A JBI GLOCAL SOLUTION FOR CLIMATEAND HEALTH: EVIDENCE-TO-ACTION DIALOGUES BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND INDIA
| Event Start Date: June 5, 2026 | Event End Date: June 5, 2026 | Event Venue: Virtual |
JBI gLOCAL Solution Room
A JBI gLOCAL Solution for Climate and Health: Evidence-to-Action Dialogues Between South Africa and India
2:00 pm – 6:30 pm India (IST)
10:30 am – 2:45 pm South Africa
10:30 am – 2:45 pm South Africa
The JBI gLOCAL Solution Room is a week-long global series of locally hosted, interactive events designed to provide pragmatic solutions to challenges in getting evidence into practice, bringing together clinicians, academics and policymakers to discuss how global evidence informs local practice and how local experience shapes global thinking in evidence-based healthcare. JBI explicitly frames “gLOCALization” as the simultaneous global and local nature of evidence generation, synthesis, transfer and implementation, emphasizing that evidence must be adapted to specific contexts given differences in economics, policy, systems and culture.
Climate change is significantly impacting water security in regions like South Africa and India, with over 1.8 billion people facing drought conditions as of 2022–2023 (IPCC, 2022), the annual costs associated with drought-related damages total approximately US$307 billion globally (UNU, 2026). South Africa, with only 450 mm of average rainfall, faces systemic risks, evidenced by the 2018 Cape Town crisis (NSWR, 2024; The Star, 2025). India may experience severe water stress due to increased demand driven by climate shifts. Potential solutions include wastewater treatment and reuse to address 40% of global freshwater needs by 2030, as well as nature-based solutions that enhance water retention and avert flood damages (DEA, 2024). Collaborative efforts between South Africa and India are crucial to share effective models and create actionable policies to mitigate future crises.
Centre for Public Health Research
Evidence Synthesis and Implementation for Indigenous Health — A JBI Affiliated Group
JBI Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre — A JBI Affiliated Group
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Opening & Introduction
| Time (IN / SA) | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00–2:10 pm IN 10:30–10:40 am SA |
Welcome and Introduction |
Professor Debashish Basu
University of Pretoria
|
| 2:10–2:20 pm IN 10:40–10:50 am SA |
Introduction to JBI |
Prof Zoe Jordan
JBIC, Adelaide, Australia
|
| 2:20–2:30 pm IN 10:50–11:00 am SA |
Introduction to participating JBI centres |
Dr. Nirmalya Mukherjee (India)
Dr. Jayati Kusari Basu (South Africa)
|
1
Session 1: Wastewater Treatment, Reuse & Urban Resilience
Session Chair: Dr. Gaurish Chakraborty, Ion Exchange Safic Pty Ltd
| Time (IN / SA) | Talk | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 2:30–2:40 pm IN 11:00–11:10 am SA |
Keynote: “Climate Change’s Toll on Water in South Africa and India: What Does the Evidence Tell Us?” Keynote
|
Dr. Gaurish Chakraborty
Ion Exchange Safic Pty Ltd
|
| 2:40–2:55 pm IN 11:10–11:25 am SA |
Medical waste water treatment |
Mr. Jayesh Mandlik
Nilah Palasah Ca Pratyaya, India
|
| 2:55–3:10 pm IN 11:25–11:40 am SA |
Hospital as a case study for medical waste treatment |
Dr. Sayuri Pillay
University of Pretoria
|
| 3:10–3:20 pm IN 11:40–11:50 am SA |
Q & A | Session Chair |
2
Session 2: Nature-Based Solutions for Catchment & Coastal Protection
Session Chair: Dr. Jayati Kusari Basu
| Time (IN / SA) | Talk | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 3:20–3:35 pm IN 11:50 am–12:05 pm SA |
Role in flood mitigation, drought buffering, and water purification |
Mr. Nirmallya Mondal
Ecociate
|
| 3:35–3:50 pm IN 12:05–12:20 pm SA |
Voices of the Indigenous people, India |
Dr. Nirmalya Mukherjee
Chief Executive — MANT, India
|
| 3:50–4:00 pm IN 12:20–12:30 pm SA |
Q & A | Session Chair |
— Break: 15 minutes (4:00–4:15 pm IN | 12:30–12:45 pm SA) —
3
Session 3: Digital Infrastructure, Industrial Water Footprint & Translating Evidence into Policy
Session Chair: Dr. Nirmalya Mukherjee
| Time (IN / SA) | Talk | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 4:15–4:30 pm IN 12:45–1:00 pm SA |
