Background Water governance in the 21st century is increasingly characterised by complexities, interdependence, and uncertainties – conditions that defy conventional sectoral approaches. Rapid urbanisation, ecological degradation, and deepening socio-economic inequalities have exposed the limitations of managing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems through technical and infrastructural lenses alone. While recent policy frameworks promote sustainability and inclusivity, implementation often remains tethered to technocratic paradigms that privilege infrastructure metrics over lived experiences. This disconnect is most acute in peri- urban contexts, where hybrid socio-ecological systems demand integrative and participatory modes of engagement. Spanning approximately 12,500 hectares on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), a peri-urban ecosystem that integrates wastewater treatment, fisheries, agriculture, and livelihood systems into a highly efficient nature- based infrastructure (Mukherjee, 2015; Mukherjee, 2020), embodies such complexities that require innovative interventions. The wetlands treat hundreds of millions of litres of wastewater daily, delivering significant economic and ecological benefits for Kolkata, including substantial cost savings in sewage treatment and employment for thousands of marginalised communities (Bunting et al., 2010; Mukherjee, 2020). Yet this functionality does not arise from engineered design alone but rather through intricate networks of local knowledge, customary institutional arrangements, and everyday practices – a form of co-production that defies conventional governance categories. However, the EKW today faces unprecedented pressures that demand new modes of engagement. With rapid urban expansion encroaching upon wetland boundaries, altering hydrological flows and land-use patterns and pollution from solid waste and industrial effluents threatening its ecological integrity, the gaps in peri-urban water governance lay exposed, with climate variabilities constantly introducing new uncertainties into established practices. These challenges are not merely technical – they are deeply socio-ecological, cutting across domains of infrastructure, ecology, livelihood, and culture. Addressing them requires approaches that can navigate this complexity, integrate diverse knowledge systems, and foster collective capacities for adaptation. Wetlands and Sustainable Development Goals Source: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 2018 According to the Ramsar Convention guidelines of 2018, the protection and sustainable use of the EKW is crucial for helping India to realise its SDGs (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 2018). The Ramsar Convention Report of that same year (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 2018) highlighted interlinkages between wetlands and the SDGs, emphasising the need to preserve these crucial ecosystems at all levels. Here, we argue for the integration of transdisciplinary, art-based pedagogies into water governance frameworks, with direct relevance for WASH policy. Drawing on our empirical research in the EKW, we demonstrate how creative, participatory methodologies – specifically “ethno-graphy” – can fundamentally reshape stakeholder engagement, facilitate genuine knowledge co-production, and support more place-based governance. Ethno-graphy as a Transdisciplinary Method Addressing the complexity of systems like the EKW requires moving beyond disciplinary compartmentalisations, acknowledging the emerging need for transdisciplinarity as a critical framework for sustainability challenges that cut across social, ecological, and institutional domains. Unlike multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approaches, which merely combine or integrate insights from different fields, transdisciplinarity involves the co- production of knowledge among academic, practitioner, and community actors (Lang et al., 2012). It commits to the integration of diverse knowledge systems, the enhancement of stakeholder participation and the development of sustainable context-sensitive solutions because they emerge from and are owned by the communities they are intended to serve. Within this transdisciplinary landscape, art-based pedagogies have emerged as powerful tools for engagement, encompassing a range of creative practices, including visual arts, performance, storytelling, and model-making, deployed not as decorative additions but as constitutive elements of research and learning processes. The core value of this approach lies in enabling participants to engage with complex systems in more intuitive, embodied, and experiential ways. This is particularly important in contexts where conventional forms of knowledge production – technical reports, policy briefs, scientific papers – may exclude or marginalise certain groups, whether due to literacy barriers, language differences, or simply the alienating formality of institutional discourse. It also enhances cognitive engagement by simplifying complex processes without reducing their nuances, thus fostering emotional connections with their everyday surroundings in ways that purely rational approaches cannot access. It also improves communication by producing outputs that are accessible to diverse audiences, including policymakers, practitioners, and community members. Crucially, these pedagogies actively shape the process of knowledge production itself, enabling participants to reinterpret their experiences, surface tacit knowledge, and generate new insights collectively . It is within this methodological landscape that we have developed the concept of ethno-graphy. Ethno-graphy is an inclusive methodology that integrates conventional ethnographic techniques – participant observation, interviews, transect walks – with visualisation tools such as photography, videography, sketches, and models (Mukherjee & Bhattacharya, 2023a). The hyphenated term signifies an intentional blending of methods, reflecting the need to move beyond rigid disciplinary boundaries. But more than a methodological hybrid, ethno-graphy represents an epistemological intervention that reconfigures the very process through which knowledge about