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Australian Partners

Arberg Pty Ltd

Arberg is an independent Australian water advisory firm, founded in 2026 by Will Fargher and Huw Pohlner. We bring strategy, governance and economics to water decisions as one integrated capability, advising governments, utilities, investors, corporates and international institutions. 

Will Fargher has 25 years’ experience in water policy, markets and strategy, including as General Manager at Australia’s National Water Commission and Director of Ricardo’s global water practice. Huw Pohlner advises on water governance and reform worldwide, and is an Oxford graduate and General Sir John Monash Scholar. 

They have led assignments in Vietnam, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Iran, Mexico, Senegal, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, many as AWP Partner activities under previous businesses. These activities include WaterGuide, national law reform advisory in Vietnam, water security diagnostics for Karachi and Lahore, and input to Uzbekistan’s national water strategy. 

  • Water policy development, reform strategy and implementation
  • Water governance, institutional design and institutional strengthening
  • Water security diagnosis, assessment frameworks and options analysis
  • Water planning and allocation for urban and agricultural use
  • Economic regulation design, pricing and utility regulatory strategy
  • Water markets, entitlements, trading and market design
  • Economic appraisal, business cases and cost-benefit analysis
  • Monitoring, evaluation and reform progress assessment
  • Organisational strategy, capability building and capacity strengthening
  • Strategic counsel to global institutions and multilateral development banks

WaterGuide: Setting a Path to Improved Water Management and Use Under Scarcity – DFAT and AWP

Will and Huw co-authored WaterGuide, a practical framework for diagnosing water resource management challenges and sequencing reform, developed as an Australian contribution to the UN and World Bank High Level Panel on Water. It has since structured national water policy dialogues in Jordan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Mexico and Senegal, and has been used by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank as a capacity development and project support tool in some of the world’s most water-scarce regions. Delivered while our founders were at Aither, an AWP Partner.

Law on Water Resources and irrigation services pricing reform, Vietnam – MONRE, Ministry of Finance and AWP, 2022-24

Vietnam sought to modernise its Law on Water Resources and develop the subordinate instruments to implement it. Huw Pohlner was Project Director and water governance and reform expert, providing technical and legislative advice spanning allocation, governance and economic instruments, with emphasis on climate resilience and inclusive water governance. He advised separately on the new Decree on irrigation services pricing following changes to the Law on Price, and delivered an Australian study visit for senior Vietnamese officials including National Assembly representatives. Delivered while at Aither, an AWP Partner.

National Water Sector Development Concept 2030, Uzbekistan – Ministry of Water Resources, ADB, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, AWP, 2019-21

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Water Resources developed a new national water sector strategy consistent with its transition toward a market economy. Engaged at the Asian Development Bank’s request and funded by Australia, Huw and Will, working as Project Manager and Project Director, delivered a policy issues diagnosis and reform road-mapping exercise for senior officials across multiple agencies, and led development of institutional governance, financing and regulatory reform options, including discussion papers on water allocation and entitlements and on irrigation service fees and cost recovery. This contributed directly to a ten-year strategic outlook. Delivered while at Aither, an AWP Partner.

River basin governance in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra – ICIMOD and AWP, 2021-23

An international consortium worked to strengthen upstream–downstream river basin governance and inter-basin cooperation across three focus basins supplying close to a billion people. Huw Pohlner was Project Director and Ganges lead. He designed and led engagement with ICIMOD and its civil society, academic and policymaker stakeholders to develop practical governance reform recommendations, and directed the Ganges basin policy report. Knowledge exchange and dialogue sessions were held for each basin, with gender equity and social inclusion challenges and opportunities applied as a focus throughout. Delivered while at Aither, an AWP Partner.

Town and City Water Security Framework – Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2020-21

The Australian Government sought a national definition and methodology for reporting on town and city water security. Will Fargher directed this work through the Urban Water Reform Committee program. It reviewed best practice and current approaches, consulted widely across the urban water sector on methodology design, and completed initial trialling to demonstrate proof of concept. The framework was intended to improve transparency, drive better practice, and protect against both urban water shortfalls and unnecessary or inefficient infrastructure investment. Trialling and application continued beyond the engagement. Delivered while at Aither.

Urban water diagnostics and water security roadmaps for Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan – DFAT and AWP, 2019-21

Under a five-year memorandum of understanding between Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources and DFAT supporting Pakistan’s transition toward integrated water resource management, AWP commissioned a consortium of Australian Partners to prepare water diagnostics and urban water security roadmaps for Karachi and Lahore. Our founders’ firm led the Australian consortium and delivery of all project activities, including extensive engagement with government ministries and departments, utilities, NGOs and development banks. The work identified priority actions for improving water security in each city, with findings published in the journal Water. Delivered while at Aither, an AWP Partner.