Knowledge exchange between British Water and the Australian Water Association will cover reuse, circularity, and nature-based solutions.
The Memorandum of Action was confirmed at Ozwater’26 early summer. The Australian institution’s annual flagship event was held in Brisbane, around the time vast swathes of the UK were experiencing their first major heatwave of the year.
This week, analysts confirmed that Britain has received just 20% of its average July rainfall, with some areas of the country only getting their first downpour in weeks on Saturday and Sunday. The prolonged dry spell, described by the Met Office as ‘extremely unusual’ now began a quarter of a year ago, with a number of regions now set for a fourth heatwave this week, which, although set to be far shorter, still poses a risk to public health and will add to an already highly pressurised water system.
‘Strong international partnerships are essential to solving the water challenges of today and tomorrow. We are delighted to formalise this new agreement between Australian Water Association and British Water, strengthening collaboration between our organisations and creating new opportunities for our members to connect, learn and innovate,’ said Corinne Cheeseman, Chief Executive Australian Water Association.
Australia is widely considered to sit within the world’s driest inhabited continent. More than 80% of the country receives less than 600 millimetres of rainfall per year, with the vast interior outback averaging out at under 250 millimetres annually. Only Antarctica receives less. As such, it has a long history of innovative water management solutions.
‘This partnership with the Australian Water Association reflects British Water’s mission to amplify collaboration across the global water sector. It will give our members access to valuable best practice insights and experiences on shared industry challenges and facilitate strategic partnerships that can aid business development and support transformation,’ said said Lila Thompson, CEO, British Water. ‘By strengthening links between the UK and Australia water sectors, we are creating practical opportunities for knowledge exchange, innovation and international engagement that will help our members to manage the big change happening in the sector.’
Image: Michael SKOPAL / Unsplash
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