Fawzia Tarannum

Co-founder

Co-founder of Abhipsa Foundation (GuruJal)

Fawzia Tarannum is the co-founder of Abhipsa Foundation (GuruJal)[1], an Indian non-profit working on environment and water & sanitation from Gurugram.

Fawzia Tarannum is an Indian water resources specialist and academic. She is an assistant professor in the Coca-Cola Department of Regional Water Studies at the TERI School of Advanced Studies in New Delhi, and is listed by GuruJal, the integrated water resources management initiative of the Abhipsa Foundation in Gurugram, Haryana, as its co-founder and strategic head.

Career

Tarannum describes herself as an interdisciplinary water professional with more than two decades of experience in project management, teaching and training. Before joining the TERI School of Advanced Studies she was general manager at Cleantec Infra Private Limited, a company engaged in the mechanised cleaning and dredging of shallow water bodies. Her research interests include integrated water resources management, participatory water governance, and gender and equity in water management.

At GuruJal she is named as co-founder and strategic head. GuruJal works on pond rejuvenation, eco-restoration and water stewardship in Gurugram district in partnership with communities, government bodies and corporate funders, and runs the WeForWater fellowship for young people working on local water problems. She is also a co-founder of the WforW Foundation, a citizens' platform on water issues.

Recognition

Tarannum is a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, having spent a year at Cornell University in the United States, and received a University of Nairobi–IDRC doctoral research grant. She has been trained as a Climate Reality Leader through the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.[2][3][4]

Abhipsa Foundation (GuruJal)

Abhipsa Foundation runs GuruJal, an integrated water management initiative in Gurugram, Haryana, working with the district administration, corporates and communities to tackle water scarcity, groundwater depletion and flooding. Its projects include pond rejuvenation, traditional well revival, wastewater treatment pilots and the WeForWater green-jobs programme.

Abhipsa Foundation (GuruJal) reports the following, on its own site:

In FY 2024-25, GuruJal reached 5 cities pan-India, running 30+ programmes with 100+ partners and 100% audited financials (Annual Report 2024-25 year highlights).
Under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan in Gurugram (2019), GuruJal sealed 200+ borewells and set up the district's Water Complaint Call Centre.