- By JVG Krishna Murthy
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- August 13, 2026
LIVE Webinar – 29th August 2026
WATER – FROM DISASTER TO LIFE
Saturday ~ Aug 29, 2026
10 am EST, 7:00 am PST, 7:30 pm IST
Webinar Panelists
Dr. Dinesh Mishra ~ Well Known expert on Floods in India, Author
Mr. Shiv Mohan Dixit ~ Advisor (Tech.), Ministry of Jal Shakti, GOI
Mr. Surender Makhija ~ Sr. Vice President & Advisor, Jain Irrigation Ltd
Ms. Komal Jain ~ Managing Director, Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana
Webinar Moderator
Mr. Ram Kishan Goenka – President, WGF India & Chairman, WHEELS Water Council
Webinar Co-Moderator
Ms. Madhur Khanna – Vice Chairman, WHEELS Water Council
Webinar Summary
Water is the very foundation of life on our planet – with far-reaching implications on health, food, climate, energy, and economic security. And also for national security! It has been said that the third world war is likely to be due to disputes over water. Therefore, the countries that manage water well will be better prepared to manage their future. We need to think about water differently and strategically. That’s why water quality and availability are of great interest to people in the WHEELS network.
Across the world – and particularly in India – the focus on water has reached an unprecedented level. Because droughts, floods, groundwater depletion, polluted rivers, unsafe drinking water, and climate change are affecting millions of lives.
Yet these challenges also present an extraordinary opportunity for innovation. WHEELS has assembled four distinguished speakers who bring very different perspectives – technology, conservation, restoration, policy and community engagement.
Each speaker addresses a different piece of the puzzle. Together, they demonstrate how integrated thinking can improve water availability and quality and build resilient communities, especially in rural and underserved regions.
Whether you are an engineer, policymaker, entrepreneur, student or simply someone who cares about the future, this webinar will provide fresh perspectives and practical examples on how technology and collaboration can create lasting impact.
Saturday ~ August 29, 2026
10 am EST, 7:00 am PST, 7:30 pm IST
(Registration is Free)
You can join the webinar 15 min early (i.e. 09:45 AM EST OR 7:15 PM IST) to watch the slide show on WGF-related projects & videos.
WHEELS Global Foundation is an initiative of global IIT Alumni community and joined by hundreds of mission-aligned professionals such as doctors & lawyers, with the mission of Technology-Enabled Philanthropy at-scale. WHEELS has also been selected by NITI Aayog, Govt. of India as a member of the Committee for Innovation and Technology Transfer. WHEELS has also signed an MOU with the Ministry for Panchayati Raj for a technology partnership in Rural Development.WHEELS Global Foundation received a Poshan Award from Sadguru Sai Madhusudhan of the Sri Sathya Sai Annapurna Trust for impacting 10 million children. This award recognized WGF's work in nutritional health, maternal and newborn care, and telehealth innovation."
Panelists Overview
Dr. Dinesh Mishra is a civil engineer (IIT Kharagpur, B.Tech ’68 and M.Tech ’70; Ph.D., South Gujarat University, 2006) who has spent four decades studying floods, waterlogging, and irrigation across Bihar and the northern Gangetic plains — starting from the disaster end of the story.
Since 1984, Dr. Mishra has documented the major rivers of north Bihar — their history, culture, and the impact of modern flood-control interventions on both rivers and society. In 1992 he founded and convened Barh Mukti Abhiyan (Freedom from Floods Campaign), a grassroots movement questioning India’s embankment-centred flood policy.
He has authored numerous books on individual rivers, including the Mahananda, Bagmati, Bhutahi Balan, Kamla, and Kosi, several published in both Hindi and English, and helped produce a National Award–winning documentary on the Bihar floods. He was an Ashoka Fellow (1999), served on UNEP’s Dams and Development Forum representing India’s project-affected people (2003–07), sat on the Planning Commission’s Working Group on Flood Control and Water Logging, and was a member of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation’s Expert Advisory Committee (2015–17). He received the Bhagirath Prayas Samman at India Water Week 2016 and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India). (Dr. Dinesh Mishra | LinkedIn)
Shiv Mohan Dixit is a senior water and environmental management professional with a B.Tech in Civil Engineering (Jamia Millia Islamia), M.Tech in Environmental Engineering (IIT Roorkee), and a PG Diploma in Environmental Law — bringing the national policy lens to the panel.
