Riaz Hasan: A Life of Global Service in Water Engineering
The world of international development and humanitarian engineering has lost one of its most dedicated figures. Riaz Hasan, a water resources engineer whose distinguished career spanned four decades and forty countries, has died at the age of 87. He viewed the planet as a single global village, where every individual deserved equal respect and compassionate care.
From Hyderabad to a Global Career
Born in the small town of Warangal, near Hyderabad, India, Riaz was the son of Mohammed, an English professor, and Khadija. He attended Nizam College before earning his engineering degree from Osmania University in 1960. His professional journey began at the Central Water Power Commission in Delhi.
In 1965, he arrived in the United Kingdom with just £3 and an A–Z street atlas, having been invited by the British government alongside many other Indian engineers of his generation. To fund his further education, he worked for five years in various engineering roles, including on a motorway construction site in Kent.
Academic Foundations and Early Professional Work
Riaz completed a master’s degree in water resources at Bradford University, where he developed a fondness for Yorkshire pudding. He considered it a genuine privilege to receive his degree from then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson. This academic foundation launched him into a career dedicated to designing long-term, life-saving water and food security solutions for communities most vulnerable to war, famine, and natural disasters.
He joined the British engineering firm Halcrow Group, based in Swindon, Wiltshire. In this role, he operated across ten different nations, including Yemen and Iran, applying his expertise to critical infrastructure projects.
United Nations and World Bank Missions
Returning to London, Riaz began his pivotal work with the United Nations in 1984. Serving as a consultant hydrologist, he worked across three major UN agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, and the World Bank. His missions took him to some of the world's most challenging regions, including Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, India, and China.
His work involved creating sustainable water management systems that were crucial for agriculture, public health, and community resilience. After retiring in 2004, he chronicled these profound experiences in his 2014 book, The New Struggles for Survival.
Embracing British Life and Facing Adversity
From his early days in London, Riaz immersed himself in British civic life. He would walk to Parliament to observe late-night debates and attended the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. While he remembered the kindness of Westminster security staff, his life in Britain was not without hardship. He faced racism, including attacks on his family home after writing a newspaper letter about Churchill's broader legacy.
Yet, he steadfastly refused to be silenced. He believed it was a moral duty to speak up for truth and justice. His frank and principled letters continued to appear in publications, including the Guardian, until very recently.
A Personal Philosophy of Service and Identity
His commitment to service extended deeply into his private life. In 1973, he married Rukhsana (née Moosavi), an NHS general practitioner. Together, they supported family members in need throughout their lives and quietly donated to numerous British and international charities.
Riaz Hasan held a powerful, unifying worldview. He believed one could simultaneously be a loyal and proud Briton, a devoted Indian, and a faithful Muslim. His remarkable life was a living testament to this philosophy of integrated identity and global citizenship. He is survived by his wife, Rukhsana; his children, Mehdi and the author of this obituary; and three grandchildren.
