How our researchers study and protect marine and freshwater life, how we keep pollution out of rivers, and how students and communities help look after water.
UPES report on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, 2025–26.
Open 14.1 Research as a separate report
UPES researchers study and protect aquatic life, from dugongs and river dolphins to the plankton that shape the Arabian Sea, and develop ways to keep plastics and other pollutants out of water.
The figures below cover UPES research publications on oceans, rivers, lakes and water quality from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).
Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).
| Theme | Papers |
|---|---|
| Coasts, oceans and marine hazards | 65 |
| Water quality, treatment and monitoring | 55 |
| Microplastics and plastic pollution | 43 |
| Aquatic life, algae and fisheries | 39 |
| Rivers, lakes and wetlands | 24 |
| Climate change and the water cycle | 14 |
The full list of 182 publications since 2007, with links, is on the life-below-water research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).
UPES robotics alumnus Sajal Sharma piloted unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles for the Wildlife Institute of India's surveys of Gangetic river dolphins and dugongs, a vulnerable marine mammal, and helped map their habitats.
Marine microbiologist Dr Subhajit Basu studies phytoplankton blooms and harmful algae in the Arabian Sea. He co-authored a Nature Communications study linking massive Noctiluca scintillans blooms to spreading low-oxygen waters, with effects on food webs and fisheries.
A ₹73 lakh microalgae plant led by Prof Bhawna Yadav Lamba, built with the NGO Vikalp Nai Dishayen, reclaims wastewater and recovers resources instead of releasing pollution.
UPES holds 2,314+ intellectual property rights, made up of 813 patents, 943 designs and 558 copyrights, with 139 granted (December 2025).
Sources and further reading
Open 14.2 Preventing pollution as a separate report
UPES treats and reuses its wastewater and cuts plastic so that less pollution reaches rivers and, eventually, the sea.
The UPES Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy (2025) commits the university to:
The policy also provides for regular monitoring of resource use and environmental performance, with periodic reporting.
Open 14.3 Rivers and communities as a separate report
UPES students clean rivers, teach communities to save water and raise awareness of ocean health.
Open 14.4 Education as a separate report
UPES teaches students the science and law that underpin the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
Sources and further reading
Open Events and activities as a separate report
5 events from UPES schools, departments and programmes support this goal. Each event has its own report with a description, photograph and, where one exists, a link to the original post.
On 20 March 2025, UPES hosted delegates from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London, and the Maritime SkillsPlus curriculum to strengthen education in maritime, logistics, aviation, oil, gas and energy.
Event report → · Original post
Experts discussed AI-driven agritech and supply chains, energy security and deep-sea exploration, and autonomous shipping and maritime technology.
Event report → · Original post
On 26 September 2024, the School of Law marked World Maritime Day under the theme “Navigating the Future: Safety First”, with Capt. Pankaj Bahukhandi, Chief Mariner, as keynote speaker.
Event report → · Original post
From 6 to 8 August 2025, UPES hosted IFAWET-5 in Dehradun with the University of Tokyo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, the National Institute of Hydrology and IIT Roorkee, with participants from 12 countries.
Event report → · Original post
An eight-week Srijan internship with MARS on wildlife conservation, marine life, environmental concerns and community-level issues.
Event report → · Original postOpen All sources as a separate report
Every website and document used in this report, and the sections it supports. Each initiative and event also has its own page, linked from its name in the report.
| Source | Type | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| UPES SDG 14 report | 14.1 Research for oceans, rivers and lakes 14.2 Keeping pollution out of the water 14.3 Rivers, communities and awareness 14.4 Learning about water and the sea | |
| UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025 | 14.1 Research for oceans, rivers and lakes | |
| Massive outbreaks of Noctiluca scintillans blooms in the Arabian Sea | Research paper | 14.1 Research for oceans, rivers and lakes |
| UPES researcher leads first-of-its-kind wastewater reclamation project | Website | 14.1 Research for oceans, rivers and lakes |
| UPES NSS observes Swachhta Pakhwara | News article | 14.2 Keeping pollution out of the water 14.3 Rivers, communities and awareness |
| Srijan Social Internship and GS3 | Website | 14.3 Rivers, communities and awareness |
| International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Energy Laws | Website | 14.4 Learning about water and the sea |
| UPES life-below-water research publications: full list | Publication list | 14.1 Research |
| UPES Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy, 2025 | 14.2 Keeping pollution out of the water | |
| Srijan internship with MARS | LinkedIn post | 14.3 Rivers, communities and awareness |
| IFAWET-5 at UPES | LinkedIn post | 14.3 Rivers, communities and awareness |