WaterScapes Symposium 2017

© DWIH New Delhi

Event Information

October 5 to 6, 2017

New Delhi
Organizer(s): DWIH - German Centre for Research and Innovation New Delhi, German Embassy

Concept note for “DWIH Annual Symposium: WaterScapes ”

Under the auspices of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH, New Delhi), together with prominent institutions from India and Germany, will organize its annual flagship symposium ‘WaterScapes’ at the India Habitat Centre, between October 5 and 6, 2017.

Climate change, urbanization, industry advancement and associated pollution, and growing world population are constantly raising the demand for water resources. Water scarcity has increasingly received attention as being a severe threat to human well-being and to the safety of the planet, in general. The complexity of these challenges goes beyond the analytical framework of any one single method or discipline. There is an urgency for a holistic, integrated, trans- and interdisciplinary approach to water resource management in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, which will closely link the natural and engineering sciences with the social sciences and humanities. There is an urge for the development of innovative technologies, strategic processes and system solutions for a sustainable management of water resources.

In India and in Germany, scholars and practitioners stress the need for a new paradigm in water management and governance, the overarching goal in the water domain being water security. The paradigm should include both top-down as well as bottom-up participatory approaches. There is a greater need to engage citizens in planning, designing, and monitoring water management by, for example, involving them in implementation processes of decentralised options for water management.

The DWIH flagship annual symposium ‘WaterScapes’ aims at bringing together eminent scholars, leading experts and practitioners from Germany and India. In a knowledge transfer environment that bridges science, policy and practice, the participants will present their work, initiatives and ideas, exchange their views and approaches, and jointly seek for commonalities and innovative solutions (e.g., transforming hazards into opportunities) to secure a sustainable and efficient water resource management. Moreover, the symposium, will aim at promoting the awareness and disseminating the information on the water sector trends, ground-breaking research and mobilizing efforts of all parties at all levels involved in the water problems solution in Germany and in India.

The DWIH flagship annual symposium ‘WaterScapes’ will be organized around four broad themes:

Hydro Hazards (e.g., floods, water scarcity, water pollution, climate change leading to irregular rainfall patterns, the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, rain fed agriculture, irrigated agriculture and watershed management, etc.)

Urbanisation and water resource management (e.g., waste water treatment, recycling and reuse, supply of safe and clean drinking water, drainage systems, water stress, contamination of ground and surface water, water usage efficiency, sanitation, stakeholder engagement etc.)

Integrated River Basin Management (i.e., balance between economics and ecology, river basin organisations/authorities, ecological restoration and conservation of aquatic biodiversity, etc.)

Water Security and Governance (e.g. trans-regional water sharing, water system governance, water diplomacy, multi-level stakeholder dialogues and negotiations)

Programme

Thursday, 5 October 2016

09:30 h – 10:00 h Registration
10:00 h – 11:00 h INAUGURATION

Welcome Address, Ms Heike Mock, Director, DWIH New Delhi
Inaugural Address, Dr Jasper Wieck, Deputy Chief of Mission, German Embassy New Delhi
Key Note Address, Prof Dr Brigitta Schütt, Vice President, Freie Universität Berlin

11:00 h – 11:30 h TEA/COFFEE BREAK
11:30 h – 13:00 h SESSION 1: WATER SECURITY AND GOVERNANCE

Dr Matthias Hartwig, Max Planck Institute
Ms Lydia Powell, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
Dr Sharachchandra Lele, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
Chair: Prof Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, IIT Madras

13:00 h – 14:00 h LUNCH BREAK
14:00 h – 15:30 h SESSION 2: URBANISATION AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Prof Dr Jörg Drewes, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Prof Dr Dr Harrie-Jan Hendricks-Franssen, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Prof Dr Michael Schneider, Freie Universität Berlin
Prof Dr Mohan Kumar, IISC Bangalore
Chair: Prof Dr Karl Schneider, University of Cologne
15:30 h – 16:00 h TEA/COFFEE BREAK
16:00 h – 17:30 h SESSION 3: URBANISATION AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT – INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Dr Marius Mohr, Fraunhofer IGB
Mr Anshuman, Water Resources Division – The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Mr Adi Bhujle, Sovereign Tech Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. & Indian Representative, German Water Partnership
Mr Manish Gandhi, Ion Exchange India Ltd.
Chair: Ms Anandi Iyer, Fraunhofer Office India

Friday, 6 October 2017

09:00 h – 9:30 h Registration
9:30 h – 11:00 h SESSION 4: HYDRO HAZARDS – FLOODS
Dr Jorge Leandro, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Prof Dr Martin Voss, Freie Universität Berlin
Prof Dr Jochen Schanze, Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development Dresden
Prof Dr Dhanya C T, IIT Delhi
Chair: Prof Dr Nicola Fohrer, University of Kiel
11:00 h – 11:30 h TEA/COFFEE BREAK
11:30 h – 13:00 h SESSION 5: HYDRO HAZARDS – WATER CONTAMINATION
Prof Dr Karl Schneider, University of Cologne
Prof Dr Thomas Braunbeck, Heidelberg University
Prof Dr A.L. Ramanathan, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Prof Dr Prosenjit Ghosh, IISc Bangalore
Chair: Dr Jorge Leandro, Technische Universität München (TUM)
13:00 h – 14:00 h LUNCH BREAK
14:00 h – 15:30 h SESSION 6: INTEGRATED RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT
Prof Dr Nicola Fohrer, University of Kiel
Dr Guido Schmidt, India-EU Water Partnership
Prof Dr Bhallamudi Srinivasan Murty, IIT Madras
Prof Dr Subashisa Dutta – IIT Guwahati
Chair: Prof Dr Jayanta Bandyopadhyay, Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata
15:30 h – 16:00 h TEA/COFFEE BREAK
16:00 h – 17:30 h SESSION 7: YOUNG MINDS ON WATER
Ms Theresa Frommen, PhD Student, Freie Universität Berlin & Ms Dharmistha Chauhan, Mahila Housing SEWA Trust
Ms Marcella Hansch, Pacific Garbage Screening (NGO)
Dr Rahul Peethambaran, IISc Bangalore
Ms Tarini Mehta, PhD, University of Cologne
Ms Vinnarasi R, IIT Delhi
Ms Neha Khandekar, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Ms Ekashmi Rathore – Falling Walls Winner
Chair: Prof Dr P K Joshi, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Related Documents

Download: Waterscapes Programme - detailed [pdf, 2.04 MB]

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