AEST | Australia
14.00 – 17.30

NZST | New Zealand
16 .00 – 19.30

SGT | Singapore
12 .00 – 15.30

IST | India
09 .30 – 13.00

CAT | South Africa
06 .00 – 09.30

GMT+1 | UK
5 .00 – 8.30

Chi Mun Woo

Partner, Sustainability and Climate Change
Deloitte, Australia

From Covid Disruption to Resilient Recovery, a promise too good to be true?

There has been much international discourse about the need for a green recovery, including those of our rivers and waterways, however very little is understood about how the private sector’s response is aligned with climate and sustainability considerations – is COVID an accelerator or a distraction? Leveraging research conducted globally,  Chi will share some insights on how Covid-19 is impacting on corporate sustainability and climate change activity including:

• Business and sustainability priorities
• Sustainability strategies and ability to execute
• Stakeholder and investor considerations
• Purpose making and reviews of corporate values

Chi will also outline some lessons learnt from businesses that have enhanced sustainability commitment and action during this crisis and their implications to achieving environmental resilience.

Tarika Gulati

Environmental Scientist
Alluvium International

India pandemic lockdown provides hope for rejuvenating rivers

Within just 14 days of the India’s COVID-19 lockdown halting industries and factories, the quality of water flowing down the Yamuna River through Delhi improved by up to a third. This presentation explores the rapid recovery of India’s rivers during the COVID-19 lockdown, with a focus on the Yamuna River, and explores the implications for future river rejuvenation initiatives in the country.

Crispino Lobo

Managing Trustee and Co-Founder
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), India

The call of the pandemic: Resetting Relationships with nature and society

The talk will describe how COVID has impacted communities, nature and the environment in rural India. It will explore the underlying vulnerabilities which the pandemic has exacerbated and the new challenges it has thrown up. Lessons learnt and measures that build social and ecological resilience will be discussed.

Dr Steven Kenway

Associate Professor, Water-Energy-Carbon Group Leader
University of Queensland, Australia

Environmental gains from COVID-19: Potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions

Social, environmental and economic aspects of society have been profoundly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.  But what are the spill-over consequences from lockdowns and world-wide reductions in production and consumption and impacts through international supply chains?  Our research shows that there has been considerable reductions in greenhouse emissions, but what does this mean for long-term mitigation strategies, and what options do we have to reduce emissions further?  Is Net Zero Energy use possible to improve water security especially in light of economic hardships?

Emerging Water Professionals Panel

No sustainability without inclusiveness: the voice of emerging professionals

We are all feeling and experiencing the impact from COVID-19 one way or another. Insecurity and uncertainty especially around jobs are the thoughts that linger in our minds. Listen to and share your stories with our emerging water professionals around the world on how their resilience helps them manage and thrive amid uncertainties, and how they continue to look after themselves while looking after the rivers and water resources they care for.

Daru Setyorini (Indonesia)

Daru is a river biologist that developed Biotilik River Biomonitoring Tool through a citizen science program to promote community participation in watershed conservation. Daru is also creating a bioengineering model for fish habitat restoration, floodplain protection, and prevention of plastic pollution in Brantas River Basin Indonesia.

Rajan Subedi (Nepal)

Rajan is the River Basin Manager for the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia project in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar. He has initiated a Citizen Science approach for transboundary water cooperation in Mahakali basin, a shared basin between Nepal and India.

Minh Nguyen (Vietnam)

Minh Nguyen is a Youth Project Designer in the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Youth for Asia team, designing meaningful youth-led elements into ADB projects to enhance inclusion and innovations in ADB’s Water and Urban operations.

Florencio Venté (Brazil)

Florencio Venté is a young professional base in Brazil working at ZM PUMPS as Business development to promote sustainable water supply for agriculture in South America and Africa using renewable energy.

William Lucht (USA)

William Lucht is a Youth Project Designer in the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Youth for Asia team designing meaningful youth elements into ADB projects to enhance inclusion and innovations in ADB’s Agriculture and environment operations.

Sayanangshu Modak (India)

Sayanangshu Modak is a Research Assistant at the Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata and his current research focus is on transboundary water governance. He also tracks issues related to natural resource management and environmental sustainability.

Sophie Erfurth (UK)

Sophie Erfurth is a hydrologist with professional experience in the field of International and Transboundary Water Management. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford conducting research at the intersection between water science and governance.

Abu Bakar Kamara (Sierra Leone)

Abu Bakar Kamara is a Water Resources Engineer with seven years’ experience in water supply systems operations and management. He has completed his master’s degree in Integrated Water Resources Management at the Technical University of Cologne, Germany.

Co-facilitator

Anne-Marie Albrecht

Water Youth Network

Anne-Marie Albrecht is a water science engineer specialized in flood risk management. She is currently working on the mitigation of flash floods in the southern part of Germany.

Co-facilitator

Vanh Mixap

EWPP Coordinator