Water Challenges in Gujarat, India.
(Machtelijn Brummel, RVO – Duurzaam Door & Wetskills)
At the end of 2015 the first Indian Wetskills challenge took place. The Center for Environmental Education India (CEEIndia) hosted this first edition from November 30, 2015 to December 11, 2015. 25 students and young professionals from India and the Netherlands came together to work on five local cases in the field of waste-watertechnology, rural watermanagement and urban water solutions in the community.
The participants, but also the wetskills supervisors experienced 2 weeks of a lot of new and exciting impressions, special foods, local trafic-habits and beautiful cultural (water)heritage. We visited treatment plants as well as ancient water harvesting structures and worked under high time-pressure on solutions and idea’s for wicked water challenges. Local problems, but very often internationally recognised, like rainproof cities in times of big rainstorms. Industrial wastewater in sewage treatmentplants and the need to mange waterdemand in agricultural communities. The Indian participants were keen to hear about Dutch student-life and happy to tell us all about their city and families. Through facebook-connections we keep each other posted on who is getting married and who is it starting a new job abroad.
The casework resulted in 5 interesting posters and a presentation day with an critical jury and festive dress. The posters as well are on the wetskills website.
Wetskills India 2017
The preparations for a second Wetskills event with India are starting now. This second Wetskills challenge in India will take place in Ahmedabad in the early beginning of 2017, in combination with the prestigious Vibrant Gujarat global summit, that is organised from 10-13 januari 2017 in Gandinaghar, India by the government of the Government of Gujarat. The prime focus of the Government of Gujarat is inclusive development and the key areas for development identified and included are Innovation, Sustainability, Youth & Skill Development, Knowledge Sharing and Networking. Plus watertopics are always high on the agenda in this dry part of India.
Enterprises with an interest in India or the province of Gujarat, as well as students looking for a challenge in India are welcome to respond to the Wetskills Foundation.
>> the announcement will follow in coming weeks. Stay tuned at SocialMedia and the website for this announcement, <<
