EDUCATION:
2009 MSc, Economics, Madras School of Economics, Anna University, Chennai
2006 BA (Hons), Economics, Hansraj College, Delhi University, Delhi
Countries: India
States: Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab
Cities: Chennai
Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil
Somya is an External Consultant for the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme at IIHS. She has over seven years of experience in the water and sanitation sector.
In the early stages of her career, Somya’s research for Transparent Chennai on public toilets was recognised well by policymakers and she was appointed as a member of the Steering Sub-Committee for the 12th Five Year Plan, Urban Water Supply and Sanitation, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. She later served as the sanitation specialist for the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration, Tamil Nadu and was responsible for the implementation of a flagship programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu called ‘Namma Toilet’. It was recognised by the Government of India as the national best practice for its inclusive and user-centric design of public/community toilets. Somya has also worked for the Institute for Financial Management and Research, Water and Sanitation Program (World Bank) and IIT-Madras.
She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and has performed extensively in India.