Urbanisation and climate change are the two key issues which dominate any discussion on water and wastewater management today. In Asia, where current trends estimate that 60% of the Asian population will be living in cities by 2030, the pace of urbanisation has out-stripped the planning and development of water and wastewater infrastructure and technologies, leading to the inadequate provision of water and sanitation services in most Asian cities. Coupled with the pressure of climate change, there is urgent need for a re-think on the methods and tools we use to manage water and wastewater challenges in Asia.

This workshop will frame the existing conditions in Asia, showcase best practice, working examples through the sharing of experiences by panel members, and generate discussions on how policies, management strategies and technologies can and should be adapted to bring about improvement in water and sanitation access in Asia. The outcomes from this workshop will frame the key points and provide a lead-in to the focus issues of the workshops on "Innovating and Adapting Technologies for Drinking Water in Asia" and "Pathways to the Collection, Treatment and Reuse of Wastewater in Asia", which will be held on the afternoon of 4 July 2011.

Programme

Moderator: Paul Reiter, International Water Association

Framework presenter:
• Paul Reiter, Executive Director, International Water Association
• Kala Vairavamoorthy, Professor and Director of the School of Global Sustainability,
  University of South Florida, USA

Panel Members:
• Xiaohua Chen, Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, China
• Hubert Jenny, Asian Development Bank, Vietnam Country Office
• Virgilio Rivera, Group Director of Regulation and Corporate Development, Manila Water Inc., Philippines
• Thomas Rooney, Energy Recovery Inc., USA
• David Spector, CDM, Singapore

Moderator and Panel members

Moderator and Framework Presenter

Paul Reiter Executive Director International Water Association Paul Reiter is the Executive Director of the International Water Association – an organization that serves as the global network for water professional with approximately 10,000 members in 120 countries.  He is a leading figure in international and regional water issues with nearly 30 years experience in utility project innovation and utility management in the areas of water, electricity and solid waste.  Through this period he has worked as a utility leader, private consultant and as an association director. Paul's experience in water has focused on sustainable urban water management including water resources optimization for human and environmental needs, water efficiency and reuse, urban drainage, and waters sensitive urban design.  On the management side, Paul has been a leader in change-focused utility management and leadership, including the pioneering of innovative procurement methods for large scale capital projects in the U.S.  Paul has co-authored two books, contributed many articles, and speaks throughout the world on the leading challenges facing the water sector including climate change adaptation and innovation in delivery of international support to water-related development assistance.

Framework Presenter

Kala Vairavamoorthy Professor and Director of the School of Global Sustainability University of South Florida, USA Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, PhD, is the director of the School of Global Sustainability as well as Patel Center for Global Solutions at the University of South Florida. He is also Professor of Sustainable Urban Water Infrastructure Systems at UNESCO-IHE's Institute of Water Education in Delft, Netherlands. Prof Vairavamoorthy has a PhD and MSc in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from Imperial College, University of London. Prof. Vairavamoorthy is a specialist in urban water systems. His main research areas are in the development of new techniques for the flexible design of urban water systems, the application of optimisation techniques and the development of risk assessment approach for the design of sustainable urban water systems operating in the 'city of the future'. He is the Director of SWITCH, a €25M EU research project for Sustainable Urban Water Management, which is one of the largest EU research projects in the area of water. He has a strong international profile working closely with UNESCO, UN-Habitat and IWA. He Co-Chairs IWA's 'Cities of the Future' programmes and jointly coordinates UNESCO's Urban Water Programme.