Emerging digital infrastructure and cooling-water demand in South Africa. Climate mitigation vs water trade-offs. |
South African National Space Agency
|
| 4:30–4:45 pm IN 1:00–1:15 pm SA |
Regulatory frameworks, financing mechanisms, and public health safeguards in both countries |
Professor Sunil Maharaj
Vice Principal, University of Pretoria
|
| 4:45–5:00 pm IN 1:15–1:30 pm SA |
Systematic review priorities on climate, water, and health impacts |
Dr. Kaushik Chattopadhyay
University of Nottingham
|
| 5:15–5:30 pm IN 1:30–1:45 pm SA |
Monitoring, evaluation & policy indicators for climate-resilient water and health systems |
Dr. Manisha Mukherjee
Nangia Anderson LLP
|
| 5:30–5:40 pm IN 1:45–1:55 pm SA |
Q & A | Session Chair |
| 5:40–6:10 pm IN 1:55–2:25 pm SA |
Panel Discussion: Integrating Food Systems with Climate and Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Panel
|
Chair: Mr. Vishal Brijlal
Discussants: Dr. Paramita Bhattacharya & Dr. Sajda Khatoon
|
| 6:10–6:20 pm IN 2:25–2:35 pm SA |
Q & A | Session Chair |
| 6:20–6:30 pm IN 2:35–2:45 pm SA |
Closing & Action Commitments
Summary of key takeaways and next steps for collaboration
|
Dr. Sajda Khatoon
Asst. Director, CPHR-MANT, JBI-India
|
Speakers
South Africa
Dr. Debashis Basu
Academic & Clinical Head, University of Pretoria
Dr. Debashis Basu is a senior public health physician and academic with extensive experience in population health, health systems, and social determinants of health across India and southern Africa. He currently serves as Academic and Clinical Head of Public Health Medicine at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and is Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Social Determinants of Health and Promoting Health and Well-being.
India
Dr Nirmalya Mukherjee
Chief Executive, MANT, Kolkata, India & Director, JBI Affiliate Centre — CPHR
Dr Mukherjee trained in Social Impact Strategy with a focus on Human-Centered Design (HCD) from the Center for Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He is a distinguished public health expert with over 25 years of experience in designing, managing, and evaluating health and development projects across diverse contexts. He has extensive expertise in infectious disease research, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), tobacco control, neonatal and maternal health, and health systems strengthening. His work is grounded in both academic rigor and field-based application, with a strong emphasis on disease surveillance, policy development, and the design and implementation of intervention strategies to address emerging public health threats.
Australia
Prof Zoe Jordan
Executive Director, JBI, University of Adelaide, Australia
Prof Jordan has held numerous leadership positions over the past 20 years working to promote and support evidence-based healthcare globally. She has been involved in various collaborative groups such as the Global Evidence Commission Response Working Group (Australia), SPOR Evidence Alliance International Advisory Committee (Canada), the Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Consortia (MuSE) and Cochrane Co-Production Methodology Group, JBI Textual Evidence Synthesis Methodology Group, Evidence Synthesis Taxonomy Initiative Advisory Group (ESTI), the Health Translation SA Implementation Science Network Executive. Prof Jordan was the recipient of the South Australian Telstra Business Women’s Award for Public Sector and Academia in 2019.
South Africa
Prof. Jayati Kusari-Basu
Director, JBI-Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre; Dip(Obst), MSc Med (WITS), FCOG (SA), M Med (WITS), PhD (WITS)
Prof Kusari-Basu is a principal specialist obstetrician & Gynecologist working as the head of the unit of obstetrics & Gynecology at the Ekurhuleni district clinical specialist team and a joint staff at the University of Witwatersrand (WITS). She is affiliated with the South African Medical Research Council Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and Child Health Care Strategies, University of Pretoria. She has presented in various national and international conferences and published many papers in international and national journals. She is an editorial board member of journals and also is a reviewer of various journals.
