Dr. Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep

Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep (Harsh) is a Lead Environmental Specialist in the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice of the , and is leading efforts to promote sustainable multi-sectoral development approaches in a spatial context.

In over 19 years at the Bank, he has led and been part of a range of environmental, water, and other natural resources projects and studies, primarily in Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia. This has included work on integrated watershed and basin approaches, climate resilience, international waters (including work on the Aral Sea, Nile, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and other Basins), pollution, water and environment institutions, irrigation systems, biodiversity and environmental assessments. He also leads several activities at the Bank related to the use of innovative analytical tools (e.g. GIS, modeling, decision support systems), modern hydromet services, and mobile Apps (e.g. “Spatial Agent” to promote public domain open data access).

Prior to joining the Bank, he worked with other international organizations, in academia, and in the private sector on issues ranging from wetlands management and environmental indicators to New York City water supply systems and Middle East water conflicts. He has a B. Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras, a master’s in environmental and Resource Engineering from the University of Syracuse, and a Ph.D. in Water Resources and Environmental Systems from Harvard University.