Water challenges create opportunities
by Alexandra Brown
When UniSA adjunct professor Don Bursill recently spoke to an international audience about Australia’s water shortages, he said that you can turn anything wet into drinking water.
Prof Bursill (pictured) made the comment during his keynote address to the International Ultra Violet Association at their tenth anniversary biannual congress in Amsterdam.
"You can turn anything wet into drinking water if you filter it through enough money - it’s just a question of what is the most sustainable way," Prof Bursill said. "Water shortages in Australia are creating a pressure to change the way in which the water cycle is managed.
"To create a system of integrated urban water management, it will require a greater level of innovation and support through targeted research.
"The water shortage issues in Australia and the way we are tackling the urban water cycle management, is being seen as a lead to the future under climate change for other countries where the impacts are not so clearly seen yet."
The International Ultra Violet Association has an interest in any application of UV including air quality improvement but their main focus is with water disinfection and water treatment processes. Consequently, Prof Bursill found there was strong interest in his address.
With 40 years experience in the water industry and with principal interests in water quality policy and management; water treatment; the development of automated analytical techniques for water quality monitoring; and water resources planning and management, Prof Bursill is well qualified to speak on the topic.
Bursill, who is also chairman of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Water Advisory Committee, has analysed how things are changing with water management in Australia.
"In particular I have looked at issues about the way new technology will be needed and that more research is required in those areas to support the sorts of things that we want to do with water."
Prof Bursill also points out that there is still a lot of discussion about whether we are just in a drought or whether it’s the start of climate change – either way he said it is providing us with challenges as well as opportunities.
"Water shortages pose challenges for communities in how they can secure water supplies for urban, industrial and agricultural uses while trying to protect aquatic environment needs," he said.
"This leads to consideration of new water sources such as greater recycling of water which provides opportunities for water technologists and water researchers."