About Us
Who We Are
The IIBHB was cofounded by Dr. Rash B. Ghosh, a Bengali-American scientist, Professor Glenn T. Seaborg, the 1951 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, and Professor Charles H. Townes, the inventor of the laser, the 1964 Nobel Laureate in Physics, and the recipient of the Tagore Award (1999) and the Templeton Prize (2005). Dr. Ghosh earned his PhD in hydrology under the direction of Professor William Kershaw at the University of Manchester in Great Britain, and during the 1980s he was introduced to the works of Rabindranath Tagore by his friend and advisor Linus Pauling, the 1954 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Laureate. Since 2008, Dr. Ghosh has been the Charles H. Townes Chair Professor of Water and Environmental Chemistry.
The IIBHB brings together experts from many fields who are ready to help find solutions to the water problems of the Bengal and Himalayan Basins and the rest of the world. In addition to Linus Pauling, prominent scientists associated with the IIBHB have included Glenn Seaborg, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; Arno Penzias and Douglas Osheroff, Nobel Laureates in Physics; and Charles Townes, our longtime advisor and a prominent advocate for South Asian issues. The IIBHB has local chapters in England, Bangladesh, and India.
We work globally, drawing on our experience in South Asia and California to create working models that address the water crises of emerging economies. The Himalayan and Bengal Basins and their vast catchment areas hold one of our planet’s most important freshwater resources. This region includes vastly different hydrologies, geologies, and ecosystems, and it spans elevations ranging from the world’s highest peaks to one of the lowest lands on the planet. The extreme differences in elevation, geography, and ecology make this region exceptionally valuable for developing water management and remediation technologies for the rest of the planet.
Vision
We believe that the advances of modern science and technology can and should be shared with all people, including the least fortunate. For the future of our children, we must do our utmost to preserve nature and all species that contribute to the ecological balance of our planet. We must find and implement solutions that respect our environment and maintain the balance of nature.
Mission
Our mission is to develop and implement models for sound watershed management and for the remediation of toxic groundwater and surface water in California and on the Indian subcontinent, and to share this knowledge throughout the world. As clean water for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture grows scarcer with climate change and other environmental crises, this work becomes ever more urgent.
Values
- Using science for the benefit of all people
- Environmentally sound management of water resources
- Restoration of aquifers and mitigation of drinking-water contamination
- Rights of women, the poor, and religious and ethnic minorities
Future Plans
Our work ahead centers on building expertise where it is needed most. The IIBHB plans to train professionals in India and Bangladesh, including hydrologists, geologists, field researchers and research assistants, technical writers, and editors, who can carry the work forward in their own communities.
We will begin by compiling and analyzing the extensive data already gathered in the Bengal Basin, and by publishing the findings. Building on this research, we will develop a joint program with the governments of India and Bangladesh, drawing on Dr. Rash B. Ghosh’s expertise and long-standing relationships in the region, and on experts in the United States and Europe who have committed their time pro bono.
We focus on the Bengal Basin because of its remarkable range of ecological niches, which extends from the highest points on the planet, in the Himalayas, to the Bay of Bengal.
These ideas took shape many years ago with the encouragement of two Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, Linus Pauling and Glenn T. Seaborg, both of whom kept an open door to Dr. Ghosh. Our long-term goal is to bring Western technology and expertise together with the knowledge of the many professionals and scientists of the Indian subcontinent, through commitment in the field and a program of education that extends the mission to ever wider areas.
