The Australian Water Partnership is partnering with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (with Advanced Water Digest) to deliver a series of high-level water seminars between Australian and Indian water professionals to foster collaboration under the bilateral water MoU and share best practices in water resources management.

In June 2020, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi ji and Prime Minister of Australia The Hon Scott Morrison MP, elevated bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Water is one of the key pillars. As part of CSP, Australia and India renewed their MoU on Water Resource Management to facilitate cooperation through sharing of policy and technical experiences.

In December 2020, the Australia-India Water Dialogue was inaugurated by The Hon. Barry O’Farrell AO, Australian High Commissioner to India and the Joint Secretary – Ministry of Jal Shakti. The first episode of the dialogue focussed on ‘Best practices in dam safety and operations management‘.

The second episode is a round table discussion focusing on water sensitive urban design opportunities and challenges. Water professionals from both countries will be sharing their experience in integrated land-use planning and zoning, with a specific focus on water.

Session 2: Water Sensitive Urban Design – Opportunities & Challenges
Date: 30 June 2021, 10.30am – 12.00pm (IST) / 3.00pm – 4.30pm (AEST)
Venue: Online (CISCO WebEx)

Inaugural Session – Chief Guest:

• Ms Catherine Gallagher – Minister Commercial and Head of Austrade (South Asia)
• Ms Debashree Mukherjee, IAS – Additional Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Ms. D. Thara  Joint Secretary (A, L& E), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Ms Karlene Maywald – Water Ambassador (South Australian Govt)

Women leaders for Water: Panel discussion

• Dr. Anju Gaur, Senior Water Resource Management Specialist, World Bank
• Ms Paula Richardson, Asst. Director – Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• Ms Elaine Pang, Water Business Head – ARUP
• Ms Fiona Chandler, Principal – Alluvium
• Ms Sarah Ransom, Partnerships & Impact Lead – Australian Water Partnership (Moderator)

Session Objectives:

• Understand the Indian Government’s key water security initiatives like Smart Cities, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), etc.
• Identify upcoming opportunities in urban water management, including multi-lateral funded projects like Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (CARE), Karnataka Urban Integrated Water Management project, climate-resilient urban water and sanitation in Tamil Nadu, etc.
• Share your experience in water sensitive urban design, with fellow distinguished water professionals
• Learn best practices followed in Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM), both Australia and India
• Connect with senior water professionals from Australia and India. Collaborate & develop partnerships
• Learn about Australian Government’s latest Australia – India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI). Efforts in providing safe and reliable access to water and sanitation services, especially for women. Improved governance of urban water systems, supporting community resilience to climate change and other water-related shocks.
• Engage in a dialogue between Australia-India water professionals, B2B eMeetings (offline) & develop partnerships

Cost: Free (registration mandatory)

Contact:
Mr Vinod Kumar
Director – Trade & Investment
Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)

For more information and to register, visit the event website.