Professor Stuart White, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney, has been elected by his peers to serve on the International Water Association’s (IWA) Strategic Council.
“Many of our research projects align with the IWA’s vision for a world where water is wisely managed to satisfy the needs of human activities and ecosystems in an equitable and sustainable way,” said White. “The ISF is known nationally and internationally for research that supports cost-effective, sustainable and adaptive water cycle management solutions to the challenges presented by drought, rising urban populations, and environmental flow demands.”
White leads a team at ISF with a strong international and Australian experience in urban water security, including supply-demand planning. This extends to design and assessment of water efficiency programmes, wastewater reuse, integrated resource planning, decentralised systems and demand forecasting.
“With the pressures of development–and the uncertainty brought by climate change–the potential for reducing the capital cost requirements and social and ecological impact of future infrastructure and water service provision cannot be underestimated,” White told The Source. “These methods can allow cities and towns in low-income countries to leapfrog the systems that have been developed over the last 150 years in high-income countries.”
White has been providing advice to water authorities in North and South America on how to deal with drought in California and Brazil based on the lessons learned during Australia’s Millennium Drought when ISF researchers worked with utilities and government agencies on rapid deployment of water saving measures, recycling strategies and emergency supply options.
White added: “As a delegate from Specialist Groups, which provide grassroots member input, I’ll be working to ensure that it is well supported and vibrant, and contribute to the life and growth of IWA and these objectives.”
The next IWA Strategic Council meeting will be held in Brussels in October with White in attendance.
