School of Science and Health - Seminar Series

Title: Planning for Security of Water Supplies for Our Cities and Peri-Urban Landscapes – Is it really possible?

When: Thursday 20th September, 12.00 pm – 1.00 pm, followed by refreshments

Where: Building G6.G.43, Hawkesbury Campus

Presenter: Professor Basant Maheshwari

Overview: Water in peri-urban landscapes around metropolitan cities and regional centres in Australia and other countries is one of the important essential ingredients for producing fresh food locally, keeping parks, gardens and sporting ovals green and sustaining local businesses and job opportunities.
Sydney and Melbourne are the two main cities in Australia and one in three Australian live in these two cities, and as such the cities are now facing complex problems of peri-urban regions. Land and water availability in these regions strongly influences the health of the river systems, the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, operation of water dependent businesses and commercial fishing. It is now increasingly being realised that without a proper land and water planning, we cannot achieve local food security, job security, growth in tourism, adequate opportunities for sport and leisure activities and the overall quality of life.
A major challenge for the peri-urban regions in Australia in general and in the two cities in particular is that their populations are set to increase significantly over the next 20 years. For example, the proposed North-West and South-West Growth Centres will add about 600,000 people to the 400,000 already living to the South Creek catchment of Western Sydney. In addition, there will be further population growth during this period in the individual city council areas as part of their natural growth and expansion strategy. This poses a considerable threat to regional commerce, industry, and most importantly agriculture, as well as for recreational sites, such as playing fields and reserves which require significant amounts of water to sustain their user friendly quality.
In this presentation, lessons from the recently completed WISER project will be discussed and some broader issues and challenges of the livability of cities will be explored.