Water resources internship fellowship
This water resources internship builds on Earth5R’s river and lake work, with a mentor who guides your field study and reviews your proposals. You study a local river, lake or water supply, map where pollution enters it and propose catchment solutions that a community or city could act on.
For school and university students who care about rivers and water supply and want to study a water problem near their home. Online, with field work near where you live. The fellowship is paid because every fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders.
Why water resources matter for sustainability
Water resources work asks how much water a place has, where it comes from, who uses it and how clean it stays. A polluted river usually has many sources across its catchment, the area of land that drains into it. Open drains and dumped waste add to the load. Water managers map these sources, plan treatment and decide how supply is shared between homes, farms and industry.
Earth5R has run river cleanups on the Mithi in Mumbai, the Mula Mutha in Pune and the Yamuna in Delhi, and lake cleanups at Powai Lake. For the Mithi River, it developed a solar-powered river-cleaning machine that was first built in Finland and then rebuilt for tidal and monsoon conditions. One flagship FIELDWORK project, with a New York University researcher, studies how data centres deepen water shortages in Maharashtra and the burden on women who fetch water.
This work links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 6, Clean water and sanitation and Goal 11, Sustainable cities and communities.
Available projects in the water resources internship fellowship
You join Earth5R’s live work through your own subject. Your mentor shapes the final project with you.
Pollution sources along a river
Walk a stretch of a local river or lake shore, geotag drains, outfalls and dumping points with photos, and rank them by what you observe.
Catchment solutions for a lake
Study the catchment of a local lake or river, find where waste and sewage enter, and propose low-cost fixes that a ward or housing society could take up.
Household water supply survey
Survey households on where their water comes from and who fetches it, using the questions raised by the flagship project on data centres and water shortages in Maharashtra.
River-cleaning machine study
Study the solar-powered river-cleaning machine built for the Mithi River through photos, videos, build documents and view-only CAD designs, and look at how its design deals with tides and monsoon flows.
What you do in the field
- Walk and photograph a river, lake or drain, and geotag what you find
- Read public water quality and rainfall data for your area
- Survey households on how they get, store and use water
- Draw a catchment map showing where water and waste flow
- Compare low-cost solutions using published case studies
- Present your proposal in a research conversation
Skills you build
On a water resources internship, you collect your own data near where you live, using the Earth5R app and data forms. Earth5R checks the data on its platform before it goes into your project report.
How the water resources internship fellowship works
Every fellow moves through four phases. Each phase is checked by your mentor before you move on.
Observe and Map
Go into the field near where you live and collect primary data for your project in Water Resources.
Frame and Design
Find the root cause in your data and frame a problem worth solving, with your mentor.
Model
Build a working model, analysis or design for your solution, and test it.
Build and Deploy
Put your solution to work, measure the result and publish a verified record on earth5r.org.
Along the way you take part in research conversations with professors at MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and other universities, and ask your own questions. See how FIELDWORK works.
Where this can take you
Degrees this work supports
- BSc in Environmental Science or Geography
- BTech in Civil or Environmental Engineering
- MSc in Water Resources Management or Hydrology
- MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management
- PhD in Hydrology or Water Resources
Careers in this field
- Hydrologist
- Water resources engineer or planner
- River and lake restoration specialist
- Water policy analyst
- Corporate water stewardship analyst
Universities known for Water Resources
Strong water resources programmes look for applicants who understand how a catchment works and can turn field observations into a practical plan. A fellowship project gives you a mapped study of a real water body near you, reviewed by your mentor and recorded on your verified profile on earth5r.org. Students use a water resources internship to build a record of real work for applications to universities like these.
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Netherlands · Department of Water Resources and Ecosystems (WRE)
IHE Delft’s Water Resources and Ecosystems department combines education, research and capacity development. Its themes are catchment hydrology and water resources assessment, aquatic ecosystems, river basin development, and climate variability, change and adaptation. The institute teaches a one-year MSc and a two-year Research MSc in Water and Sustainable Development.
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Netherlands · Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
TU Delft’s Department of Water Management works on water and sanitation for cities, flood and drought mitigation, and the supply of water of good quality. Research themes include groundwater, precipitation, PFAS, urban water infrastructure, and water and society. The department runs the Water Resources Engineering track in the MSc Environmental Engineering and has its own WaterLab.
Wageningen University & Research
Netherlands · Water Resources Management Group
The Water Resources Management Group at Wageningen studies integrated water resources management and governance around the world. Its research themes are agricultural water management, water governance and contested knowledges. Courses look at irrigated agriculture at field, scheme and catchment level, along with water justice and water allocation for uses such as hydropower and mining.
