According to Vicky Kenrick of Allen & York, a London-based international sustainability recruitment consultancy, demand for these skills are notably growing in Australia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.
In 2012, Australia will likely experience an increase in career opportunities within the water quality field following years of severe drought and then devastating floods. But now, Australia, the driest inhabited continent in the world, is progressively learning how to adapt and deal with these extremes and, in turn, is developing an integrated water management system for a more resilient and sustainable future.
Water scarcity and the subsequent high profile that water has in the Australian consciousness means that Australians are increasingly becoming aware that water quality is just as important as availability. For example, water sensitive urban design is a growing feature in the Australian urban landscape; it has been shown to be effective at removing pollution from stormwater runoff and preventing ecological degradation of creeks and coastal waterways.
This, alongside its long history of drought and flooding, makes Australia a place where professionals from around the world, are coming to explore the issues of water management in both a unique and international context.
Water management in the Middle East
The average consumption of water per person in the United Arab Emirates is 500 liters per day, which is almost 82% higher than the global average. The threat of water shortages for the UAE, which has the second largest Arab economy, is imminent. The Abu Dhabi government claims that if action is not taken in the immediate future, water resources could run out in the coming decades. A report by the Abu Dhabi Environment Authority stated: “Failure to manage the use of water will boost demand by 122% in 2030 and in the absence of sufficient ground resources, desalination plants could fail to meet that demand.”
The UAE spends nearly $3.3bn per year on the production of desalinated water to meet the need for drinking water, according to the Ministry of Water and Environment. This amount covers the cost of nearly 70 desalination plants that produce approximately 14% of the world’s total volume of desalinated water.
A growing population, economy, and agriculture demand more water supplies. To combat this water shortage threat, the demand for water management professionals is increasing in the UAE, according to senior water recruitment consultant Andrew Shotton at Allen & York. “We have a number of career opportunities within water supply and we’re working with leading engineering consultancies on active projects across Oman. We are currently seeing an increased global demand for water engineers and management professionals, with utilities, consultancies, and manufacturing. Water management is of increasing importance within the sustainability agenda and we anticipate strong market growth in this sector.”
Sanitation and water quality
Few cities in the world have sewerage networks that connect more than 10% of the population and, according to UN Water, an estimated 90% of all wastewater in developing countries is discharged untreated directly into rivers, lakes or the oceans. In response to this challenge, decentralised wastewater management systems have attracted significant attention and gained acceptance as a solution.
Traditionally, public health and environmental engineers played a major role in the sanitation sector. They use their skills and expertise to construct sanitation systems that improve public health and reduce environmental pollution. However, the sector has evolved in the direction that requires sanitation systems to be designed for multidimensional benefits. Through innovation, creative design, and careful implementation, projects can satisfy demands for water, promote the amenity value of water and energy recovery, as well as meet the conventional objectives of pollution mitigation.
Shotton explained that these schemes require competent, trained engineers with a high degree of technical engineering expertise. In addition, engineers require an understanding of the wider benefits related to the social and economic value of alternative technological solutions. As well as possessing traditional technical competences, contemporary environmental engineers therefore need to have a much broader perspective and ability to assess the social and environmental impacts.
Urban water management
As the urban landscape expands, so does the challenge of urban water management and planning. The rapidly increasing exploitation of natural resources and the threats posed by climate change and continued environmental degradation provides challenges for water engineering within urban areas. Meanwhile, these opportunities offer reason for optimism. Advancing technologies provide new ways to treat water from all sources, to recycle it and to control its effects on urban environments, enriching cities and strengthening their economies.
Water engineering professionals face advancing technologies and new approaches that help drive the sense of importance of a profession within the water industry. Moreover, there is a growing awareness of the central role that water resources and water infrastructure can play in advancing the sustainability goals of integrated social, economic, and environmental improvement.
Source: Allen & York
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