UK
Dr. Kaushik Chattopadhyay
Associate Professor, Evidence Based Healthcare, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham
Dr. Kaushik Chattopadhyay is an accomplished academic and registered medical doctor with a distinguished dual degree in European Master in Public Health, funded by the Erasmus Mundus Grant Programme. He holds an MPH from The University of Sheffield and an MSc in Public Health – Health Economics and Financial Management from the Jagiellonian University. With extensive research and teaching experience across the UK and Asia, Dr. Chattopadhyay has previously worked at prestigious institutions such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King’s College London.
India
Dr. Manisha Mukherjee
Executive Director — Sustainability & Developmental Services, Nangia & Co LLP
Manisha Mukherjee, with a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, has 23+ years of experience in consulting related to Environmental Sustainability, Climate Change, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Finance, Climate Fund Management, and the overall development sector. Manisha has worked with funding agencies such as ADB, World Bank, IFC, GIZ, SDC, DFID, CDKN, and UN organizations such as UNDP, UNIDO, WTO, and ILO where her role was either as a consultant, a subject matter expert, or as the fund manager. She has worked for both the state and central governments in India as well as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sudan, Eswatini, South Africa, Nigeria, and Abu Dhabi. Manisha has also worked in the area of Sustainability Strategy and Reporting for some of the top global corporates in different sectors.
India
Mr. Nirmallya Mandal
Cofounder and Director, Eccociate
Mr. Nirmallya has over 20 years of experience in social and market research, consultancy, and project management across sustainability, livelihoods, agriculture, and CSR. With a postgraduate degree in Rural Management and a background in Economics, he is a certified Master Trainer (Pearson, London) and a Sustainability Assessor with CII. He has led multiple national and state-level value chain studies and has extensive experience across India and Bangladesh.
South Africa
Professor Sunil Maharaj
Vice-Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, University of Pretoria
Prof. Sunil Maharaj is a distinguished engineer and academic with over 33 years of experience in industry, academia, and consulting. Currently Vice-Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, he previously served as Dean of Engineering (EBIT). His expertise lies in broadband wireless communications, including 5G, OFDM-MIMO, and edge computing. He has published over 170 papers, holds international patents, and received multiple awards. A Fellow of leading engineering bodies and former President of SAIEE, he has played key roles in global engineering leadership and IEEE initiatives.
South Africa
Mr. Vishal Brijlal
Senior Country Advisor and Chair of Board of Directors, Impact Nexus Africa
Mr. Vishal Brijlal is a health economist with over 25 years of experience in health policy, financing, and public–private partnerships across Africa and India. He has served as Advisor to the Minister of Health, NHI Coordinator, and Director of Health Financing in South Africa. At CHAI, he held leadership roles across India and Southern Africa, contributing to ART programme scale-up. He has served on multiple ministerial committees and led key reforms in national health systems, including financing and laboratory services restructuring.
India
Dr Paramita Bhattacharya
PhD (Economics), Director at CPHR (JBI affiliate centre), Kolkata, India
Dr. Bhattacharya is a health economist, specializing in healthcare financing, policy analysis, and the economic impact of infectious diseases. Her research focuses on the intersection of economic frameworks and public health, particularly in antimicrobial resistance and access to healthcare. She has contributed to policy recommendations in cost-effective intervention strategies and resource allocation in health systems. Through her work, she aims to provide data-driven insights to optimize healthcare expenditures and improve the sustainability of health programs in low- and middle-income settings. She is a Leadership Programme Fellow (2024) from Johns Hopkins University, and recipient of the Australia Award Fellowship for implementing evidence-based health interventions.
India
Dr Sajda Khatoon
PhD, Assistant Director at CPHR (JBI affiliate centre), Kolkata, India
Dr. Sajda Khatoon is the Assistant Director-Research at the Centre for Public Health Research, MANT, India. She specializes in vector-borne diseases, public health, and evidence synthesis, with a focus on climate-related severe weather events in the Bay of Bengal. Her doctoral research (2021) examined vector-borne disease prevalence in Kolkata. A recipient of the UGC NET/JRF-SRF fellowship (2015), she integrates GIS into health geography research. Dr. Khatoon has published widely, presented globally, and received multiple awards, including a Best Paper Award (2023), NIH case study project (2024) and a travel grant for the Global Forum on Bioethics in Research (2024).
