Hot Issues Workshops

The pace of digital transformation has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which drove the need for working remotely. While digitalisation has improved operations, maintenance and customer service, concerns and issues remain in the implementation of digital solutions in the water sector. In the first part of the workshop, utilities will share the needs and challenges of the water sector today as they embark on their digital transformation journey. A panel of utilities, consultants and solution providers will then discuss on the solutions to overcome some of the challenges and what to expect in the road ahead. The second part of the workshop will focus on digital twins and their applications in different parts of the urban water cycle, from water treatment, distribution, used water collection, treatment, recycling and receiving waters. The workshop will end with a panel discussion on challenges and benefits of an integrated digital twin solution across the entire water loop.

The current state-of-the-art in seawater desalination is standard pretreatment, single-stage seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) with a recovery of about 50 %, and brine disposal by an outfall diffuser, with challenges identified in the operation of conventional SWRO. High energy consumption by SWRO has led to innovations in membrane materials and process configurations. In addition, there is increasing interest in valorisation of SWRO brines and concomitant recovery of valuable materials to contribute to the circular economy. In this workshop, high level speakers from industry and academic researchers will share their expertise on SWRO pre-treatment innovations, SWRO materials and processes innovations, and valorisation of SWRO brines and valuable materials recovery. Selected industry panelists will then share their innovations in desalination membrane and processes followed by panel discussion on the future of seawater desalination.

Developing countries have enormous challenges yet with increasing role in Global Leadership, India is committed towards meeting UN’s SDGs particularly SDG 6 in all respect. It is with this focussed approach, the first Governance challenge was met when Govt. of India in 2014-2015 launched ‘Namami Gange’ (Clean Ganga), a flagship programme under Ministry of Jal Shakti, (erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources) for protection, conservation, and rejuvenation of River Ganga and its tributaries. The dedicated efforts of NMCG, Government of India and active stakeholder engagement has led to the identification of governance issues and technological challenges which hindered the Indian wastewater sector. Subsequently, innovative methods were developed which not only mitigated the problem of pollution created through domestic sewage and industrial effluents but also ushered in a paradigm shift in the water sector. NMCG also extensively worked on other components such as, solid and liquid waste management, restoring biodiversity, afforestation, wetland conservation, river and people connect etc. to holistically rejuvenate the entire riverine ecosystem. In this workshop, speaker presentations from NMCG, GoI and allied partners will share experiences on effective and efficient wastewater management in Indian context. The panellists from other developed and developing countries will share their viewpoint on the Indian experience and through this discussion, various other countries may also derive inspiration from the work and models adopted by India.

In the first part of this workshop, PUB will provide an overview of the coastal protection strategy in Singapore followed by presentations from Singapore-based researchers on innovative solutions for coastal protection. In the second part of this workshop, consortium of representatives from small island states will be invited to deliver case study presentations followed by a presentation from Deltares to provide insights on transferrable lessons from Singapore to small island states. This workshop will then be concluded by a brainstorming session to identify future challenges at small island states and potential solutions to overcome some of the challenges.

Across the world, consumers demand 24/7 access to safe, wholesome and aesthetically pleasing water. However, behavioural changes to become “greener”, population growth, climate change, emergence of new chemicals and increasing scarcity of quality water sources have led to adaptations made to the water distribution infrastructure and management, including of internal and community water systems. Ideas that were once “on the fringe” (e.g. rainwater harvesting) have become mainstream options. The awareness required of consumers and practitioners in this evolving context, to ensure public health is not adversely impacted, has not kept pace with the changes in the way water in homes, communities and public buildings is delivered. The end users/consumers seem least represented in conversations about water and yet they must be included if they are to become aware of the impacts of their water use behaviours. Public confidence in water supplies is essential and access to safe water is a fundamental human right. However, it is consumed with little awareness and consideration of the health risks and benefits. This workshop will discuss the health dimensions of reducing domestic water use and re-using and recycling water for safe consumptions, the evolution of standards and good practice in plumbing to protect health and the importance of consumer inclusivity in balancing risks and benefits in the water sector’s efforts to achieve universal access against the backdrop of growing constraints.

While the water sector has gone through different stages of revolution, from reclaiming used water to recovering resources, there remains a leap for the next step of achieving carbon neutrality or negative emission. This workshop will provide an overview of the challenges and strategies of the water sector’s pathway to net zero emissions, developments in the green energy sector, process innovations in desalination and wastewater treatment to reduce carbon emission and implementations of late-stage research technology. A panel of utilities, companies and associations from developed and developing countries will then discuss on challenges and key strategies to net zero.