Join us for the Oxford Water Network’s Annual Lecture, where three women researchers will explore the complex and multi-faceted drivers of water insecurity in both urban and rural contexts across the Global North and South. Through a series of short presentations and an engaging panel discussion, our speakers will explore geographical inequalities in water access shaped by governance challenges, intersecting identities, and climate change—highlighting critical implications for human health and wellbeing.

Speakers

* Professor Katie Meehan – A political ecologist and environmental geographer, Prof. Meehan’s research focuses on water governance, environmental justice, and climate change adaptation. She is co-Director of King’s Water Centre and author of Race, Nature and the Environment (Routledge, 2025) and Water: A Critical Introduction (Wiley-Blackwell, 2023).

* Dr Indira Bose – A Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Dr Bose specialises in the interconnections between water security, food security, and health, particularly in the context of climate change. Her work employs epidemiological methods and qualitative research, with a focus on Gambia and Mexico.

* Dr Sonia Hoque – An environmental social scientist at the University of Oxford, Dr Hoque investigates the institutional and socio-spatial inequalities in water risks across Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia. Her recent book, The Water Diaries: Living with the Global Water Crisis in Bangladesh and Kenya (Cambridge University Press, 2025), presents year-long household accounts of daily water struggles and choices.

The lecture will be followed by drinks reception.