Sunday, November 27, 2022
13:30-15:00 IL time
Chennai and its Tryst with Water
Vikram Kapur, Ashwin Mahalingam
Chennai and its Tryst with Water
Chennai's history and destiny have been closely intertwined with water. Given its geographical location and uncertainty in rainfall the city has historically walked a tightrope between storing enough water to ensure water security on the one hand, and preventing floods on the other. This tension has increased as the city has urbanized over the years. This talk will discuss the interplay between urbanization and water security in the context of Chennai, coping strategies that the city has evolved, and challenges that Chennai must solve in the future.
Vikram Kapur
Vikram Kapur is a 1988 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, born on the Tamil Nadu State Cadre. He had his schooling in Springdales School, New Delhi from where he passed out in 1984 and was ranked 8th in the All India merit list. Thereafter, he graduated in Physics from St. Stephens College, Delhi and did his post-graduation in Public Policy and Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York.
During his service, Vikram Kapur has worked in various capacities, including that of District Collector, Dindigul, Executive Director, Tea Board, Government of India, MD & CEO, Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund, Member Secretary, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Principal Secretary, Industries & Energy Departments, Government of Tamil Nadu, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Chennai, Managing Director of Chennai Metrowater and Chairman & Managing Director, TANGEDCO & Chairman, TANTRANSCO, the state power utilities of the state of Tamil Nadu. Currently he is posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. He specializes in the areas of urban affairs and power systems.
Ashwin Mahalingam
Dr. Ashwin Mahalingam is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT-Madras. Ashwin received his B.Tech in Civil engineering from IIT-Madras and and a M.S and PhD from Stanford University in Construction Engineering and Management. In between he helped start up an internet based company in the USA called All Star Fleet, aimed at providing asset management services for construction companies. Ashwin's research has focused on the planning, management and governance of infrastructure projects. Previous work focused on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in Infrastructure planning and management, and the the use of digital technology to improve decision making at both project and regional levels. Ashwin is also a co-founder of Okapi Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd and serves as a Director on the Board.