Be Water, Be Better
Although originally from Granada, Manuel Pulido has been leading Valencia leading the way in the efficient, sustainable use of water resources since he arrived in Valencia in 2004 to do a PhD, following a stay in the Davis University of California in 2002 to do a Master.
Pulido was attracted to Valencia because of the high reputation of its Hydraulic Engineering Faculty, and is now Deputy Director of its Research Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), leading a team of 100 researchers. The institute promotes technical and scientific research on water resources in a multidisciplinary way through the integration of UPV research groups from different knowledge areas, providing specialized training and technical consulting.
In view of his growing status as a world leader in the field, it is hardly surprising that in May 2016 at a meeting of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) in Florida USA, he was voted onto three technical committees, the only Spaniard to achieve that honour.
Closer to home, his collaboration with the Valencian utilities company Aguas de Valencia has contributed to Valencia being considered as a Smart City as far as the efficient and sustainable management of water is concerned, in part due to the fact that the city is well ahead of comparable European cities in the installation of smart meters, which allow consumers to plan their consumption intelligently.
Furthermore he has participated in the creation of a Virtual Office, which allows and encourages consumers to monitor and improve their own consumption of water through a rewards system that offers prizes to efficient consumers.
Another part of his work involves weather forecasting in order to make water management more efficient, bringing a practical element to this vital area, matching state of the art techniques to the day to day use of water resources; a classic case of practical and theoretical science working together.
In this respect he works closely with meteorologists at the UK Met Office and at the European Centre in Brussels.
With water being so scarce, it is comforting to know that Valencian-based scientists are at the forefront of efforts to rationalize our use of this vital gift of nature.
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