Plumbing Africa March 2017 | Page 14

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One of the keynote speakers at the conference, Dr Doulaye Kone, is deputy director for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He manages a programme focusing on innovation in science and technology to‘ Reinvent the Toilet’ and the birthing of the new sanitation industry to serve the vast majority of people in developing countries who do not have access to a toilet or to an adequate sanitation service. activities, see an interesting research paper or become aware of an ongoing research project that’ s applicable to the plumbing or water industries, make a point to personally reach out to the researchers, send them the link to the database and ask for their participation in support of the WPC.

Secondly, we need to do a better job at using the database ourselves. Sign in occasionally; see what’ s new. For each research project uploaded on the database, the submitter indicates if users of the database can contact them via email. So, if you have questions, comments or suggestions for the researchers, we encourage you to contact them. As an open source Wiki application, this is the best means by which utilisation will expand. In short, the success of the database is up to us!

In closing, we are confident that increased utilisation of the database will work to draw our plumbing and water communities closer, providing a means for increased collaboration and the identification of our industry’ s future research needs. Those are the exact outcomes that the WPC envisions using the Research Database.

The WPC Research Database can be accessed at http:// research. worldplumbing. org / tiki-index. php

Note: If you experience any problems using the WPC database, please contact Pete DeMarco at pete. demarco @ iapmo. org

Water is life That was one of the main themes for the 11th World Plumbing Council Conference held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre( CTICC) in South Africa from 14 to 16 September 2016.

Delegates gathered from all around the world to attend this major event on the plumbing calendar, attracting first class keynote speakers. South Africa won the bid to host this event at the WPC conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2011. The WPC aims to develop and promote the image and standards of the plumbing industry worldwide. Some of the key aims of the organisation are:

• To encourage, participate in, and facilitate the exchange of information, research, and technology applicable to the world plumbing industry.

• To promote plumbing education and training worldwide.

• To promote the plumbing industry’ s role in improving public health through the provision and protection of safe water and sanitation.

The two-day conference was crammed full of information, with key presentations concerning regulations for sustainable plumbing and the promotion of international standards. Breakaway sessions were also included, highlighting water, sanitation, energy, and environmental aspects relevant to the plumbing industry.

A full WPC Trade Exhibition was held in conjunction with the conference, which was represented by leading international brands as well as South Africa’ s local manufacturers.

Before the commencement of the main conference, the Triennial General Meeting of the World Plumbing Council was held. Key matters for discussion and consideration by the delegates at the meeting included:

• The election of the WPC Executive Board for the 2016 – 2019 term;

• Consideration of the bid to hold the 13th World Plumbing Conference in 2022; and

• Presentation on the Community Plumbing Challenge 2016.

Fact The World Health Organisation( WHO) estimates that 80 % of sicknesses in the world are attributable to

March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1 www. plumbingafrica. co. za