socio- ecological systems is produced, shifting from extractive research toward collaborative meaning- making. Ethno-graphy operates through several interconnected principles. First, it positions participants as co-researchers rather than subjects, recognising that those who inhabit a landscape possess forms of expertise that are complementary to, and equally valuable as, academic knowledge. Second, it uses visual and material practices as primary modes of inquiry, acknowledging that some forms of understanding are more readily expressed through images, objects, and performance than through words alone. Third, it foregrounds process over product, valuing the learning, relationships, and insights that emerge through collaborative work as much as the final outputs. Fourth, it maintains reflexive attention to power dynamics, ensuring that participatory processes do not become tokenistic but genuinely redistribute authority over knowledge production. In the context of water governance, ethno-graphy offers a framework for engaging with the full socio- ecological complexity of water systems. It enables researchers, policymakers, and communities to collectively explore questions beyond simple technical answers. By creating spaces for dialogue that are at once rigorous and accessible, ethno- graphy addresses the limitations of conventional approaches while opening new possibilities for collaborative governance. The PEIP Initiative in the East Kolkata Wetlands Our Practical Empirical Implementation Project (PEIP) conducted in the EKW exemplifies the application of ethno-graphy as a transdisciplinary, art-based methodology. Initiated in collaboration with civil society organisations, practitioners, and local schools situated in the EKW, the PEIP created a collaborative platform for exploring the wetlands as a dynamic socio-ecological system. The project was structured around a series of engagements that brought together diverse actors – academic researchers, school students, community members, and practitioners – in a sustained process of inquiry and learning. The core participants were school students from communities located in the heart of the wetlands. Our decision to centre young people was deliberate as students occupy a unique position at the intersection of formal education, family livelihoods, and community life. They are simultaneously learners and knowledge holders, capable of bridging the gap between institutional and local knowledge systems. Moreover, engaging youth addresses the intergenerational dimensions of sustainability, fostering capacities for stewardship that extend beyond the timeframe of any single project. The pedagogical approach unfolded through three interconnected phases. First, we conducted training sessions introducing students to ethnographic methods: transect walks for systematic observation, interview techniques for engaging community members, and participant observation for understanding everyday practices. Alongside these, we introduced visual methods – photography, sketching, and model-making – as complementary modes of inquiry. Second, students applied these methods through field visits to different parts of the wetland system, including sewage-fed fisheries, agricultural areas, and waste treatment zones. Each field visit was structured as a collaborative inquiry, with students documenting their observations through both written notes and visual media. Third, students synthesised their learning through creative assignments, producing photo essays, sketches, and three-dimensional models that represented their understanding of the wetlands. One of the most significant outcomes of this engagement was a profound shift in perception. Initially, many students viewed the city as an adversary to the wetlands, reflecting dominant narratives of urban encroachment and environmental degradation. This framing positioned the wetlands as victims of urban expansion. This narrative, while accurate in many respects, obscures the complex interdependence between the city and the wetlands. Through their participation in the project, students developed a more nuanced understanding. They began to see how the city’s wastewater sustains the fisheries, how peri urban livelihoods depend on urban resources, and how the wetlands in turn provide essential services to the city. One student articulated this shift succinctly: We used to think the city is killing the wetlands. Now we see they are living together. If the city stops sending water, the fish will die. If the wetlands are destroyed, the city will flood. This reframing from binary opposition to relational interdependence illustrates the capacity of transdisciplinary pedagogies to challenge entrenched narratives and foster systems thinking. It was not simply a matter of conveying information but of enabling students to construct new understandings through their own inquiries, observations, and creative work. The use of creative outputs further enhanced this learning process. Students produced a range of materials that served both as expressions of their understanding and as tools for dialogue with wider audiences. One particularly instructive example was the development of a 3D model of a sewage-fed fishery (bheri). In constructing this model, students were compelled to grapple with the complex interactions between wastewater inflow, aquatic plants, fish species, and livelihood practices – interactions that are easily obscured in textual descriptions or two-dimensional diagrams. The model became a mediating object that enabled students, community members, and practitioners to collectively examine and discuss these dynamics. It also served as a communication tool, allowing students to explain the functioning of the wetland system to visitors, policymakers, and other community members in ways that were accessible and engaging. Performative elements also played a role. Students developed a Patachitra play based on their research, highlighting the history of city-wetland connections through the non-human voices of various wetland species and the coliform bacteria present in the sewage. These culturally resonant forms of expression allowed students to communicate their insights to wider audiences, bridging the gap between