Event: AYSA (Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos) & British Water Liaison Event

Date: October 2022

Location: Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), One Great George Street, London

Type of CPD: Keynote speaking / international collaboration / strategic sector engagement

Duration: Half‑day event (speaker + participant)

Summary of the Event

I participated in the AYSA & British Water Liaison Event held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London. The event brought together senior representatives from AySA, one of Latin America’s largest water and wastewater utilities, alongside UK utilities, technology companies, engineering consultancies and British Water members.

The purpose of the event was to strengthen UK–Argentina collaboration on water innovation, operational excellence, digital transformation and environmental performance. It provided a platform for technical exchange, strategic dialogue and exploration of partnership opportunities.

I was invited as a keynote speaker, presenting on the role of advanced monitoring technologies—particularly microbial activity sensing—in improving treatment performance, resilience and environmental protection across large‑scale water and wastewater systems.

My Contribution: Keynote Speaker

Keynote Title: Biological Insight for High‑Performance Water Operations: The Role of Microbial Activity Sensing

Key points delivered:

• Explained the scientific foundations and operational value of microbial activity sensing for real‑time monitoring.
• Demonstrated how biological data enhances process optimisation, treatment stability, and early‑warning detection of toxicity or shock loads.
• Presented case studies showing improved operational outcomes through continuous microbial monitoring.
• Discussed integration with digital platforms, including analytics dashboards, automated alerts and AI‑driven optimisation.
• Highlighted opportunities for UK–Argentina collaboration, particularly in deploying advanced monitoring tools across AySA’s extensive treatment and distribution systems.
• Engaged in Q&A and bilateral discussions with AySA leadership and UK industry representatives.

Key Themes Covered

Urban water management in megacities Challenges and opportunities in delivering services at metropolitan scale.

Operational excellence in large utilities Strategies for improving performance across complex, high‑capacity treatment systems.

Digital transformation and real‑time monitoring Biological, chemical and physical sensors integrated with analytics and automation.

Innovation and technology adoption Pathways for piloting, validating and scaling emerging monitoring tools.

Climate resilience and sustainability Ensuring reliable service delivery under increasing environmental pressures.

International collaboration Knowledge exchange between UK innovators and AySA’s operational expertise.