World Plumbing Day 2015 Highlights New Conservation Solutions

World Plumbing Council Announces New Database, Community Plumbing Challenge

Today is World Plumbing Day, an event organized by the World Plumbing Council (WPC) to drive awareness about clean water solutions to safeguard the health of people across the globe. The event, in its sixth year, also helps increase engagement about the importance of plumbing through suggested action items and ongoing activities.

This year, the WPC has announced the launch of its WPC Research Database,a tool for individuals to investigate international progress in research efforts related to plumbing and water-related issues. The database provides insight into research programs focused on specific plumbing or water-related topics, and provides a platform for participants to submit their recommendations and ideas for new research programs.

The organization has also released a video featuring WPC chairman Sudhakaran Nair speaking about the importance of plumbing as an occupation and the impact of water accessibility. "What needs to be brought to light is the alarming scarcity of clean, portable water," he said. "Demand for water across the globe for sanitation, domestic consumption, industry, and agriculture already outstrips the available supply, and the gap is widening."

Approximately 3.1 million people die each year from preventable diseases related to water and sanitation. And the WPC reports a forecasted 50-to-60-percent increase in global water demand by 2050, compounding the challenges as misuse of clean water supply threatens water sustainability.

The WPC is working in partnership with several organizations, including the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), a member and audited designator of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); the World Skills Foundation; Healthhabitat; and RMIT University on a new initiative called the Community Plumbing Challenge, which aims to involve plumbing practitioners from several countries for provision and upkeep of sanitation facilities in deprived sections of societies, according to Mr. Nair.

This year, the WPC also released helpful tips to help conserve water, including:

• Automatically shut off a tap when not in use.
• Ensure leaks are attended to promptly.
• Use the minimum amount of water for your daily needs.
• Harvest rainwater.
• Put fail-safe systems in place to treat waste water before it is let out into bodies of water or absorbed into earth.
• Incorporate water reuse into all projects.

The World Plumbing Council and its activities, including the annual celebration of World Plumbing Day, are supported by a number of international and domestic standards and membership organizations. Many of these groups are also ANSI members, including:

• The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)

• The ASSE International Chapter of IAPMO (ASSE International)

• The Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (CISPI)

• CSA Group's CSA International Division

• The IAPMO Group

• The International Code Council (ICC)

• Intertek's Intertek Testing Services Shenzhen Ltd, Guangzhou Branch

• National Inspection Testing & Certification Corporation (NITC)

• NSF International

For more information on the sixth annual World Plumbing Day, fact sheets, activities, and the video, please visit www.worldplumbingday.org.