His areas of expertise span water resources management, environmental engineering, Environmental Impact Assessment, climate change, groundwater management, water conservation, rainwater harvesting, water-use efficiency, and sustainable development. He has undertaken EIA assignments in India and several countries across Asia and Africa for projects supported by the World Bank, ADB, NDB, AFD, and IFC.
Since joining the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation on deputation from WAPCOS Limited in December 2021, he has contributed to key National Water Mission initiatives including Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, State Specific Action Plans, Water Heritage Structures and Jal-Itihas, Jal Shakti Kendras, the District Water Bodies Atlas, Water Talk, climate adaptation planning, civil society partnerships, and capacity building — coordinating closely with Central and State Governments, district administrations, technical institutions, and MoEF&CC. (Sihv Dixit | LinkedIn)
Surender Makhija is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, the International Rice Research Institute (Philippines), and XLRI Jamshedpur, and the longest-serving professional in micro-irrigation and water management in India — over 55 years turning conservation into practice.
He joined the field of water management in 1971 and has worked with missionary zeal to promote better water management and enhanced water-use efficiency through micro-irrigation. He was a member of the committee that presented the benefits of micro-irrigation to the Prime Minister’s Office in 2002, a presentation that led to the formation of some of the world’s largest micro-irrigation projects, including APMIP. In 1983, he authored and presented the concept of “Water Footprints” at a conference in Bhopal — a concept that has since become a standard requirement in sustainable agricultural practice.
He sits on various committees related to micro-irrigation, water and energy management, and sustainable agri-value chains, has lectured widely, and has published technical papers on water management, agricultural sustainability, food processing, hydraulic rams, and solar energy. He consulted for the Government of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in 2010 and continues to work on water- and energy-related projects across India, South-East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. (Surender Makhija | LinkedIn)
Komal Jain is an innovation strategist who bridges human potential and organisational change — closing the panel with the community-engagement piece of the puzzle, leading a volunteer movement of 50,000+ people across 1,000+ chapters.
Komal has shaped thousands of professionals and hundreds of organisations over a decade-plus career in Learning & Organisational Development, Innovation Consulting, Design Thinking, and Business Storytelling. She currently leads large-scale community, education, and social-development initiatives as Managing Director of Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana and Shantilal Muttha Foundation, is Founder & Chief Consultant of Questorik, an innovation and OD consultancy, and Co-Founder of Art Culturati. Earlier in her career she led Learning & Organizational Development and Community Engagement for a global MNC, with prior stints at Accenture and Uplers.
She has consulted with 100+ global organisations — including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, and Mercedes-Benz — has trained over 12,000 professionals across 670+ workshops, and lectures at institutions including JNU and VIT. She is also an accomplished poet and performer in Hindi, Urdu, and English, with millions of views on her spoken-word work, and a Black Belt in Taekwondo. (Komal Jain | LinkedIn)
Kishan Goenka is the President of WGF India and Chair of the WGF Water Council. He has held executive leadership roles in corporations across three continents over nearly four decades of illustrious career – from vice-president at Hindustan Gas & Industries to running Birla International’s Europe operations, and then country head for PT. Akraya and Mediterranean Fertilizers Company. He has also held board roles at several corporations including Clean Energy India AG, Vasundhara Bio Sciences Pvt Ltd, and Akraya Energy International Pvt. Ltd. All along, Kishan has been a passionate Rotarian with nearly 40-years of service. Additionally, he has supported several other impact organizations including PHS, ESRAG, and ISKCON.
Kishan has a B.Tech (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT- Kharagpur) and an MBA in BITS Pilani, India. (Kishan Goenka | Linnkedin)
Madhur Khanna is the Co-Chair of the WGF Water Council and a practicing Architect/ Partner in her Architectural practice of 30 years.
She has served on the board of Pratham for the last five years – “Pratham is one of the largest and most successful non-governmental education organizations in India. Established in 1995 to provide education to children in Mumbai slums, Pratham (which means “first” in Sanskrit) is now one of the largest and most successful non-governmental education organizations in India. Working in collaboration with governments, communities, parents, teachers, and volunteers, Pratham focuses on innovative interventions to address gaps in the education system. The clarity of mission is “every child in school and learning well” Pratham USA is a volunteer-driven organization with 14 chapters across the United States.
Madhur Khanna is a member of a Women’s Entrepreneur group in Bangalore that focuses on providing micro financing to women in need – both in rural as well as marginalized communities. Currently elected on the board of WHEELS Global, she aims to work in Water Conservation, impact driven digital vocational programs as well as affordable housing. (Madhur Khanna | LinkedIn)
