https://www.grac.org/prem-saint/
Prem Saint
Prem Saint, PhD (Southern California)
Professor Emeritus at California State University, FullertonGroundwater: A Historical and Global Perspective
Abstract:
Dr. Prem K. Saint, Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton served as the 2011 Southern California lecturer. Dr. Saint taught for over 40 years and conducted research in groundwater hydrology, water quality, hazardous waste management, geothermal energy and watershed management, with projects in Southern California, East Africa, and India. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of London. He also worked for the Kenya Ministry of Water Development as a hydrologist in charge of the Rift Valley Area, and he worked as a senior hydrogeologist developing groundwater supplies for urban and rural communities and for wildlife.
Dr. Saint presented on the topic of “Groundwater: A Historical and Global Perspective.†Based on his 40 years of field work in East Africa, India, Great Britain, and Southern California, he traced the history of concepts dealing with groundwater development, water pollution investigations, and constructed wetland design and management in different cultural and political settings. In South Asia and Africa, groundwater has been used for irrigation and water supplies using qanats (underground tunnels) and bouris (water tanks) for hundreds of years. With the rapid urbanization and increased groundwater pumping, coupled with global climatic changes and shrinking Himalayan glaciers, water shortages and water pollution will be a far greater challenge than energy and mineral shortages in the 21st Century.
Bio:
Dr. Prem Saint was involved for over 40 years in the teaching and research in groundwater hydrology, water quality, hazardous waste management, geothermal energy and watershed management, with projects in Southern California, East Africa and India. Dr. Saint has a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of London, England. He also worked for the Kenya Ministry of Water Development as a hydrologist in charge of the Rift Valley Area, and as a senior hydrogeologist developing groundwater supplies for urban and rural communities and for wildlife.