Socio-hydrologist Veena Srinivasan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veenasrinivasan/?originalSubdomain=in) joins host Pavan Srinath (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavansrinath/?originalSubdomain=in) to unpack what it means to build water-sensitive cities in India — cities that look beyond pipes and taps, and start managing groundwater, rainwater, stormwater, wastewater, lakes and rivers as one connected system.

As Indian cities grow, they often look farther away for water — to distant rivers, reservoirs and mountains. But Veena Srinivasan explains why this model has limits: cities pollute or ignore local water sources, depend heavily on groundwater, and spend enormous energy and money moving water across long distances.

The episode explores how urban growth changes water demand, why sewage treatment often lags behind water supply, and how this contaminates lakes, drains and groundwater.

Veena then outlines what a water-sensitive city would do differently: treat wastewater as a resource, support decentralised reuse, harvest rainwater based on local geography, manage stormwater and lakes better, and collect data on the full urban water system.

Veena Srinivasan (https://welllabs.org/veena-srinivasan/) is leading WELL Labs’ mission to transform scientific research into real-world impact by designing solutions that simultaneously create livelihoods and conserve the environment. In 2022, she was listed as one of the top-cited scientists in the world.

Pavan Srinath (https://welllabs.org/our-team-pavan-srinath/) is the Managing Partner for Communications and Development at WELL Labs. Pavan is a communications and public policy professional who has spent over 14 years working in Bangalore's not-for-profit sector.

The WELL Labs Show features rich conversations on water, environment, land and livelihoods, from the people and partners of WELL Labs. Hosted by Pavan Srinath and occasionally guest-hosted by colleagues from WELL Labs, each episode explores complex environmental and social issues and helps you understand the systems and the dynamics better.

For all references and further readings related to the episode, visit https://welllabs.org/twls-veena-srinivasan-2/

Subscribe to the WELL Labs YouTube channel @welllabs and watch all episodes on the official playlist here(https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrHB5gd1QIB_5Bt9nGOQkQRhbeXBEtU7M&si=c7D6GbQKA-8JWiNN)

Recording by Nabina Chakraborty, Anukriti Shaw and Kanishka Goyal. Video editing by Ranjith Kumar S. Graphics and artwork by Aparna Nambiar and Kanishka Goyal. Podcast production and management by Nabina Chakraborty and Pavan Srinath.

Chapter markers:

00:00 Introduction

01:34 When Cities Outgrow Local Water

04:10 How Cities Contaminate Local Water

07:24 Why Cities Can’t Just Keep Going Farther for Water

11:23 Is Groundwater Safe or Unsafe?

13:24 – Check out the Water Data Podcast

13:45 Cities Already Depend on Local Water

16:25 Who Pays for Wastewater Treatment?

19:41 Why Bengaluru Is Ahead on Wastewater Reuse

21:53 Decentralised vs Centralised Wastewater Treatment

26:07 – Subscribe to the WELL Labs YouTube channel

26:26 Why Densifying Cities Need Local Reuse

27:34 Why Rainwater Harvesting Is Different in Every City

31:18 Can Stormwater Become a Water Source?

33:34 Why Cities Must Measure Groundwater

39:13 Closing and Outro

Teju Kumar N (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejukmr/), Assistant Engineer at the Advanced Centre for Integrated Water Resources Management (ACIWRM), Government of Karnataka, joins host Pavan Srinath (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavansrinath/) on this episode of The WELL Labs Show to unpack how canal irrigation works — from dams and command areas to distributaries, field channels, gates, aqueducts, and last-mile water delivery.

India’s most productive farmlands are often irrigated, and canals remain central to India’s irrigation systems. In this episode, Teju explains how canal networks carry water from dams across large command areas, helping farmers grow beyond the monsoon and reduce dependence on uncertain rainfall.

The conversation breaks down the engineering behind canals — from main canals, distributaries and field channels to gravity, slope, offtakes, gates, aqueducts, and concepts like duty and delta.

Teju also traces Karnataka’s irrigation history, from wells, tanks and anicuts to large dams like the Tungabhadra Dam, before discussing canal modernisation through concrete lining, automated gates, SCADA systems, IoT, soil moisture sensors, and the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal.

The episode also explores key challenges today: head-end versus tail-end inequity, changing crop choices, conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, rising demand from drinking water and industry, and the role of Water User Cooperative Societies in improving last-mile irrigation.

Teju Kumar N (https://aciwrm.karnataka.gov.in/136/Teju%20Kumar%20N/en) is an Assistant Engineer with the Advanced Centre for Integrated Water Resources Management (ACIWRM) in the Government of Karnataka. He is involved in the development of Karnataka Water Resources Information System (KWRIS), river basin modelling of K2, K8 and K9 sub basin, river basin profile and planning, and remote-sensing based water productivity assessment and administrative works of the centre.

Pavan Srinath (https://welllabs.org/our-team-pavan-srinath/) is the Managing Partner for Communications and Development at WELL Labs. Pavan is a communications and public policy professional who has spent over 14 years working in Bangalore's not-for-profit sector.

This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in canal irrigation, water resources management, agricultural water use, irrigation engineering, Karnataka’s dams and canals, farmer livelihoods, and the future of water management in India.

The WELL Labs Show features rich conversations on water, environment, land and livelihoods, from the people and partners of WELL Labs. Hosted by Pavan Srinath and occasionally guest-hosted by colleagues from WELL Labs, each episode explores complex environmental and social issues and helps you understand the systems and the dynamics better.

For all references and further readings related to the episode, visit https://welllabs.org/twls-teju-kumar/

Subscribe to the WELL Labs YouTube channel @welllabs and watch all episodes on the official playlist here(https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrHB5gd1QIB_5Bt9nGOQkQRhbeXBEtU7M&si=c7D6GbQKA-8JWiNN)

Recording by Nabina Chakraborty, Vraj Acharya and Anukriti Shaw. Video editing by Ranjith Kumar S. Graphics and artwork by Aparna Nambiar and Kanishka Goyal. Podcast production and management by Nabina Chakraborty and Pavan Srinath.

Chapter markers:

00:00 Introduction

02:39 Understanding Canal Design and Engineering

16:52 Check out the Water Data Podcast

17:14 History of Irrigation in Karnataka

21:34 Canal Modernisation: SCADA, IoT and Automated Gates

25:51 Subscribe to our YouTube channel

26:10 Inequality in Canal Water Distribution

30:10 Why Canal Farmers Also Use Borewells

32:30 Water User Cooperative Societies and Last-Mile Irrigation

34:54 Teju’s Journey in Water Resources Engineering

41:22 Closing Summary