IN CONVERSATION WITH
Ramboll’s multidisciplinary approach in Asia
into consideration the biodiversity enhancement within a city and regional makeup to bring added value — the resilience and livability factors it brings to the people for recreation and cooling, whether it is at the city or coastal front. This is a snapshot of what we do when we say climate adaptation and water infrastructure. What makes it interesting is that we bring this as a spine for the rejuvenation of a particular area. How does this now interact with other existing infrastructure and services, whether it is related to energy, transport, or buildings, and what needs to change as a result of that? Take energy for example, we then explore the synergies between water and energy and look at options for sustainable integration. This requires a multidisciplinary approach which Ramboll emphasises. How should communities approach drinking water management and wastewater systems to safeguard public health? Hariram: We are in a region that is quite vulnerable not only to climate change but also to access to basic services like drinking water and sanitation. With the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets have been set for countries to develop their own national plans. Although we are approaching 2030, we still need to keep our eye on the ball because access to drinking water is crucial. You cannot avoid the climate resilience layer which is putting water sources in stress. What are the alternative sources? How do we optimise and sustainably manage water, whether it is for drinking or wastewater? This requires an integrated and holistic approach to water management. SDG targets accelerate the enabling environment — governments, utilities, financiers — to get started. SDG targets create
Pritha Hariram , head, water infrastructure and climate adaptation, APAC, Ramboll Singapore, shares the group’s initiatives in the region in integrated planning, and the importance of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) and nature-based solutions for climate resilience.
By Amira Yunos
Tell us about your role in Ramboll. Pritha Hariram: I lead the water business for Asia-Pacific, focusing on the area of water infrastructure and climate adaptation. We look at overall sustainability across the value chain of water. On climate adaptation, a big focus of our work is on flood resilience, drought protection, water security, scarcity, and coastal protection in the region. We look at the upstream work, where our clients are updating their master plans
and finding new ways to improve resilience across the board, with a focus on water at the center of their landscape. For example, in cities that are constantly affected by flooding, we revamp their land use planning, looking at options to integrate BGI, focusing on the conveyance, movement, retention, and detention of water. Through the integration of nature-based solutions, we take
GMS tourism Infrastructure (Image: Ramboll)
22 Water & Wastewater Asia | September-October 2024
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online