“Water is the future of humanity”
Discussion and lecture on global campus construction cooperation to foster water experts
[September 2, 2011]
Andras Szöllösi-Nagy (62, photo), chair of UNESCO-IHE, which is an institute for water and environment education under the UN, visited Yeungnam University on the 2nd. This is noteworthy under situations where Daegu and Gyeongbuk is fervently bidding for the ‘2015 World Water Forum’.
UNESCO-IHE (International Institute for Infrastructural Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering) is an educational institute specializing in water and environment under the UN, which is at the center of global water issues in the 21st century. This is the only institute under the UN that can grant degrees and in order to share the technologies and experiences of the ‘Delta Plan’ by the Netherlands, it was established in Delft in 1957 and then transferred over to UNESCO in 2002.
So why did the head of UNESCO-IHE, which has such great international status, visit Yeungnam University? Szöllösi-Nagy, visited Yeungnam University upon the invitation by Lee, Soon-tak, chair professor of Yeungnam University, chairperson of the pan-government organ, UNESCO-IHP (International Hydrological Programme) inter-government committee and chairperson of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Water Forum, and met Lee, Hyo-soo, president of Yeungnam University. Szöllösi-Nagy said, “Water is the common property of humanity and so the knowhow for managing water must also be shared by all humanity. Water is the future of humanity.” Emphasizing this, he explained plans to construct a global campus that is currently being pursued by UNESCO-IHE.
He explained the function of UNESCO-IHE saying, “Currently about 95% of the 600 students are from developing nations from Asia, Africa and Latin America. After receiving specialized education on water resource development and management, they are returning to their nations and playing pivotal roles in the water industry.” He also added, “The importance of water management will grow in the future due to climate change and global warming. About 70% of global health issues are caused by water and about 50% of patients in sickbeds carry diseases caused by water. Thus, there is a need to construct the UNESCO IHE-Global Campus in every continent in order to foster more water experts.”
Yeungnam University president Lee, Hyo-soo stated, “Our university has been pursuing the Green Innovation (GIFT) plan since 2009 and water is a field that we place a great deal of interest in. Since there are many experts on water including Professor Lee, Soon-tak, if we become a partner of the global campus of UNESCO-IHE, we will be able to help each other considerably.”
Szöllösi-Nagy replied in agreement to discuss cooperation plans in the future saying, “The water issue cannot be resolved from a simply engineering approach. It is an issue that requires scientific, environmental technologies, and a sociological approach, and therefore, we need a partner like Yeungnam University that has high capacities in all academic fields.”
Meanwhile, Szöllösi-Nagy made a lecture titled ‘Lesson from Wrong Predictions – Value Effect of Hydrological Forecasting Model’. He explained the evaluations of existing techniques and the value of hydrological forecasting models, saying, “There is no unique prediction model. There is no ‘best‘ prediction model. A backup system is always needed.” He also emphasized the importance of experience saying, “You should never completely trust a model. Models are excellent tools for making decisions, but the person who executes the model should always be factored in during the prediction process.”
