* The SOP is meant to a stream of text without sectional headings, but here in the interest of understanding, we are highlighting the various sections.

Growing up in the semi-arid region of Kutch, Gujarat, water scarcity wasn’t an abstract issue—it was a daily reality. My earliest memories involve my grandmother storing rainwater in large earthen pots, meticulously rationing it for household use through the long summer months. These childhood observations later matured into questions, and then a purpose: how can we design water infrastructure that is not just technically sound, but also socially sustainable and resilient to climate shocks?

With this purpose in mind, I pursued Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, where I developed a passion for environmental engineering—especially water treatment, distribution, and reuse systems in emerging economies. Today, with two years of professional experience in large-scale water infrastructure projects and hands-on exposure to decentralized systems in rural India, I am seeking admission to the MSc in Environmental Engineering program at the University of British Columbia. UBC’s interdisciplinary, research-intensive, and sustainability-focused curriculum aligns perfectly with my goal of becoming a regional leader in sustainable water engineering.

At IIT Gandhinagar, I was particularly drawn to courses in Environmental Chemistry, Water Quality Modeling, and Sustainable Design. For my final-year thesis, I developed a low-cost bio-sand filtration prototype for arsenic removal in groundwater—a significant issue in parts of eastern India. The project, which combined material science with public health impact assessment, earned the ‘Best Capstone Project’ award and was later presented at the 2019 Indian Water Works Association Conference.

After graduation, I joined Larsen & Toubro’s Water Infrastructure Division as a Project Engineer. My first assignment involved designing water treatment systems for an urban expansion zone near Pune. Here, I collaborated with structural, mechanical, and procurement teams to optimize plant layout and sludge handling systems. But the most formative experience came when I volunteered for L&T’s CSR initiative in rural Gujarat, working on the planning of decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) for three tribal villages. Our gravity-fed designs used anaerobic baffled reactors and wetland-based polishing—technologies well suited to low-energy, low-maintenance contexts. This work reinforced my belief in community-based engineering and the need for context-driven design.

In parallel, I have been actively involved with “Jal Sakti,” a volunteer-driven NGO working on water awareness in schools and villages. Through this initiative, I’ve helped design rainwater harvesting awareness campaigns and hands-on workshops for over 500 schoolchildren and local youth. These interactions have shown me that technical solutions must be accompanied by education, trust-building, and behavioral nudges to truly make a difference.

I now wish to pursue graduate study to deepen my technical competencies and gain global research exposure. The MSc in Environmental Engineering at UBC stands out to me for multiple reasons. Its strong emphasis on sustainability and climate-resilient infrastructure, combined with opportunities to work under renowned faculty like Dr. Nemy Banthia and Dr. Loretta Li, makes it uniquely suited to my interests. I am particularly excited about research in decentralized wastewater treatment, membrane filtration technologies, and climate adaptation in water systems.

I am also eager to engage with UBC’s interdisciplinary research clusters, including the UBC Water Research Centre and the Clean Energy Research Centre. These platforms will allow me to collaborate across civil, chemical, and policy domains—an essential capability in the multifaceted world of environmental infrastructure. Beyond academics, I hope to participate in the Engineers Without Borders chapter at UBC and contribute to sustainability initiatives both on and off campus.

After completing my MSc, I intend to return to India to work with government and international development agencies such as the Ministry of Jal Shakti, UNICEF, or the Asian Development Bank. My goal is to lead the design and implementation of scalable water and sanitation systems for low-income and climate-vulnerable communities across India and Southeast Asia. In the long run, I aspire to establish a social enterprise that provides decentralized water solutions tailored to remote geographies—blending traditional knowledge with modern engineering.

UBC, with its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global equity, is the ideal place for me to refine my technical skills, expand my worldview, and deepen my impact. I come with a strong foundation in civil engineering, real-world field experience, and a mission-driven mindset. At UBC, I hope to learn not just how to treat water—but how to value it, design for it, and use it to build healthier, more equitable communities.