About Water Movement:
Water Movement fills a void in an often-fragmented industry and bridges the connection between Indigenous water operators whose work is vital to the health and well-being of countless communities. Through the joint efforts of industry professionals and university students, it provides a collaborative online space where operators can connect, share lessons learned and access training videos that act as educational tools. In addition to providing resources and an interactive collaboration zone for those in the industry, Water Movement seeks to raise awareness among the next generation of water leaders.
2021 Technical Presentations
Abstract: Engineers Without Borders – Water Movement
Day 2: December 8, 2021 at 10:52 AM AT
Water Movement fills a void in an often-fragmented industry and bridges the connection between Indigenous water treatment operators whose work is vital to the health and well-being of countless communities. Through the joint efforts of volunteer industry professionals and university students, it provides a collaborative online space where operators can connect, share lessons learned and access learning videos that act as educational tools. By providing resources and an interactive collaboration zone for those in
the industry, Water Movement is an innovative solution to the challenges brought forth by the pandemic. Since the launch of the platform, the site has seen over 2,100 in user engagement and continues to see a 20% monthly increase in traffic. The platform provides operators an original way to connect outside of annual conferences and regional Facebook
pages. As the platform grows, the collaboration zone will act as a data hub and provide insight on operational issues experienced by operators, this information can be directly used to improve facility design. The concept behind Water Movement was developed following a three-year consultation
with Indigenous water treatment operators across Canada. Through the joint efforts of volunteer operators, videographers, editors, website developers, students and engineers, this initiative directly tackles Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
About Bita Malekian
Bita Malekian is a volunteer with Water Movement, she has spent the last three years listening to, learning from, and connecting with operators, the first line of defense against this national water crisis. She has seen firsthand the incredible resilience, critical thinking and resourcefulness that operators need to bring to work every day. She is eager to meet more operators and other professionals during the ACWWA conference and welcomes anyone interested in sharing their ideas for Water Movement to connect and chat over some virtual coffee! Bita is also a recent MEng graduate from the University of Calgary and currently works in Operations Engineering at an Energy Company.
About Aditya Chaudhuri
Aditya Chaudhuri, lovingly known as Adi, is an engineer-turned-consultant who works to help businesses, organizations, and governments bring their platforms to the digital front. While he pursues his professional career, he compliments it with many endeavours in the realm of development. As an extensive volunteer with Water Movement, he works on enhancing the online platform to ensure it meets the needs of Indigenous water and wastewater treatment operators across Canada. When not at his desk, he can be found volunteering his time at a local animal shelter, enjoying the majestic Canadian Rockies, or immersed in practicing Hindustani classical music.