Nilusha Patabendi

An international development professional specializing in water supply, sanitation and hygiene and climate change. Nilusha has more than 19 years of active engagement in the environmental and WASH sectors, with a strong academic background and professional history. Nilusha has demonstrated a track record of advocacy, policy development, strategy development, and providing technical guidance to government partners at national and sub-national levels, coordinating with bi-lateral, multi-lateral, and non-governmental organizations. Nilusha is a high achiever with strong advocacy, planning, and organizing abilities.

• Inception Report- Integrated Water Resource Management Project for Hinnavaru Island in Maldives, UNOPS Sri Lanka & Maldives, 2018
• Lessons Learned and Good Practice of the Integrated Water Resource Management Project for Hinnavaru Island in Maldives, UNOPS Sri Lanka & Maldives, 2018
• Final Project Report: Integrated Water Resource Management Project for Hinnavaru Island in Maldives, UNOPS Sri Lanka & Maldives, 2018
• Final Evaluation of “Delivering Sustained WASH Improvements in Schools” project in Mayurbhanj District, Plan International India, 2013
• Review of the school water, sanitation and hygiene improvement of the country programme of Plan International Vietnam, Plan International Vietnam, Hue, Vietnam, 2013

Climate Resilient WASH in Rural Areas

· Design Rural WASH programme targeting vulnerable rural communities and collaborated with relevant government agencies, CSO, Community Based Organizations at the national and provincial level for the implementation and monitoring.

· Developed the 4th Readiness Proposal on Climate Resilient WASH, which was approved by the GCF in 2023 and actively engaged in the pipeline development of GCF proposals and NDCs implementation in the WASH and Health sectors.

· Technically guided development and endorsement of the policy on Regularization, Protection, Conservation and Management of Watersheds, Water Sources and Reserves in 2 provinces.

· Guided the Ministry of Water Supply, the National Department of Rural Water Supply and NWSDB to integrate climate change into the ongoing national-level WASH programs, assessments, strategies, national action plans and policy documents (National policies on drinking water and sanitation) and supported national and sub-national-level government agencies to develop provincial-level water management plans and provincial-level policies and local statutes for source protection of drinking water.

· Designed and coordinated to implement groundwater sector policy analysis, vulnerability assessment of groundwater and feasibility study and social and economic study on groundwater recharging through Managed Aquifer Recharged systems in rural water supply schemes and supported the capacity building of technical officers and engineers on MAR and groundwater recharging.

· Supported to design and implementation of pilot models on climate-resilient water safety and security plans, Managed Aquifer Recharged systems and solar-powered water pumping in urban and rural water supply schemes.

· Designed and guided the implementation of Climate Resilient Water Safety Plans in rural supply schemes (WSP) and developed the CBO manual on WSP implementation in the rural sector and training guide on WSP implementation and the national level guide for the auditing the WSP implementation in rural water schemes.

· Technically support the ministries of education and environment and land commission to implement the Climate SMART School concept, urban sector climate change programmes in low capacity settlements and community-based water source protection programmes as pilot projects and scaling up at sub-national level.

WASH in institutions

· Technically guided and supported to develop the training guide for healthcare waste management for medical health staff, rolling out training programmes on HCWM for medical staff in curative and preventive health sectors

· Led the WASH assessment in HCF coordinating with the Ministry of Health following the WASH FIT and planned to develop the country road map for the improvement of WASH facilities in Health care settings.

· Supported the Ministry of Health to develop the National Action Plan and provincial level plans (9) for the health care waste management

· Supported the Ministry of Health to conduct the national survey on waste generation in the COVID-19 vaccination programme and implement the cluster approach as a pilot project for the health care waste management by installing incinerators in selected 3 base hospitals.

· Coordinated with the Ministry of Health to conduct rapid WASH assessment and address WASH needs including waste management in HCWM facilities with the main focus on Maternal and Child Health Clinics.

· Supported the Ministry of Education to develop MHM teacher training material and MHM self-learning material for children (Draft)

· Coordinated with the Ministries of Environment and Education to conduct the risk assessment to understand the impact of climate change on the education system.

· Technically support the Ministries of Education and Environment to design and implement the Climate SMART School concept and conduct the risk assessment to understand the impact of climate change on the education system

Urban WASH

· Designed and guided the implementation of a socio-economic analysis in poor urban settlements in two districts to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic crisis in poor urban settlements to assess the impact on social services due to the economic crisis of Sri Lanka, jointly with WHO.

· Supported to conduct of hygiene and MHM promotion programmes reaching 15,000 people in low-income urban settlements including handwashing promotion and installation of handwashing points at the entrance of 22 low-income urban settlements and 100 public places and increase awareness of prevention of spitting at public places and urban settlements with the support of community champions identified and recognized by the Urban and Estate Unit of the Ministry of Health.

· Coordinated with the Ministry of Health and the local partner to train waste handling staff (600) and Public Health Inspectors of urban local authorities in 4 districts and trained the Development Officers (45) of the Urban Settlement Development Authority on IPC and WASH in the context of COVID.

Advocacy, Policy Development and WASH Monitoring

· Led the policy development process and supported the local government to develop provincial-level water management plans and provincial-level policies and local statutes for the catchment protection of water sources (in 2 Provinces).

· Supported the implementation of the sanitation master plan and development of the country roadmap for hand hygiene and formative research on hand hygiene behaviour among urban and estate sectors and develop the SBC strategy for hand hygiene promotion.

