Across four continents and eight countries, Dr Gamini Adikari, Chief Technical Principal of Dam Safety at SMEC has had an exceptional and distinguished career.

Geotechnical Engineers are the specialists who are most often the teams which ‘break ground’ on a project. Their expertise and experience are vital to helping create an understanding of the challenges which the design and delivery teams will need to address in order to successfully deliver Australia’s largest and most complex projects. 

Rarely will a solar farm project with a perfectly rectangular and level site come across your desk. Instead, engineers are likely to see sites with challenges, such as irregular boundaries, varying slopes, wetland zones and undulating terrain. And that illusive perfect site? Chances are it's neither the ideal length nor the ideal width to accommodate the solar tracker system specified for the project – at least not seamlessly.

Over the past few years Australia has witnessed extreme climate events from widespread drought to bushfires and severe flood events. Our Water Resources team strive to stay at the forefront of supporting a more climate resilient future for Australia. Through our research and techniques, we are looking to drive industry change to deliver future-proofed, climate resilient designs that improve flood risk management.

In the scale of a large urban development, the implementation of a water fountain may seem trivial, but it can have a surprisingly significant role in improving sustainability and community outcomes.

This year’s World Water Week theme, Building Resilience Faster, calls on all stakeholders in the sector to focus on concrete solutions to the world’s greatest water-related challenges, including water scarcity, food security, health and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

India, Bangladesh and other South Asian nations have been battling a resurgence of COVID-19 for the past several months, with strict lockdown measures enforced in many cities.

Australia is renowned for its diverse ecosystems, made up of distinct and varied flora and fauna. Approximately 93 per cent of flowering plants in Australia are not found anywhere else in the world(1). Therefore, balancing national development with the protection of Australia’s unique biodiversity is crucial to a more resilient, sustainable future.

Sarah Board, Manager - Water, Dams & Hydropower at SMEC, has 20 years of experience in Australia’s water industry, specialising in infrastructure planning, delivery and asset management.