We had the pleasure of featuring Prof. Rudy Rossetto as a masterclass presenter during a recent EJWP training week. Prof. Rossetto is an assistant professor at Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy. He works with surface and subsurface hydrology in carrying out experimental field activities and data analysis using statistical and numerical methods.
During this two-hour session – with a view on coastal Tuscany, Italy – Prof. Rossetto examined water conditions in the Mediterranean Basin and the pressures on groundwater resources including climate change and over-exploitation. He also pointed out the need for innovative solutions mainly in the areas highly impacted with droughts: “We are no longer able to use the traditional methods such as dams in this era, thus new approaches should be used such as rain harvesting, desalination and reuse of treated wastewater”.
Prof. Rossetto also presented REWAT Project (a Life Project) as an example where the team combined the technical expertise with the social aspect, so the citizens of this area socially accepted its idea. Following these presentations, discussions took place between Prof. Rossetto and EJWP participants in which he also showed different practices and projects on water reuse across the world, and went in depth about the academic productions in this domain.