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UWA engineers have taken on a long-term project to help provide the people of Timor Leste with clean water and sanitation.

Access to both of these are recognised as critical to improving health outcomes, increasing labour productivity and, ultimately, to contributing to economic development and poverty reduction.

In Timor Leste it is estimated that only half of the urban and a quarter of the rural population have access to the water supply and only 13 per cent of the population have access to adequate sanitation.

To provide clean water and sanitation is a national priority, and the Government of Timor Leste has identified the need for capacity building in engineering education.

UWA's School of Environmental Engineering is leading a project to build long-term relationships and an academic exchange program, between Timorese universities, UWA and other International WaterCentre (IWC) universities.

Last month, four senior engineering academics from Timorese universities visited Project Leader, Professor Carolyn Oldham and colleague Vaughn Grey at UWA.

The Timorese engineering academics met UWA academics teaching similar units, they sat in on engineering teaching laboratories in Civil, Mechanical and Environmental Systems Engineering, they visited a Water Corporation wastewater treatment plant, and took part in a workshop on engineering teaching with the Faculty's new Chair of Engineering Education, Winthrop Professor Caroline Baillie .

They also participated in a 2nd year Environmental Engineering field trip to a water treatment wetland.

The Faculty hopes to match each of the Timorese academics with a UWA mentor, and, as part of the long-term project, to arrange face-to-face meetings between the pairs at least once a year.

Over the past year, the UWA team has also worked with the Timorese universities, Timorese government agencies and NGOs, to review current engineering curriculum in East Timor, improve internet communication infrastructure and provide English language training to water and sanitation academics.

On the attached photo Visiting academics from Timor Leste in the hydrology lab with our Engineering staff: Sergio Freitas, Carolyn Oldham, Anuciano Guterres, Carla da Costa,Vaughn Grey and Victor Soares

Media references

Magdalena Matuszczyk / [email protected] / 6488 4277