AWP was involved in two conferences in India in September-October, the CII Trivini 3rd Water Innovation Summit and India Water Week.
CII Trivini 3rd Water Innovation Summit
The Water Industry Association of South Australia (WIA) and AWP jointly led a trade mission of 14 Australian members from both industry and government to be part of the 3rd Water Innovation Summit 2017 in India, 4-5 September. The Summit’s theme: Economic Growth & Human Development in the context of Water Scarcity.
Australian Partners from South Australia, led by the Hon. Karlene Maywald, travelled to New Delhi to participate in a roundtable to form a joint working group between Australia and India on developing an Industrial Water Security framework for India. Their Indian partners are the Confederation of Indian Industries Triveni (CII Triveni) Insitute, a Centre of Excellence that brings together government, industry and civil society to address water-related issues in a holistic manner.
The Water Industry Alliance has been developing a close working relationship with CII Triveni Institute since 2010. The Triveni Institute is an industry body that recognises excellence by its members (private and public sector) in developing and implementing water efficiency innovations.
In March 2017, WIA and ICE WaRM met with Triveni Institute to discuss how to build a stronger partnership between our industry members and use their combined knowledge and experience to address some of India’s most pressing water challenges. The meeting identified areas of mutual interest including:
- water resource governance and decision support tools;
- water security and resilience;
- water sensitive cities; and
- urban demand management.
Following that meeting, the Triveni Institute extended an invitation for Australia to be a country partner for the 3rd Water Innovation Summit from the 4-5th September 2017.
India Water Week
AWP also supported two Australian Partners to attend India Water Week in New Delhi in October, and they were joined by AWP South Asia Representative Vijay Kumar. DFAT, through its New Delhi post, requested for AWP to arrange for Partners to showcase Australian expertise and experience in water resources management at the conference which was organised by India’s Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Australia has a reputation in India as a smart and innovative water manager, and Australia and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on water resources management in 2009. In the spirit of this MoU, Australia has participated in India Water Weeks in previous years.
This year, the theme of the event is ‘Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth’, with four streams: Water, Food and Energy – Requirements for Sustainable Development; Water for Inclusive Growth; Sustainable Energy Development; and Water and Society. An exhibition focusing on efficient irrigation will run parallel to the presentations and panels.
Paul Howe, Principal Hydrogeologist, CDM Smith presented on groundwater management expertise available in Australia, with a focus on potential effects of large-scale supply development on existing users, environmental, and 3rd party users.
Erik Schmidt, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland, spoke about the policy approach, lessons learned, and outcomes of an ACIAR project that showcases the potential of Australian technology in improving food production in dry-land farming communities within India.
