Krishna Patil is a member of the technical team for the Water Peace Security (WPS) project and the Alumni Coordinator for IHE Delft in India at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. His work focuses on data analysis, Python programming, and machine learning techniques to address water security challenges, particularly in Turkana County, Kenya. Krishna’s current project involves analysing water stress, its effects on pastoralism, and the social consequences to understand the root causes of water conflict in the region.
He was a Rotary Scholar for his master's in Water and Sustainable Development at IHE Delft during the year 2022-2023. His research focused on using remote sensing tools to analyse water stress and conflict in Turkana County, Kenya. In addition to his technical expertise, He has presented his research at conferences, including a presentation in Peru and at the Belgian and Netherlands Rotary Clubs, where he discussed solutions to water-related conflicts.
Previously, Krishna coordinated with the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhirkaran, where he supervised hydraulic tests of drinking water lines, conducted flood studies using satellite detection tools, and validated data collected from the field. One key project identified critical flooding areas, including a bridge at the city’s entrance, which is crucial for disaster transport logistics. He also collaborates with the EDS group in Peru, where he co-taught a hydraulic modelling course using OpenTelemac, focusing on river flood modelling and optimizing tools such as coastSat for plant mobility analysis in jungle rivers (GitHub).
Research summary
Krishna’s main research interests lie in the broader area of water security and conflict mitigation. The key challenges he addresses include water stress, its impacts on pastoralism, and climate-related conflicts in arid and semi-arid regions. His research areas include:
- Water stress analysis and hydrological modelling
- Remote sensing for water resource management
- Climate change impacts on water availability
- Machine learning applications for drought and water scarcity prediction
- Pastoralist migration and land use conflict
- Decision-support systems for water conflict resolution
- Water pipeline installation, hydraulic testing, and construction of water structures
- Water governance and policy in regions facing water scarcity