ICID, under its policy to extend its knowledge dissemination wider, conducts regular Webinar Services for its members in particular and wider irrigation and drainage community in general. The Webinar is being divided into two series, namely, ‘Professional Series’ delivered by renowned water experts with 10+ years of experience and ‘Young Professional Series’ provided by young professionals in the water sector, particularly working on agricultural water management (AWM) and other related topics. 

Introduction

Water-related heritage can be found all over the world and in all layers of time. The provision of drinking water, irrigation of fields, transport on water or the use of hydropower are just a few examples of areas in which refined and sustainable solutions were found long ago. In the course of the 20th century, many of these solutions were ‘modernised’ and replaced by ingenious, simple and cheap approaches. This not only interrupted traditional lines, but also ignored the historical knowledge manifested in the water-related heritage and the experience with local conditions applied therein. Today there is a multitude of organisations and professions dealing with contemporary problems concerning water (supply, protection, treatment, etc.). On the other hand, associations and individuals are dedicated to the historical and heritage aspects of water-related heritage sites. They usually concentrate on architectural or urban planning aspects. What is missing so far is an approach that makes the knowledge that can be experienced through the heritage sites, and the experience that is expressed in them, usable for contemporary problems. In addition to physical architectural aspects, immaterial aspects such as institutions and governance, including legal and spiritual ethical values, are important for future water challenges, planning and policy. An approach that adds historical knowledge to modern engineering solutions can help solve acute problems more sustainably and optimally than approaches that ignore these historical and intangible aspects. By integrating them into contemporary construction tasks, we can draw on a great deal of experience, find unconventional solutions and make better decisions.

The webinar will examine this underestimated topic. On the subject of water-related heritage sites, it will highlight the relevance of heritage for the present and the future. Case studies on water heritage will be presented and the plan to set up an ICOMOS international scientific committee to encourage water heritage research will be illustrated.