· Coordinated with responsible national agencies and the JMP team to design and conduct national-level household assessments on drinking water quality to report on safely managed drinking water and generate data for the monitoring of SDG 6.1 and 6.2.

· Advocated ministries of education and health to integrate WASH indicators in information management systems of education (EMIS) and health (HEMIS) and to include relevant WASH questions in the national surveys.

· Supported the country office’s national advocacy strategy resulting in policy change related to GAP'4 on Increasing access to clean water, addressing environmental degradation and climate change.

· Supported the implementation of the sanitation master plan in rural areas and capacity building of local authorities and government agencies towards safely managed sanitation.

· Led the development process of the country roadmap for hand hygiene and formative research on hand hygiene behavior among urban and estate sectors and the development of the behavior change strategy for hand hygiene promotion.

· Supported the development and revising the drinking water policy, the national sanitation policy and water safety plan implementation policy.

WASH in Emergencies

· Lead the WASH cluster and developed the country’s WASH strategy for emergency preparedness and WASH response plans and preparedness plans under different scenarios of emergencies (Droughts, floods, Covid 19 health emergency, financial crisis, Internal ethnic conflicts).

· Supported training of government agencies and medical officers on SPHERE standards, emergency preparedness and responding and development of the WASH component of the Camp Management guidelines.

· Worked with relevant agencies for the supply of hygiene kits, laboratory chemicals for water quality testing, water treatment systems and chemicals, water pumps, water tanks, water meters, water distribution pipes and waste bins and carts.

· Provided WASH-related input for the CER, CitRep, HNP, donor proposals and reports, 5W, sector updates and need assessments. Provide WASH updates to the inter-country working group, Information Management and Analysis Working Group and UN HCT.

· Coauthor   - “Construction Manual of Urine Diverting Dehydration Latrines in Sri Lanka”, Practical Action South Asia, 2011

· Patabendi.N and Herath.J, . (2022). Climate    Resilience of Community-Managed Water Supply Sytems in Sri Lanka. The    Water Security and Climate Change (WSCC) (pp. 23-26). Banckok : The    Asian Institute of Technology (AIT),.

· Patabendi.N and   Pathmanesan.S . (2022). Rural Development, Resettlement and Socila Exclusion   : A Case Study of Nelugama Village in Sri Lanka . Internation Research   Conforence of SLTC, Technological Advancements for Sustanability (pp.52-53).  Padukka : Sri Lanka Technological Campus.

· Nilusha Patabendi, S. S. (2020). The   journey to the development of locally appropriate safe disposal systems for   MHM facilities in schools of Sri Lanka: From open dumping to incineration”. 8th   Virtual Conference on Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools,. NewYork:   UNICEF.

· “Occurrence  of Open Defecation Behaviors among Isolated Communities of Rural Sector”, N.  Patabendi, Student Symposium, Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Sri Lanka,  2017.

· “Addressing Water Quality Issue in Schools through Integrated Approach at School Level”, 3rd International Symposium on Water Quality and Human Health: Challenges Ahead, Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2014.

· “Issues in Managing Menstrual Hygiene in Rural Schools in Sri Lanka”, WASH2014 conference, Brisbane, Government of Australia, 2014.

• “Community Leadership for Reaching MDGs Targets trough Water Supply in Rural Areas of Dry Zone in Sri Lanka; Case Study of a Water Supply and Sanitation Projects in Willahchchiya, 3rd International Conference on Community Water Service, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2014
• “Active participation of children in WASH initiatives of their schools” at the expresso slot during the 37th WEDC International Conference, Held in Hanoi.

· “Quality Analysis of the Compost Produced by Ecosan latrines”, P.Nilusha, W.Deepthi & K.Shiromi,3rd World Dry Toilet Conference , Helsinki, Finland,2009

· “Study on Quality of the Compost Produced by Compost Bins and Ecosan Latrines and Survey on Knowledge Attitudes and Practices in Usage of Compost Bins and Ecosan Latrines”, P.Nilusha, W.Deepthi & K.Shiromi, 2nd International WASH Practitioners’ Marketplace and Fair, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 2008.

• Climate Resilience of Community Managed Water Supply Systems In Rural Sri Lanka, Case Study: Sri Lanka, #17

July 2022 SAR-WASH - 2022_17CS_SlCO_CRWSSP_final.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

•  “Community Involvement in Promoting Groundwater Recharge Through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)

Approach “– A Pilot Experience in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Filed Note, UNICEF (FN/47/2020),

• ‘ Informal Waste Collectors in Sri Lanka’, The Island News Paper, 2011

· International Year of Sanitation, in Sri Lanka ,2008 Dewpoint Newsletter, February, 2009. (http://www.dewpoint.org.uk)

· “Drinking Water Problem in Tsunami Resettlements in Sri Lanka” (PAC South Asia), Dewpoint Newsletter, November, 2008, (http://www.dewpoint.org.uk)

•  Women Participation in Community-Based Organizations and Committees Working in Water and Sanitation,

Dewpoint Newsletter, January, 2009. (http://www.dewpoint.org.uk)

· “Study on Quality of the Compost Produced by Compost Bins and Ecosan Latrines”, Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) secretariat and the GTZ Ecosan team. (www.gtz.de/publications/ecosan), 2009

· International Year of Sanitation, in Sri Lanka,2008 Dewpoint Newsletter, February 2009. (http://www.dewpoint.org.uk)

· “Drinking Water Problem in Tsunami Resettlements in Sri Lanka” (PAC South Asia), Dewpoint Newsletter, November, 2008, (http://www.dewpoint.org.uk)