Acclaimed administrator in urban development, G Mathivathanan has been taken on the Board of Advisors of the International Water Association (IWA).
Mathivathnan is the longest-serving Principal Secretary of the Department of Housing & Urban Development of Government of Odisha.
The IWA has announced the establishment of its Advisory Board and Task Force for its Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative to provide guidance, feedback and direction on the initiative’s priorities, activities and performance.
Mathivathanan has been taken as an Advisor of the 11-member Advisory Board.
Mathivathnan’s approach of a decentralised strategy with community partnership has become a central aspect of the Odisha Model of Urban Governance initiatives which have earned a number of national and international recognitions.
The other IWA Advisory Board members are from the Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Switzerland, Thailand and the Netherlands.
The IWA’s Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative aims to reshape the global agenda on urban sanitation over the coming years, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It forms part of IWA’s work to promote inclusive, resilient, water-wise and sanitation-secure cities.
The Advisory Board and the Task Force consist of sanitation experts, regulators, strategic partners and members from various global regions in order to secure a balanced geographical representation and address a wide variety of sanitation challenges.