Environmentalist advocates water conservation in climate change adaptation

Associate Professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida, Dr Maya Trotz has underscored the need for transferring experiences gained from knowledge, education and research, to the water sector to aid in the climate change fight.

During her presentation to students at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Dr Trotz stressed the importance of water conservation and consciousness in the adaptation to climate change efforts.

Dr Trotz, who served as one of the facilitators at the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) workshop on “Water Resources and Adaptation to Climate Change”, said that a lot of her work deals with storm water runoff since this is a major area of research.

The workshop was part of a knowledge-sharing initiative for government agencies and departments which execute loans and technical cooperation projects in the water and sanitation sector. Dr Trotz is instrumental in the “Adopt a Pond Project” in Tampa Florida, She explained that the idea surrounding the project is to take in rain or flood waters, have it treated as part of a purification process, and used for different purposes. According to Dr Trotz, in some areas, storm water ponds are dredged and extended to lakes, and the result is that property in the immediate area be comes more expensive.

“When this occurs, you are told you have waterfront property, and the result is that the price is much higher,” the environ mentalist said. She cited the housing development project called “Adewini Villas” being developed at the Splashmin’s Fun Park as an example of this type of development.

Dr Trotz noted that the “Adopt a Pond” project helps citizens to understand the relevance of maintaining their neighborhood ponds.

She explained that the project provides them with the resources and expertise they need to successfully undertake such maintenance, drawing comparison of the pond to the local trench or canal in Guyana.

Dr Trotz said that many processes are involved in the initial stages of preparing the pond to prevent pollution and erosion, and pointed out that there are many opportunities for science and engineering students to work with new developers.

She disclosed that there is a five- year Peace Corps graduate training programme for students who are desirous of pursuing programmes in water, sanitation or public health.

She added that the enrolled students take classes for one year before venturing into the field for an additional two years in order to complete their studies.

According to her, opportunities also exist for students to enroll in elementary to high school programmes.

Dr Trotz said that in some areas, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to visit water treatment plants to collect and test samples on rain water collection.

She suggested the establishment of man- made ponds near schools which can work to erase this disadvantage.

Dr Trotz is currently working with schools in her area to create a curriculum.

“In our engineering education programme, we normally have to meet certain requirements to be accredited.

What the faculty has been doing is to look at ways to meet the requirements, and also have other benefits for other communities,” she said.

In her discourse, she also mentioned that climate change projects can create interdisciplinary research awareness programmes.

Currently, attempts are being made to secure funding so that the rest of the Caribbean can come on board with the project.

Dr Trotz is a Guyanese who attended Queen’s College before proceeding to the United States where she read for a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University.