What's New

Hello to all thewaternetwork members. I am from Himalayan mountain region of South Asia and now we are working on an initiative called Climate Himalaya, and looking for joining hands with people and agencies those have interest in Himalayan mountains and its people. You can visit our work at www.chimalaya.org .

Started in year 2010, ‘Climate Himalaya’ initiative has been working on the mountain and climate related issues in the Himalayan region of South Asia. In the last two years this knowledge sharing portal has become one of the important references for the governments, research institutions, civil society groups and international agencies, those have work and interest in Himalayas. The Climate Himalaya team innovates on knowledge sharing, capacity building and climatic adaptation aspects in its focus countries like Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Climate Himalaya’s thematic areas of work are mountain ecosystem, water, forest and livelihood.

Our Mountain Voice project link is www.youtube.com/user/climatehimalaya The Mountain Voice' is a multimedia initiative of Climate Himalaya that captures the experiences, thoughts and opinions of mountain people, practitioners, policy makers and researchers on various climate linked issues in the Himalayan region of South Asia. In this we capture the videos of actions and voices of mountain dwellers and leaders in focus countries.

UN-Water Federated Water Monitoring System and Key Water Indicator Portal (FWMS & KWIP) project- The overall objective of FWMS & KWIP project is to improve the availability and accessibility to water-related information in order to facilitate policy- and decision-making.The Key Water Indicator portal is now active now, http://www.unwater.org/statistics_KWIP.html

The purpose of this message is to request a credible research facility /education institution / NPO for affiliation. Let me explain…

I’m currently employed by a private consultancy and working for a global mining group. However, since researching and delivering a very successful presentation at the International Institute of Research: Water Management Summit, titled “Water Security: Global and South African Perspectives”, my life has changed quite considerably.

First of all, throughout my research and personal experience, I found that the world is changing much faster than anticipated and significant changes will require us as to become resilient and adapt to these changes. I’m subsequently leaving the mining and engineering consulting fields to pursue a more noble life where I can use my skills and knowledge to directly assist in socioeconomic upliftment and sustainability projects in the water and agricultural sectors. However, with this life change comes sacrifice, i.e. my affiliation to the engineering consultancy and mining firm… and with that some credibility.

Secondly, my presentation for the International Institute of Research was a big success. So much so that I’ve been requested by the Africa Utility Week (http://www.african-utility-week.com/ )to do a presentation on my extract “Bridging the gap between water security aspirations and economic reality”. The problem is that the organizers required credible affiliation…

Please consider my request for affiliation or provide me with contacts/ideas of how i can pursue such affiliation.

For more information about me, please refer to my LinkedIn profile http://www.linkedin.com/pub/harold-smook/2a/a58/837 . Should you require any further information or want to discuss the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With my best regards

Harold

How cellophane get dissolved in sea water? The best answer can be Cellophane is made by digesting wood and cotton pulps in a series of chemical baths that remove impurities and break the long fiber chains in this raw material. Regenerated as a clear, shiny film, with plasticizing chemicals added for flexibility, cellophane is still comprised largely of crystalline cellulose molecules. This means that it can be broken down by micro-organisms in the soil just as leaves and plants are as sea water contains several micro organisms and minerals that is my cellophane sheet gets dissolved.

San Francisco Event- January 14, 2013 on the US-Australian Dialogue on Water-Energy Nexus

Turn off your irrigation system - A water conservation challenge.(a very interesting article http://valleycresttakeson.com/watermanagement/resources/turn-off-your-ir...

17 January 2013 Conference Workshop in Jakarta - 'Working with Indonesian Water Utilities: Governance Focus

' Dropbydrop is pleased to support PERPAMSI and the IWWEF 2013. As part of the forum, Dropbydrop is conducting a one day workshop on 17 January 2013 focusing Indonesian Water Utilities.

The workshop will address corruption, financing and regulation of water utilities in Indonesia. Led by Indonesian water law expert, Mohamad Mova Al’Afghani and Ruxandra Lazarescu, the Dropbydrop team will be supported by local and international experts in the area. The workshop will be conducted in Bahasa Indonesian and in English.

The morning session is open for general attendance and the afternoon session is open to only to utilities. This workshop will be of interest to: - Development banks and financiers involved in Indonesian water projects - Engineering firms - Consulting firms - Lawyers - Regulators - Suppliers to utilities - Operators and managers of water companies - Municipal councils REGISTER here: http://dropbydrop.crm.tallyfox.com/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=140

http://iwwef2013.dropbydrop.com.au/

Dec 11 update: http://bit.ly/YWi3cF

Chennai: Life came to a standstill in the delta districts of Tamil Nadu, including Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, as farmers observed a bandh over the Cauvery water crisis today. http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/cauvery-row-farmers-observe-bandh-in-t...

As a new member of The Water Network, I look forward to taking part in your knowledge transfer and general discussions - My organisation specialises in Rain and grey water harvesting and storm water management so if I can be assistance to anyone, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a good weekend!

Visit www.gwsp.org for more info on the
GWSP international conference

'Water in the Anthropocene: Challenges for Science and Governance. Indicators, Thresholds and Uncertainties of the Global Water System'

to be held at Maritim Hotel Bonn, Germany on 21-24 May 2013.

The focus of the conference is to address the global dimensions of water system changes due to anthropogenic as well as natural influences.

The conference will provide the platform to present global and regional perspectives of world wide experiences on the responses of water management to global change in order to address issues such as variability in supply, increasing demands for water, environmental flows, and land use change. It will help to build links between science and policy and practice in the area of water resources management and governance, related institutional and technological innovations and identify in which ways research can assist policy and practice in the field of sustainable freshwater management.