By Sachin Murdeshwar

Dr Robert Carr, Deputy CEO of eWater, an Australia-wide collaboration effort backed by the Australian Government, will visit Mumbai and Pune on 14 and 15 May. The aim of Dr Carr’s visit is to facilitate the transfer of Australian technology developed for managing river basins to help improve the management of water resources in the region.

‘Dealing with Maharashtra’s drought, which affects thousands of villages across the state, is a major challenge for the state government. eWater’s SOURCE technology will enable relevant decision makers to enhance the ability of industry and government to make water management decisions that are cost-effective, transparent, and scientifically defendable’ advised Dr Carr.

‘SOURCE is Australia’s first truly integrated, river basin-scale water modelling system and was built to meet the myriad climatic, geographic, water policy and governance settings across Australia.  The technologies have been trialled and tested in real world water management applications  and are customisable to meet different planning and management contexts such as are facing India,’ Dr Carr added.

This is an initiative under the India-Australia Water Science and Technology Partnership, announced by the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard when she visited India in October 2012 and supported by AusAID, Australia’s development assistance program.

While in Mumbai, Dr Carr will meet with a range of water experts including Principal Secretary, State Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Ms Malini Shankar, professors of the Civil Engineering Department of IIT Bombay and the Town Planning Department of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority. In Pune, Dr Carr will visit the National Water Academy, Central Water and Power Research Station and the Watershed Organisation Trust.

eWater is a leader in the development and application of software products for integrated water resources and water cycle management.  It is a publically owned not-for-profit partnership that is committed to ecologically sustainable water management in Australia and around the world.