Urban Ecology
- Creating models of urban resource management — water, land, greenery, biodiversity, air, and human beings / other living creatures.
- Creating enterprise-based circular economy models with multiple bottom lines.
Not-for-profit · Section 8 Company · Since 2012
Creating better habitats for rural and urban citizens — and all living beings.
WASSAN Foundation offers development support and advisory services that build sustainable urban and rural habitats through water, land, biomass and enterprise-based solutions.
Who we are
Origin
WASSAN Foundation is incorporated as a “Not-for-Profit Company” under Section 8C of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) in August 2012.
WASSAN Foundation emerged from WASSAN in response to the emerging needs of WASSAN and the opportunities in the development sector. WASSAN is a reputed Civil Society Organization working towards improving the livelihoods of people living in rainfed regions of India.
Since its inception, WASSAN Foundation has provided development support and advisory services to many development agencies, including the government. The Foundation offers a range of services — consulting assignments (monitoring, evaluation, impact and scoping studies); establishing project management units; financial assistance to cooperatives and NGOs; incubating start-ups and cooperatives; social media services, and more.
What we do
Our approach
WASSAN Foundation works towards creating a better universe and local habitats for rural and urban citizens and other living beings. Our efforts are organised into three verticals.
Rural–Urban Connect
- Connecting rural producers of safe food and other products with discerning citizens and consumers, and connecting urban services and support systems with rural communities.
- Improving the performance of individuals and collectives towards better results and life.
Development Support Services
- Offering project management services.
- Social media services.
Our strength
Capability statement
20yrs
Average team experience
35yrs
Team leader experience in development
9+
Themes of expertise
WASSAN Foundation has a wide network of experts and resource persons who join the team for specific projects as per the need of the assignment. The team has the expertise to conduct baselines, mid-term reviews and impact assessments, scoping studies on specific themes, and project management services.
Themes we work across:
- Water
- Watershed
- Agriculture
- Education
- Health
- Forest
- Livelihoods
- WASH
- Institutions
Conceptualising and executing large-scale development projects; providing monitoring and documentation support; and evolving network-based projects and advocacy strategies are among our core capacities.
IoT-enabled project management support: WASSAN Foundation provides IoT-enabled solutions that integrate field-level data, project planning, execution and monitoring systems for effective decision-making.
The team includes experts and professionals from WASSAN whenever needed. The team working on the urban water / ecology theme currently operates from WASSAN, while the core mandate on this theme rests with WASSAN Foundation and will eventually migrate to it. Together, we create models of sustainable urban and rural habitats with water, land, biomass and waste-management enterprises.
Our people
People
Board of Directors
Eminent development professionals serve as Directors of WASSAN Foundation. The Board takes the main responsibility of governing the organization and makes policy and strategic decisions from time to time.
Shri. Mohanaiah Paladi
Director · Sep 2015 onwards
Former Chief General Manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Telangana. Guided several initiatives and innovations for improving the livelihoods of the rural poor through watershed and tribal development programs. Closely associated with cooperative banks, NGOs, cooperatives and farmers.
Smt. N. Kiran Mayi
Director · Feb 2024 onwards
Kiranmai Nara is an accomplished banking-technology leader with over two decades of experience in financial regulatory reporting. As Assistant Vice President at BA Continuum Solutions (a subsidiary of Bank of America), she has spearheaded automation initiatives across APAC, blending innovation with compliance to optimise capital and liquidity reporting. A Six Sigma Black Belt, she leads a team of 30+ professionals, driving operational excellence and global process standardization. Her expertise spans Oracle, Python and Axiom tools. Beyond technology, she has championed CSR projects in child education, digital literacy and community banking awareness in Hyderabad, and mentors start-ups through product development, compliance and market strategy.
Shri. K. Suresh
Director · Founding member · Aug 2012 onwards
Associated with the WASSAN Group of Institutions since 2000 in various capacities. He established Manchi Pustakam, a public charitable trust engaged in child-friendly learning and reading material and child education. A post-graduate in agriculture and a strong advocate of permaculture, he is one of the founding members of WASSAN Foundation.
Shri. M.V. Ramachandrudu
Executive Director · Founding member · Aug 2012 onwards
An environmental planner and civil engineer with vast experience in the development sector, particularly in natural resource management, water, watershed and WASH. He served WASSAN as Executive Secretary (2008–2018) and Director from 2000 onwards, and has been the Executive Director of WASSAN Foundation since 2012.
Shri. Vishram Naniwadekar
Director · Aug 2015 to Aug 2023
Co-founder of the IT firm AppLabs and chief consultant to several agencies on IT applications, including agri-business, educational institutions and manufacturing. A serial entrepreneur, he has nurtured several enterprises and entrepreneurs and supported IT applications in public systems.
Dr. N.K. Sanghi
Founding Director · 2012 to 2015
Dr. N.K. Sanghi was one of the founding directors of WASSAN Foundation and a renowned agricultural scientist who believed in farmers’ knowledge in farming. He held that community-centric watershed development and women-led SHG processes would sustain farmers’ incomes and ecological balance, and promoted natural methods of pest management through farmers’ collectives. He worked as Director (NRM) at MANAGE, Hyderabad, before joining WASSAN as an advisor, and provided direction to WASSAN Foundation in promoting rural enterprises.
