Water saving initiatives are high on global government agendas, as the Australian spokseperson for IAPMO Stuart Henry knows first hand.

Stuart debated the impending implementation of plumbing into an all encompassing construction code, arguing that the importance of plumbing from a world health point of view could be undermined.

“What we do with water, all sorts of water from potable to fresh, grey, black, recycled or reclaimed, is of high importance to human life in our built societies.

Plumbing is what we do with water for health, welfare and survival.

“So the question of whether we integrate plumbing into the construction code must be given due consideration.”

Stuart spoke about the lack of clean water available in developed countries and the fact that supply remains fixed while demand increases.

Australia has the world’s lowest average rainfall but due to these waether patterns the country is leading the way in plumbing product sustainability use and strategy.

He was less kind to Australia’s labelling systems.

“How is it possible to include a labelling scheme as a panacea to fix all ills? Politicians are so willing to impose such schemes when integration of alternative water supply methods would be a sensible solution and would halve the costs.”

For instance, Japan has been supplying 61% of potable water for more than a decade, with much of this dedicated to flushing toilets. Singapore has four water recycling plants which produce 7% of drinking water, with a forecast for 30%.”

Stuart believes we have the technology to treat the blackest of blackwater and purify this to our needs. He also believes that instead of full integration into construction, a better regulatory context that allows us to become global leaders would be more appropriate.

“Plumbing and building do overlap and it is crucial that practices are well aligned, but plumbing is about what we do with water and that goes beyond construction.”

For Stuart’s full presentation click on the link below.