Digbijoy Dey believes climate resilience and environmental responsibility must be embedded in every public service we design and deliver. For him, sustainable development is not only about expanding access – it is about enabling institutions, infrastructure and communities to thrive within environmental limits and respond to a changing climate. He works with governments, utilities and development partners to build practical, resilient and environmentally responsible service systems.
Digbijoy has more than 14 years of experience in climate-resilient water and sanitation systems, wastewater and environmental management across Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda, the Netherlands and Togo. Before joining Riva, he held technical and management roles within BRAC’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, leading sanitation and wastewater initiatives at national scale. His expertise includes systems strengthening, climate adaptation, utility monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability assessment of projects and services.
He has advised programmes funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Water.org, UNOPS-WSSCC, Simavi and SNV. His work has contributed to citywide inclusive sanitation planning in Ethiopia and national faecal sludge management research and strategy development in Bangladesh.
Digbijoy is a published researcher and regular speaker at international forums including Stockholm World Water Week, Faecal Sludge Management conferences, Singapore International Water Week and All Systems Connect. He holds MSc degrees from the University of Twente and the University of Dhaka, and works fluently in Bengali and English, with working proficiency in French.
Some highlights
- Led technical design of BRAC’s climate-resilient WASH programme in Bangladesh, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, covering 45 disaster-prone sub-districts
- Evaluated the global Water.org systems change programme across Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, with focus on sustainability and systems strengthening
- Supported development of solid waste management master plans in four Ethiopian towns under UNICEF-supported citywide inclusive sanitation initiatives
- Managed sanitation and wastewater operations within BRAC’s national WASH programme, including oversight of large-scale rural and small-town services
- Supervised nationwide faecal sludge characterisation and quantification studies in Bangladesh to inform sector planning and investment
- Supported advocacy, monitoring and sustainability checks under WASH SDG and WASH Alliance International programmes in Bangladesh, Nepal and Uganda
- Published peer-reviewed research on sanitation systems, waste management and environmental health, and presented at major global sector platforms