Celebratory webinar ‘Can We Drink Digital Water?’
11-05-2026
This webinar will focus on water safety and how water consumption influences the Baltic Sea Region. It will be held on21 May at 14 CEST and the participants are welcome to contribute with questions to broaden the discussion. This is the fifth webinar in a series celebrating BUP’s 35th anniversary in 2026, dedicated to sustainability and the ten BUP themes.
Artur Magnuszewski (University of Warsaw) will give a talk titled ‘Can we measure the sustainability using water consumption?’. There are different ways to measure water resources and their use. One popular is the index of water availability – volume of river runoff divided by number of citizens in a year – (Falkenmark, 2005). Another way used recently is the Water Exploitation Index (WEI). For sustainability at the lowest personal level, it can be used as the volume of water used per person per day. Questions raised are: How much water do you use daily and how is this consumption controlled in the digital era? What is the meaning of green water, blue water, black water and grey water? Is the water from the tap healthy?
Inga Grinfelde (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies) will explore the question of whether we can drink digital water. In an era of artificial intelligence, digital twins, and data-driven hydrology, this provocative question highlights a critical reality. No model or algorithm can replace safe, clean drinking water, which remains essential for human health and survival. As water safety becomes increasingly sensitive due to pollution, climate change, and emerging contaminants, the responsibility of water engineers grows not only to model systems but to ensure a reliable, high-quality water supply for society. The talk calls for a new educational paradigm that integrates AI innovation with strong scientific understanding, ethical responsibility, and a deep commitment to safeguarding safe drinking water for present and future generations.
Register to attend the webinar on 21 May:https://doit.medfarm.uu.se/bin/kurt3/kurt/8904105