration tackling water security.

Dr Anna Mdee, Associate Professor in International Development, and Dr Lata Narayanaswamy, Lecturer in International Development, alongside colleagues from across the University, are part of the Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub - a £17.7m project that comes from an ambitious new initiative established by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

The initiative will invest £200 million across 12 global research hubs to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub is made up of 55 organisations from 12 countries across the globe, and will collect scientific data and engage with stakeholders, from local communities to NGOs and government ministries, to find new solutions for water security issues.

The research team from the University of Leeds bring together expertise in science, engineering and social science to tackle the challenges of water.

The School of Civil Engineering's Dr Miller Alonso Camargo-Valero, member of water@leeds and Co-Principal Investigator on the project, said: “This new project will help to identify the barriers holding back the delivery of sustainable water services by considering the multi-dimensional complexity of water. It will incorporate a wider range of perspectives including religion, environment, gender, social circumstances and culture, that take into account the need for equity and the basic needs of the poor and the vulnerable.”

The new hubs announced by the Government are funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund. This is a key component in delivering the UK AID strategy and puts UK-led research at the heart of efforts to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For more information about UKRI and the GCRF Hubs, visit: www.ukri.org