Engineers should apply emerging technological tools to ensure sustainable use of water resources, Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty said in Belagavi on Sunday.
She was speaking at the 38th national convention of Civil Engineers on the theme “Water management for sustainability using emerging technologies” organised by the Institution of Engineers (India) at the Jirge Hall in the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College here.
“Engineering is nothing but an applied science which can be utilised for better living. Similarly, engineering principles can be applied for efficient implementation of sustainable water management strategies,” she said.
“I consider myself an engineer and I have realised that civil engineering has made a big positive impact in my life. I also feel that civil engineering is the mother of all engineering fields,” she said.
She said that after observing a school in Rajasthan where food was good but water was not, she decided to provide quality food and water through her foundation. The quality of drinking water plays an important role in improving the quality of education as it reduces drop-out rates and keeps children healthy, she said.
“My uneducated grandmother asked us to stop drawing water from the well once a year, as it was a way of respecting that water which she believed to be Goddess Ganga,” she said.
Ms. Murty asked engineers not to go after money. “When you work hard for better quality work, money will chase you automatically,” she said. “With the right combination of hard work, intelligence and work ethic, you will be successful,” she added.
“Similarly, teachers should not only train students to score good marks in examinations; you have to make them face the challenges in life and to be prepared to address the demands of the market. When that happens, there will be no unemployment problem in the country,” she said.
Office-bearers of Institution of Engineers (IEI) felicitated Ms. Murty on the occasion.
IEI president in Kolkata Shivanand Roy said that civil engineers are better equipped to understand and solve civic problems. “Engineers should be involved in finding solutions to civic issues,” he said.
KLE Society chairman Prabhakar Kore, IEI office-bearers Ramesh Jangal, M. Nagaraj, C.B. Hiremath and others were present.