Team
M.V. Rama Chandrudu
Executive Director · 2012 onwards
A civil engineer with a master's in environmental planning from CEPT, Ahmedabad (1990), he has worked with independent development agencies including Muniwar Abad Charitable Trust / Aga Khan Housing Board for India, Development Support Centre (Gujarat), WASSAN and WASSAN Foundation. He was a member of the drafting committee of the Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects (2008) issued by the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, and contributed to watershed policy in Andhra Pradesh. He has anchored numerous research studies and offered advisory services to projects and agencies including DFID, HIVOS, OXFAM, Engineers Against Poverty (UK), Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, AKRSP (I), Azim Premji Foundation, WaterAid India, ActionAid and others.
M. Bharani
Project Coordinator
A naturalist with diverse sustainability experience across brick manufacturing, metal art, water conservation, agro-business and green-building concepts. A dedicated water conservationist, he specialises in ecological design and water-efficient structures, combining innovative and regenerative practices with a focus on functionality, biodiversity and resilience.
Manoj Keerthi
Project Coordinator
An aspiring urban planner with a strong foundation in civil engineering and expertise in GIS-based planning, sustainable development and project management. He has contributed to master plans under AMRUT 2.0 and research on circular waste management, with a focus on rural sustainability, solid-waste management, water conservation and participatory planning.
Sai Teja Bandi
Project Coordinator
A professional specialising in project management, data analysis and social development, with an Integrated M.A. in Sociology from Pondicherry University. Fluent in English, Telugu and Hindi, he has served as Project Technical Support at AIIMS Delhi's EQUIP initiative in the Paderu Division — strengthening Health & Wellness Centres, conducting surveys and focus group discussions, and drafting analytical reports using SPSS — and previously as a Project Fellow for ONGC Foundation's Swachh Vidyalaya Project.
Kurva Dasthappa
Community Resource Person
An aspiring agricultural professional balancing higher education with five years of farming experience. Skilled in crop cultivation, irrigation and livestock handling, he brings strong social and community-mobilising abilities and a commitment to sustainable village progress.
Vadla Brahmanandam
Community Resource Person
A committed professional with strong communication and teamwork abilities. Skilled in community mobilization, he engages rural groups to drive collective action, and his experience in agriculture and livestock surveys — with strong data-collection and monitoring skills — supports sustainable practices and accurate evaluation of village initiatives.
Pottolla Ramesh
Community Resource Person
A B.Ed graduate passionate about education and rural upliftment. Skilled in community mobilization and interpersonal communication, he engages diverse groups to foster participation, and his experience in agriculture and livestock surveys with strong monitoring skills supports sustainable rural planning.
G. Raju
Community Resource Person
A B.Ed graduate dedicated to rural progress. With strong community-mobilization and interpersonal communication skills, he actively engages villagers in collective initiatives. Experienced in agriculture and livestock surveys, his data-collection and monitoring expertise strengthens rural projects and ensures accurate evaluation and impact.
Our work
Projects & Partners
Present Ongoing engagements
- Federation of Cooperatives, Rayalaseema — support in collaboration with Jana Jeevana Cooperative, Sri Satya Sai District, Andhra Pradesh.
- Manyam Grains — support to a millet-processing facility for a collective of Farmer Producer Organizations and local NGOs.
- Vibrant Veeravasaram — Veera Vaibhavam — a pilot to transform a rural habitat and regain its past glory, in collaboration with Ganga Aruna Foundation.
- Alternative Wetting & Drying in paddy — promoting AWD in Vikarabad District, Telangana, in collaboration with Terra Track Tech Solutions, New Delhi.
- 10 Farmer Producer Organizations / Collectives — improving governance and outreach / impact, with support from CaratRED, a technology company, Hyderabad.
- Maa Nava Lokam — anchoring a YouTube channel in collaboration with WASSAN and other like-minded NGOs to showcase stories and experiences of sustainability.
Past Completed engagements
- Watershed & water-resource assessments — baseline, mid-term and impact assessments across Odisha, Tripura, Manipur, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir, with State Level Nodal Agencies, MANAGE, NIRD and others (2012–2018).
- ITC water-resource projects — impact assessment studies in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
- AP Drought Mitigation Project — anchored the Project Management Unit; funded by IFAD, Government of Andhra Pradesh and NABARD (2018–2021).
- Chhattisgarh watershed projects — anchored the Project Secretariat for Project Monitoring & Evaluation Units (2012–2014).
- Jivi da Hasa — anchored the Project Management Unit in collaboration with Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, New Delhi.
- Water-savings assessment (AWD) — third-party assessment of water saved by farmers practising alternative wetting and drying in Telangana / Andhra Pradesh, supported by Dr. Reddy Foundation (2022–2023).
Reach us
Contact us
Address
WASSAN FoundationPlot No. 666, Road No. 12,
Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Colony,
Nagole, Hyderabad, India – 500 068.