At a ceremony in Jodhpur, India, the American Water Works Assn. and the Indian Water Works Assn. (IWWA) signed a collaboration agreement that licenses IWWA to distribute 27 AWWA standards in India.
The agreement, the first of its kind for AWWA, will assist in the development of safe and efficient water and wastewater utilities in many developing areas of India.
"AWWA standards are really the heart of our association," AWWA Acting Executive Director Paula MacIlwaine said during the ceremony at IWWA’s 42nd Annual Convention. "They get to the core of our most basic mission, which is to protect public health. And they are created by AWWA’s greatest asset: its 60,000 members. So I am really pleased to be sharing with you the very heart of our association."
The collaboration agreement paves the way for broader cooperation between the two associations in the areas of publishing, products and services and conferences. Among the potential activities are publishing articles in each other’s peer-reviewed journals, partnering on webcasts and other training opportunities and collaborating on conferences.
"It’s important that we recognize this moment as the beginning of a much larger relationship," said MacIlwaine, who was joined at the ceremony by Past AWWA President Nilaksh Kothari, a native of India. "While our cultures differ in so many ways, we are tied together by our solemn obligation to provide safe water for our people."
"We look forward to a long and productive relationship with AWWA," said IWWA President K.M.L. Mathur. "The work we accomplish together will benefit the people we serve.”
Source: AWWA