US officials visit Chennai for water resource management

Chennai, PTI: A two-member delegation traveling under the Ambassador’s Water Expert Program (AWEP), an initiative of the United States Departments of State and Interior, visited the city to engage and collaborate with experts, policy makers, and educational institutions on water resource challenges, disaster management, and climate change. They were in the city at the invitation of the US Consul General here from January 2-13, an official release here said.

“Steven Metzler, Director of Water Resources, San Antonio River Authority (SARA), and Julia McCarthy, Deputy Director of the Mitigation Division, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 5, visited Anna University’s Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, joined a fireside chat at the Future Cities Summit during the Shaastra Tech Fest at the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras), met industry stakeholders with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), took a storytelling tour along the Adyar River, and offered expertise on a panel discussion at Umagine 2025 on “Innovative Solutions to Combat Climate Change: A Global Perspective,” it said.

The delegation also held discussions with Chennai Mayor R Priya, Dr K Manivasan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department and others. US Consul General in Chennai Chris Hodges said, “the United States supports the Government of Tamil adu’s ongoing efforts at river remediation.