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Joint Singapore International Water Week and Black & Veatch Event Identifies Water Pressures Industry Must Solve Together
SIWW, Singapore, Jul 07, 2011 - (ACN Newswire) - Pricing water to reflect its true value; encouraging innovation that reduces costs, improves efficiency and drives new revenue streams; and educating the public, particularly youth, on the importance of water are three of today's most challenging pressures for the world's water leaders, according to initial findings from yesterday's high-level "Water Pressures" workshop at Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2011.
Organised in partnership with Black & Veatch as part of the SIWW Water Leaders Summit, the workshop featured approximately 110 global leaders from more than 20 countries. Twelve internationally renowned chairpersons led delegates through a total of 25 rapid-fire conversations focused on three pressures that the water sector is facing today: Policy Pressures, Innovation Pressures and Public Pressures.
At the conclusion of the event, each chairperson summarized key findings from their groups' discussions. These findings included the following recommendations for addressing all three pressures:
1. Oil the wheels of innovation by creating policies that promote investment in new technologies to reduce costs, improve efficiency and drive new revenue streams
2. Collaborate with technology partners to determine the most cost-effective, creative solutions
3. Allow for additional investment in water by utilizing technology to improve revenue collection and detection of non-revenue water
4. Ensure the price of water reflects its true value
5. Engage multiple stakeholders in designing transparent processes for mitigating policy pressures
6. Create the political environment that facilitates the implementation of difficult but necessary water policies
7. Don't underestimate community support for tough water policies
8. Communicate how water is a critical resource by having strong leaders deliver messages in the right format with the appropriate level of language
9. Remember that changing public perception is an important first step for technology adoption
10. Educate the public, particularly youth, about the close links between water and health and the impact of water on energy and food
"We've listened to and captured nearly a dozen hours of invaluable information that was shared during the roundtable discussions today," said Dan McCarthy, President and CEO of Black & Veatch's global water business, who moderated the event. "This Singapore conversation helped identify solutions to these key challenges that the industry must solve in a collaborative way."
Titled "Water Pressures" - How to Adapt and Lead in a Changing Urban Environment, the workshop's detailed findings will be used to create a white paper summarizing how leaders in the water sector are handling current challenges. A full set of results will be made available to the public on www.waterdialogue.com. The event is part of the Black & Veatch's award-winning, global Water Dialogue series.
Notes:
There were a total of nine tables, seating up to 15 participants during each dialogue session focused on one of the three pressures. A total of 25 dialogue sessions took place because some sessions were co-chaired to ensure well-represented and diverse conversations.
Policy Pressures Chair persons:
- Khoo Teng Chye, PUB Chief Executive
- Ramesh Negi, CEO, Delhi Jal Board
- Walter Kling, Deputy Managing Director, Vienna Waterworks/City of Vienna and IWA Vice President
- Anders Berntell, Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute
Innovation Pressures Chair persons:
- Jeanette Brown, President of the Water Environment Federation (WEF)
- Olivia Lum, Founder, Group Chief Executive Officer, and President of Hyflux Group
- Gretchen McClain, CEO of ITT Fluid and Motion Control
- Prof Chen Jining, Executive Vice President, Tsinghua University
Public Pressures Chair persons:
- Sue Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of the Water Corporation of Western Australia
- Dr William Muhairwe, Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation of Uganda
- Erna Witoelar, Co-Chair, Governing Board of Asia Pacific Water Forum
- Michael Wehner, Assistant General Manager at Orange County Water District
Event Moderator and Facilitator
- Dan McCarthy, President and CEO of Black & Veatch's Global Water Business
Other Facilitators from Black & Veatch:
- Len Rodman, Chairman, President and CEO, Black & Veatch
- Ralph Eberts, Executive Vice President, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Cindy Wallis-Lage, Senior Vice President and Executive Managing Director, Technical Solutions, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Dr James Barnard, Global Practice and Technology Leader at Black & Veatch for Advanced Biological Treatment and Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Winner 2011
- Jonathan Pressdee, Vice President and Managing Director, Global Accounts, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Alan Man, Vice President and Managing Director of Black & Veatch's North Asia Pacific water business
- Tan Seng Chai, Vice President and Managing Director, Project Delivery Management, Black & Veatch's Asia Pacific water business
- Richard Dagwell, Vice President and Managing Director for Expanded Scope projects in Asia Pacific, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Kelvin Lau, Associate Vice President and Project Director, North Asia Pacific, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Yien Phin Liew, Singapore Office Leader and Project Director, Black & Veatch's global water business
- Graeme Anderson, Client Accounts Manager, Black & Veatch's Australia water business
Master of Ceremonies
- Constance Ward, Director of Global Relations, Black & Veatch's global water business
Contact:KEITH MORRISON
p: +65 6738-4022 ext 313
m: +65 9114-8347
e: MorrisonKW@BV.com
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Source: Black & Veatch
Sectors: Water, Environment, ESG
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