UK · MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management, School of Geography and the Environment
Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment runs the MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management, taught by staff from the social and natural sciences. Cross-cutting themes include economics, climate and catchment processes, governance, water quality, and water and health. Field work is part of the training, and the university’s Oxford Water Network links research on water security.
UK · Environmental and Water Resource Engineering (EWRE) section, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Environmental and Water Resource Engineering section is part of Imperial’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. It teaches an MSc in Hydrology and Water Resources Management, covering water in food production, ecosystem services and environmental risk, alongside MSc courses in environmental engineering. Research groups work on hydrology, urban water, and drinking water and wastewater.
UK · Water (area of specialism), including the Cranfield Water Science Institute
Cranfield’s Water specialism brings chemical and civil engineering together with biological, physical and social sciences. Research runs from water treatment processes and sensor technologies to irrigation engineering, drought vulnerability and water governance in a changing climate. Its staff include members of the Cranfield Water Science Institute, and its postgraduate degrees and short courses are shaped by industry needs.
USA · Water Resources and Hydrogeology Program, Department of Earth System Science, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
The Water Resources and Hydrogeology Program sits in the Department of Earth System Science within the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. It offers a PhD track that combines earth sciences and engineering. Research covers water resources management in developing regions, ecohydrology, global freshwater vulnerability, groundwater allocation policy and remote sensing of near-surface hydrology.
USA · Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS)
Arizona’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences studies water and weather in a desert setting. It offers a BS with an emphasis in environmental hydrology and water resources, an MS in hydrogeology and a PhD in hydrology. Research focus areas include subsurface and environmental hydrology, human-water interactions and climate.
Canada · Water Institute
Waterloo’s Water Institute brings together researchers in water science, engineering, economics and governance from all six faculties. Its research themes are the global water cycle, blue economy, watershed management, urban water systems, and human health and well-being. Graduate students can join the Collaborative Water Program while completing a degree in their home department.
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore · Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Design and Engineering
NUS Civil and Environmental Engineering teaches BEng degrees in civil engineering and in environmental and sustainability engineering, MSc courses and research degrees. Its Centre for Water Research studies drinking water treatment, antimicrobial resistance and microplastics removal. Graduate certificates in Digital Water and in Coastal Protection and Flood Management are also offered.
This list is for guidance. These universities are widely known for Water Resources. Earth5R has no admissions arrangement with them, and admission decisions rest with each university. Fellows get help researching universities, scholarships and applications, depending on the programme.
What your fellowship fee pays for
An internship fellowship at Earth5R is time and attention from senior researchers and leaders. Each part below takes staff time and resources that we set aside for every fellow.
Live mentoring with experts
One-to-one mentoring in most fellowships, with regular check-ins on your project.
Dialogues with global researchers
Academics from international universities and renowned scientists, who answer your questions and discuss your work.
Support in the field
Guidance while you collect data and work on your project in the field.
References for your next step
References when you apply for jobs, higher studies and research programmes.
Your work, hosted for life
Your work and data stay on Earth5R’s website and servers for life, where universities and employers can check them.
Time from senior people
Each fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders, set aside for them.
Fee details available on request.
Choose your fellowship
The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details available on request.
Water resources internship: common questions
What water body will I study in this water resources internship?
Usually one near where you live, such as a river, lake, creek or the local water supply. You agree the site with your mentor at the start. Fellows in Mumbai, Pune or Delhi can study rivers where Earth5R has run cleanups.
Will I test water samples?
Most projects use observation, mapping, household surveys and public water quality data. Where it’s safe and your mentor agrees, you can add simple test kit readings. You never need to enter polluted water to complete your project.
Can a water resources internship help me apply for hydrology or environmental engineering?
It gives you a field study of a real water body to describe in your personal statement and interviews, with a proposal your mentor reviewed. Your verified profile on earth5r.org records the work. Admission decisions rest with each university.
Is the water resources internship fellowship paid?
Yes. It is a paid, mentored internship fellowship. The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details are available on request.
Can I do this water resources internship online?
Yes. FIELDWORK runs online, and your field work takes place near where you live. Your mentor guides you through each step.
Who can apply?
School and university students from India and other countries. The fellowship prepares you for university, postgraduate study and work.
What do I get at the end?
A certificate, a letter of recommendation, a project report and a verified profile on earth5r.org, where universities and employers can check your work.
Apply for the water resources internship fellowship
Work on a live Earth5R project in Water Resources with a mentor, take part in research conversations with global researchers, and build a verified record of your work. Fee details available on request.
