Santhosh Garakahalli Siddaiah
The environment at the campus is highly-motivating and gives me the sense that I am heading in the right direction.
Santhosh Garakahalli Siddaiah comes from South India. He works for NGO the Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society. Their main focus is on design and implementation of Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS).
Santhosh heard about UNESCO-IHE from one of his colleagues who heard about the Masters provided during the Water Summit and he suggested that Santhosh find out more. There were many stakeholders at the Water Summit, such as Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, UNESCO-IHE. “I researched UNESCO-IHE and talked to another colleague who is an alumnus of UNESCO-IHE, who also recommended the programme.” In his job, Santhosh met sector experts who had attained their Masters or PhD which motivated him. Santhosh is now studying Sanitary Engineering in the Urban Water and Sanitation programme.
He further explains, “At the end of my Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering, I was thinking about designing buildings. However my first job diverted my attention towards sanitation. I understood the characteristics of wastewater and sanitation related problems. After three years of experience in sanitation I understand the importance of providing solutions to sanitation related issues, particularly in India. Though there are Master programmes in civil and environmental engineering not many Indian universities provide courses with a specialization in sanitary engineering. This also motivated me to find out about specialized courses abroad.”
“The teaching style at UNESCO-IHE is different and well-structured. The environment at the campus is highly-motivating. I can now sense that I am heading in the right direction. The laboratory work is interesting, it is well equipped and that environment inspires me. After I finish my studies, I would like to support my team back in India and implement my knowledge. I would like to integrate my ideas and knowledge gained at UNESCO-IHE.”
Santhosh shared his excitement about his first few weeks at Delft, “The first week at UNESCO-IHE was amazing since it is my first trip to Europe and I came with an open mind. It was incredible to see more than 200 students from more than 51 countries all coming to the same place. From the time that we arrived until the dinner at the end of the first week, it was all well-organized. The Student Affairs department took care of all the details. I have been able to interact with many students and we are getting along well. My Masters journey will be great thanks to UNESCO-IHE.”