News

KUCHING, Oct 7 — Sarawak will be taking Canada as a model in the management and governance of its mega dams and water usage, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said today.

He said Canada, in particular the province of Ontario, has a long history and reputation of hydro power generation with the first hydro plant built about 100 years ago.

The State of Sarawak, Malaysia is routing water from its remote regions into its cities. To support this initiative, a delegation of officials, headed by their Chief Minister, visited Ontario this past week to consult water experts on leading-edge practices and emerging technologies. On their roster of research powerhouse visits was the Water Institute, and following the Oct. 1 meeting, a solid base for future collaboration between the State and Institute researchers was forged.

Two water researchers from the University of Waterloo have been named members of the prestigious Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

The Water Institute’s Water Research Conference: Breaking Boundaries in Water Research, took place on Monday, September 24 at the University of Waterloo. Nearly 200 water researchers, students and industry professionals came together to learn about the interdisciplinary water research happening at Waterloo, and around the world.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Maricor Arlos didn’t think much about water until her family moved to Canada in search of better opportunities. After attending a Waterlution event, she realised that many people have connections to water and that it’s an important resource that needs to be discussed more.

When you learn about Waterloo’s Collaborative Water Program, you will learn that there is a heavy focus on interdisciplinarity – bringing together students from 11 departments and schools under the umbrella of water to learn from, and share with, one another.

The Ecohydrology Research Group and Dajiang Environment Corporation are collaborating on strengthening the water quality management of the Eco Hi-Tech Island in Nanjing, China.

Forest fires are sweeping North America with detrimental environmental, economic and human impacts. A research team, led by University of Waterloo Engineering professor Monica Emelko, will receive $5.5 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Strategic Partnership Grant for Networks to provide new knowledge on the impacts of different forest management strategies on drinking water source quality and treatability.

According to the World Health Organization, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Without safe drinking water, people are at risk of contracting water-borne diseases, which are responsible for more than 3.4 million deaths each year.