Water: How Secure are we?

Special Seminar with Honorary Degree Candidate Dr. Vijay P. Singh,  Ph.D., D.Sc., Ph.D. (Hon.), D. Eng. (Hon.), D.Sc. (Hon.), Hon. D. WRE, P.E., P.H., Dist. M. ASCE, Dist. Hon. M. IWRA, Hon. M. AWRA, Dist. F. AGGS, NAE Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor Caroline & William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-2117, USA

The current global water situation makes it abundantly clear that water shortages in many areas of the world are multiplying; current patterns of use and abuse of water resources
are rising; the water source-to-sea connections are being severely interrupted; severe and long droughts are becoming more frequent; wetlands are being damaged; the balance between freshwater and saltwater is changing; and freshwater fish populations are precipitously declining. These occurrences point to a global water crisis which is impacting food supply, energy generation, environment, ecosystem health, and social and economic well-being.

Thus, we ask the question: What is water security and what systems can we engineer to ensure water security under the specter of global warming and looming climate change? How is this security impacted by a burgeoning population, rising standard of living, growing energy demands, and massive migration of people?

To address these questions entails answering a number of other questions:  What is climate change?  Why is global warming occurring?  How do the growing population and rising standard of living affect water security?  What is the relation of water security to food security, energy security, health security, and ecological security?  Is water security entirely a technical problem?  What is the role of engineers in enhancing and maintaining water security?  What systems need to be engineered to help ensure water security?

These and related questions will be dealt with in this presentation.

Finally, a personal perspective on water security and engineering solutions will be presented.

Hosted by the Department of Bioresource Engineering