Panel member
	Xiaohua CHEN Engineering Director Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Asia Municipal (VWS Asia Municipal) A recognized expert on advanced water, wastewater and sludge treatment plant design, Dr. CHEN is currently Engineering Director for Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS) where he has been employed for 18 years. After received bachelor degree from Tianjin University, China, he went to France and has got his Master and PHD degrees in water treatment. Having worked within VWS’ HQ for 10 years in France, he was appointed Engineering director for Asia Municipal market in VWS Beijing office since 2003 where has successfully introduced and transferred VWS’ advanced technologies from compact water solutions (high speed clarifiers, BAF etc) to sludge treatment (digestion/co-generation, incineration etc) in order to adapt China and South East Asian countries. In addition to that, Dr. CHEN is very active in participating in Chinese and Asian water seminars and conferences with numerous publications.
	Hubert Jenny Asian Development Bank Vietnam Country Office Dr Hubert Jenny is Principal Urban Development Specialist, based in Viet Nam, in charge of water and sanitation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Dr. Jenny joined ADB 6 years ago and is a member of ADB's Water Committee. Prior to joining ADB, Dr. Jenny worked for the World Bank on the China and Mongolia urban program. Before that, he worked in the private sector for nearly 20 years, mostly in Asia, for International Utility Companies. Dr. Jenny graduated from France with a major in Environmental Engineering and specialized in Water Pollution Control. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia and an Associate Arbitrator with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrator in UK.
	Virgilio Rivera Group Director of Regulation and Corporate Development, Manila Water Inc. Philippines Mr. Rivera has extensive experience in corporate strategy and development, having played a major role in the successful bid of Manila's 25-year concession for the East Zone in 1997 and led Manila Water's two successful price reviews in 2003 and 2008. He also headed the negotiations on the amendment of Manila Water's concession contract, which resulted in the 15-year extension of the contract period. Aside from heading the formulation of the company's corporate and regulatory strategy, Mr. Rivera is also at the helm of Manila Water's new business initiatives in the Philippines and, selectively, in the region. He is likewise at the forefront of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development initiatives of the company. Mr. Rivera's key achievements have earned him the distinction as a recognized speaker in international conferences on infrastructure privatization, regulation and public-private partnership initiatives sponsored by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Water Association, and host national governments in emerging countries. He is currently a Managing Director of Ayala Corporation and concurrently, the President of Laguna Water and Boracay Island Water, two new subsidiaries of the company. Mr. Rivera holds double university degrees in Economics and Behavioral Science from University of Sto. Tomas and completed a graduate level course work on M.S. Economics from De La Salle University.
	Thomas S. Rooney, Jr. President and Chief Executive Officer Energy Recovery Inc Tom Rooney is the President  & CEO of Energy Recovery Inc, the global leader in energy recovery devices for desalination.  Mr. Rooney has nearly 30 years of executive experience in industries such as water infrastructure, water purification, waste treatment, renewable energy, smart grid technology, engineering and construction. In addition to his role as the CEO of Energy Recovery Inc, Mr. Rooney currently serves as the chairman of the board of EnerTech (a biosolids-to-energy company), and serves on the technical advisory board of Advanced Energy (one of the world's largest power conversion device manufacturers).  Mr. Rooney formerly served as the CEO of Insituform Technologies, a global leader in water pipe infrastructure. As one of the few international executives who have worked extensively in both the water and energy industries, Mr. Rooney is a frequent speaker and writer on the subject of the "Water/Energy Nexus".  Mr. Rooney's work focuses on global water and energy policy as well as business investment strategies required to concurrently solve the growing needs of water and energy throughout the world.  His policy speeches and commentary have been covered by numerous international news and television outlets throughout the world. Mr. Rooney is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Masters of Business and Finance from the University of Chicago.
	David A. Spector Principal, CDM Managing Director of the CDM Neysadurai Centre for Integrated Water Resources and Urban Planning Mr. Spector currently serves multiple roles at CDM, as the Managing Director of the Neysadurai Centre for Integrated Water Resources and Urban Planning, an R&D entity within CDM to advance tools and processes for development of sustainable communities; as a member of the 5-person Asia Leadership Team focused on strategic market planning, resource management, and operations; as the Office Leader for CDM's Asia Regional Headquarters in Singapore; and as the Group Leader in Asia, an administrative role for project utilization and career development of technical staff. Mr. Spector has played leadership roles on award-winning planning projects, including Asheville, North Carolina's Sustainability Management Plan; Charlotte, North Carolina's Energy Action Plan; and post-Hurricane Katrina Mississippi Regional Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Master Plan. Mr. Spector has been active with several community service organizations, sitting on the Boards of Directors for three land conservation organizations, as chair of the Sustainable Advisory Committee for Asheville, as a Commission member for a US National Heritage Area, and as Board member for an environmentally-focused K-8 charter school.