Education and Consultancy on the Water Conservation off Campus

Experts from the Istanbul Technical University play a crucial role in the water conservation off campus. ITU Sustainability Office Coordinator, Assoc Prof. Dr. Borte Kose-Mutlu had given education and consultancy on the water footprint calculation and the strategies to reduce the water footprint in the Chemical Industry. The reduction in water footprint in the industry is crucial to support the water conservation off campus.

WATER RESOURCES IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

The Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), with its working groups and distinguished members, provides science-based consultancy services on many platforms to identify high-priority issues in Türkiye and the world and to develop policies on these issues. In this regard, it organizes symposiums, conferences and workshops with the participation of qualified experts and prepares reports on current issues. In this context, climate change, which is a current issue for our country and the world, and consequently the status and future perspective of water resources in Türkiye were discussed in all aspects by TÜBA-Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change Working Group in a workshop hosted by Istanbul Technical University. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Duran Şahin is the Editor of the book.

Water in Istanbul Symposium at ITU

Water in Istanbul project, of which ITU is one of the stakeholders, was introduced to the world with an international symposium held at Taşkışla on March 14, 2023. The project aims to investigate water management in Istanbul from the Byzantine and Ottoman times to the present day, and to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies to address current problems. The symposium “Water in Istanbul and Beyond: Past, Present and Future” brought together speakers from ITU, British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), University of Edinburgh, Northumbria University and Middle East Technical University (METU). The research under the “Water in Istanbul: Rising to the Challenge?” project is supported within the framework of British Academy - Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Scheme.

Our Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Şule Itır Satoğlu, who made the opening speech of the symposium, emphasized the importance of the subject and said the following: “Water management in Istanbul has posed challenges for the authorities from past to present. In order to use water resources efficiently and deliver them to the city, large projects have been carried out and important structures have been built. The significant experience of Istanbul in this field actually includes sample cases that shed light on today and the future.” Şafak Başa, General Director of Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI), and Kate Greary, Deputy Consul General of British Consulate General Istanbul, also addressed the participants at the opening of the symposium. Lutgarde Vandeput, the project’s principal investigator from BIAA, outlined the symposium with her speech “Sustainable Water Infrastructure: Past, Present, Future”. Lecturer Dr. Çiğdem Özkan Aygün, project co-investigator on behalf of ITU from Department of Fine Arts, shared with the public various archaeological findings she has reached together with her research team.