Australia-India Water Centre inaugurated: Significance and all you need to know!

The Australia-India Water Centre was inaugurated virtually on November 6, 2020 through a webinar in the view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Water Centre is an initiative led by IIT Guwahati, University of Western Sydney from Australia and 21 other partners from India and Australia.

Several dignitaries attended the event including Australia’s Minister of Education Dan Tehan, India’s Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Indian High Commissioner to Australia Gitesh Sarma, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and Director of IIT Guwahati Prof. T. G. Sitharam. 

Education & Water are central to the 🇦🇺🇮🇳 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Delighted to launch Australia India Water Centre with @HCICanberra, @DanTehanWannon @bcpatilkourava- a collaboration b/w 23 institutions. Thanks @westernsydneyu & @IITGuwahati for your leadership. pic.twitter.com/2AJEuSeNQl

— Barry O’Farrell AO (@AusHCIndia) November 6, 2020

The idea behind the formation of Australia-India Water Centre

A joint declaration issued after the virtual summit between the Prime Ministers of the two nations in June 2020, stated that water security is a critical challenge for both countries. Hence, both the leaders jointly agreed to deepen technical cooperation to improve water management and sustainable economic development.

Keeping this in view, several universities, research organisations and business partners from Australia and India committed to establish the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC). An MoU was signed during the occasion, which attempted to establish an understanding of cooperation for the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC) between the parties. 

Australia-India Water Centre: Key Highlights

•The Australia India Water Centre will enable partners from both nations to jointly explore opportunities to pave way for long-term collaboration in research and education.

•The Australia India Water Centre will mainly offer opportunities including:

- Collaboration in water research

- A joint Master’s level programme in water future

- Exchange programmes for student and staff, workshops

- Conferences and short-term training in water sector to government agencies and other participants

•The MoU for the same has been signed for five years and it proposes to develop longer-term collaboration in transdisciplinary water research, capacity building and knowledge and technology transfer, especially focusing on aspects of water and food security, safe drinking water supplies, river health, water-energy-food nexus, water for liveable cities and other related aspects that will mutually benefit both the nations. 

•The agreement also proposes to enable joint development of tools and techniques to tackle future water and food security challenges such as improving the management of groundwater, springs, stormwater, and coastal reservoirs.

Significance 

The Australia India Water Center (AIWC) will promote water-related research, teaching and training between India and Australia. 

Background

India and Australia face many common water-related issues and challenges including natural extremes of floods and droughts, increasing competition for water between urban, peri-urban and rural sectors and increased threats to water security from climate change. Both nations also face the threat of over-exploitation and water quality degradation of surface and groundwater resources.