As an academic researcher born and raised in the United States it is critical to reflect on my position in my research related to water access in India. An important element is my position as a white woman from a middle-class background who has had the opportunity to attend higher education and am working in a space of immense privilege that so often reproduces and upholds structures of power. Specifically, this central element of reflection as I conduct research in India speaking with community members and locals who are often marginalized and disenfranchised within the context of India. As a Caucasian academic from the U.S., I am inherently entering a power dynamic every time I engage in community-based research. This is especially true given India’s former colonization by Britain left lasting impacts on social structures and power hierarchies that often position me in a place of power over the communities I interact with. As a woman, this is slightly improved in the context of gender relations but creates its own complexities that I must be mindful including speaking with young men, women in highly traditional family structures, and speaking with government officials. One way in which I engage with both of these elements in an attempt to diffuse the power structures embedded in interactions is to begin by allowing participants to ask questions of me and my research. This enables an initial flow of information that the participant can control. In addition to this, I always make it clear at the start, throughout my qualitative data collection process, and at the end that any participant is welcome to withdraw portions or all of their statements from my research project at any time regardless of where I am in the process of research or publication. I also intend to share back my findings with participants prior to publication to give them an opportunity to make suggestions, indicate where I may have misrepresented them, and another option for withdrawing their statements.