A prominent environmental engineering expert has called on West Australian communities to seriously consider water resources in their areas as the state becomes dryer and more arid.
UWA professor of environmental engineering Anas Ghadouani is head of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC), a national think tank aiming to transform water management across the country.
Professor Ghadouani said the CRCWSC, through working with various agencies and releasing reports, aims to address the critical issues associated with the consistently falling water levels in dams and reservoirs across WA.
““It is a vision we have developed with key stakeholders on how we should rethink cities from a water point of view,” Mr Ghadouani said.
“It’s not just about water security, it’s much broader than that.
"What we are doing is we are actually turning the conversation around, and we are saying, ‘well, what can you do to build a vibrant, sustainable and green city today in the conditions that we have in Western Australia?’”
Mr Ghadouani said Mandurah was a good case study for the CRCWSC’s plans, as the relatively isolated and insular nature of the city has allowed it to develop it’s own strong water policy.
“Mandurah is a great example of where we want to go, because it’s one of the only councils in the country that has adopted a water management plan,” he said.
“So that’s where we are coming from.
"Mandurah is really one of those places where we want to see this in action, because the locals know better.
“You don’t want some water utility or from some other place to come and tell you how you should be developing water systems where you live; you want to make that decision for yourselves.
“So what we are trying to do is involve those people and those communities like Mandurah in the conversation on what they would like to see in how water is handled in their area.”
Mr Ghadouani said one of the biggest challenges with transforming how citizens think about water use is making water a stronger element of community development by raising awareness and participation in water resource projects.
“Obviously water security is the number one issue, but we really have to look at the whole framework: you have to source your water, you have to develop your water,” he said.
“Perhaps the key element we are introducing with this methodology is mostly to do with the fact that we are not talking about a model that fits all.
"Rather it is more about decentralized, local solutions that people can develop together.”
Mr Ghadouani and the researchers at the CRCWSC have developed an extensive plan, titled Shaping Perth as a Water Sensitive City, to establish their plans and spark conversation in water-sensitive areas like Mandurah.
“You have to really have the conversation with all stakeholders, and include all the issues that affect water, including local solutions,” he said.
“Because water technology today is not all about having one source and water flowing in one direction, like it has been in the past.
"It’s actually about sourcing water locally, it’s about how infrastructure is going to be built in the future, it’s about public open space, it’s about all of these things, because we have to be looking at a total solution that provides a vision for what we are going to do with water going into the future.”
For more information on the CRCWSC’s plans go to watersensitivecities.org.au
