Alka Sharma

Background

About Alka Sharma

Dr. Alka Sharma is a climate resilience and water systems specialist working at the convergence of hydrological science, public policy, and climate-informed infrastructure investment. With a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources) and over a decade of experience, she brings strong analytical depth to large-scale resilience planning and public investment decisions.Currently serving as Consultant with Grant Thornton Bharat under the Maharashtra Resilient Development Program (MRDP), she contributes to the technical appraisal and strategic review of flood mitigation and climate-resilient infrastructure projects. Her work involves engaging with policymakers, engineers, and project leaders to evaluate DPRs, RFPs, and investment proposals — ensuring hydrological integrity, climate risk integration, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) alignment, and long-term financial sustainability.She has led and supported basin-scale water and climate assessments across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and contributed to international watershed climate risk modelling projects in Ireland. Her work integrates hydrological modelling, spatial analytics, and climate projections into actionable planning and policy frameworks.Her expertise includes:• Hydrological & hydrodynamic modelling (SWAT, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS)• Climate change impact assessment using CMIP datasets• Basin-scale water balance & blue-green water accounting• Flood risk assessment and runoff modelling• GIS, remote sensing & spatial hydroclimatic analytics• Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for watershed and flood resilience• Technical review and preparation of DPRs, RFPs & climate-resilient project proposals• Policy advisory support for climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster risk financingHer research has been published in leading international journals including Journal of Cleaner Production and CATENA, and she is a recipient of multiple Best Paper Awards at international hydrology conferences.Dr. Sharma is particularly interested in advancing climate risk-informed infrastructure systems and strengthening the integration of science, policy, and finance to build resilient and future-ready water systems.