technical knowledge and their everyday experiences and demonstrating how art-based pedagogies can transform students from recipients of environmental education into active agents of environmental advocacy. Throughout the PEIP, we observed how ethno-graphy functions not merely as a research method but as a mode of governance in itself. The process of collaborative inquiry created spaces for dialogue that transcended existing institutional boundaries. Students, community members, and practitioners who might never otherwise interact found themselves working together, sharing knowledge, and developing shared understandings. These relationships and the trust they generated represent a form of social infrastructure – one that can support more collaborative and adaptive governance beyond the life of the project. Implications for Future Pathways in the WASH Sector The PEIP experience offers important lessons for water governance, particularly within the WASH sector. While policy frameworks increasingly emphasise sustainability and participation, implementation remains constrained by limited stakeholder engagement and marginalisation of local knowledge. Transdisciplinary, art-based pedagogies provide pathways to address these gaps across several interconnected dimensions. Enhancing Awareness and Behavioural Change WASH interventions frequently depend on behavioural change in sanitation, water conservation, and waste management. Yet top-down awareness campaigns often fail to resonate, achieving superficial compliance rather than genuine ownership. Art-based approaches offer an alternative by creating spaces for collective reflection, enabling communities to connect policy issues with everyday practices. In the EKW, students’ visual narratives on pollution articulated the challenges of plastic waste in ways technical reports could not, fostering shared ownership and community-led initiatives. Strengthening Participatory Governance Meaningful participation is essential yet often reduced to token consultations. The ethno-graphical approach demonstrates how participatory processes can be structured to facilitate genuine engagement across social groups. In contexts where government agencies struggle to build community relationships, these processes serve as bridges, creating channels for communication that persist beyond individual projects. Integrating Local Knowledge with Western Science Local knowledge systems are indispensable for context-specific dynamics yet remain systematically marginalised. In the EKW, practitioners and community members provided insights into wastewater management, biodiversity, and livelihoods that are often absent from formal documentation. Incorporating such knowledge into policy design improves intervention relevance and sustainability. Art-based pedagogies validate this knowledge, treating it not as anecdotal supplement but as essential expertise that must inform planning and decision-making. Promoting Nature-Based Solutions The EKW exemplifies nature-based water management, where ecological processes treat wastewater and support livelihoods. Yet such systems remain poorly understood within conventional WASH frameworks that privilege engineered solutions. Transdisciplinary pedagogies help policymakers and communities understand and support these systems, contributing to more sustainable, cost-effective, and resilient WASH solutions. By rendering visible the complex workings of nature-based infrastructure – microbial processes, seasonal dynamics, livelihood interdependencies – art-based approaches make these systems legible and accessible to diverse audiences. Improving Policy Communication Communication have always remained a governance challenge. Technical language and complex data limit public engagement and obscure accountability. Art-based outputs – visualisations, performances, models – offer innovative ways to make policy concepts accessible, fostering broader participation and understanding. In our work, students’ creative outputs facilitated dialogue between communities and local authorities, demonstrating how such approaches serve as boundary objects that enable communication across institutional and cultural divides. For WASH policy, this suggests new possibilities for public engagement, reporting, and accountability beyond conventional formats. Conclusion The complexities of contemporary water governance demand approaches that extend beyond technical solutions. The East Kolkata Wetlands case demonstrates how transdisciplinary, art-based pedagogies can enrich understanding, foster participation, and support more holistic policy outcomes. By integrating ethnographic and creative methodologies, ethno-graphy offers a framework for engaging with socio-ecological systems that is rigorous, participatory, and context-sensitive. Yet realising this potential requires confronting persistent challenges: institutional fragmentation, scalability, evaluation frameworks ill-suited to qualitative outcomes, and the risk of co-option. Addressing these demands is not an abandonment of innovation but a reflexive practice and institutional commitment towards collaboration. Fundamentally, transdisciplinary art-based pedagogies build capacities for adaptive governance – the ability to learn, collaborate, and respond to changing conditions. As water systems are dynamic, shaped by climate variability, urban growth, and shifting social needs static interventions are ill-suited to such contexts. By fostering skills in observation, inquiry, communication, and collaboration, approaches like ethno-graphy cultivate the adaptive capacities communities and institutions need to navigate uncertainty. These capacities are not easily measured but are essential for long-term sustainability. In an era of rapid urbanisation and environmental uncertainty, embracing transdisciplinary pedagogies is not merely innovative – it is necessary for building water governance that is just, resilient, and fit for purpose. Authors : PROF. JENIA MUKHERJEE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, IIT KHARAGPUR SHREYASHI BHATTACHARYA, POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW, JAL JEEVAN MISSION, TISS MUMBAI Source : NIWAS Vartika - Newsletter of SPM NIWAS. Vol-I, Issue-4 (Jan-Mar'26)