By Silja Hodey
Water and Natural Resource Management raises societal matters of major importance. It addresses essential aspects such as water supply and sanitation, energy needs, the effects of climate change, irrigation and drainage, food security and much more. Water as a whole always preoccupied me because it is the most important resource for humans on the planet and therefore, we have to manage it carefully.
The availability of water was never an issue for my family. I just turn the tab and water that is suitable for drinking, cooking and washing comes out. This however is not the case in many ASEAN countries. The focus of the AWP 2018 was to strengthen the scientific expertise in the field of multidisciplinary research in water and natural resource management, supporting the development of research and innovative capacities in ASEAN countries along the Mekong river.
As I started studying Environmental and Resource Management, no specific course focused on water management and related issues. Therefore, I applied to take part at the AWP 2018 to gain knowledge about water management, wastewater treatment and issues with water. During the workshop, I was able to learn some non-engineering tools to approach in different ways the urban water cycle, especially considering the nonconventional resources. It gave me the opportunity to further explore the complexity of coping with water resources by analyzing past activities in order to find better solutions for the future. I especially gain an overview about ASEAN countries fresh water recovery, wastewater systems, the effects of rain and dry season and what they are planning to undertake to solve issues of water pollution. Moreover, we focused on economic tools for environmental management and looked at the fiscal and tax matters but also water quality matters, risk concepts and treatments that are related to the ERM program. Overall, I believe AWP has formed a foundational platform for knowledge share and exchange and provided me with a network of expert in multiple fields that I can rely on for future research opportunities.