Middle East Water Forum

Founder: Dr. Hazim El-Naser

Shaminder Puri

Shaminder Puri has served two terms as Secretary General of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. Currently he is Chair of the IAH Commission on Transboundary Aquifers. His scientific, technical & policy experience on groundwater resource management comes from over four decades of work. His scope of practical experience derives from a range of responsibilities, such as the world’s largest water well drilling programme in the transboundary Rum-Saq Aquifer (2011-2012), restructuring of the coal sector in Ukraine and as the global co coordinator of the Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management Programme (ISARM,) under which, an atlas of 273 transboundary aquifers was published. He was also one of the prime technical contributors to the UN International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2013. He has held senior advisory position with UNEP, UNESCO, the EU’s EuropeAid programmes and the Asian Development Bank. His recent assignments include establishing AMCOW’s African Groundwater Commission and advising the Governments of Lesotho and Swaziland on their transboundary water resources management. He has just completed programme for the Government of Baluchistan concerning a new approach to water management.   He is a Trustee of the Hurst Water Meadows, a unique local community based trust, aimed at ensuring landscape & aquatic bio diversity at the very local scale.