Shaminder (Shammy) Puri is now an Independent Consultant, having spanned a career of 38 years, joining the Southern Water Authority (UK) in 1973, going on to become Director with multinational consulting firms, then Consultant to Development Banks and recently Senior Advisor to UN Agencies. Currently he is the UNESCO-IHP Co-coordinator of ISARM, an initiative that was launched closely with the IAH Commission on transboundary aquifers. He has acted as the Chair of the IAH TARM Commission since 1997.

Among several long term international appointments, from 1989 to 1995 he was resident in Jordan, responsible for a major hydrogeological investigation of a deep extensive transboundary aquifer, involving 18000 linear meters of drilling using oil well technology, with some boreholes to 1500m depth and pump testing of waters with temperatures of 60 oC! In 2004 he was invited to chair the International Hydrological Programme’s Task Force that developed the IHP-Phase VII Strategy (2008-2013) which was approved by the Inter Governmental Council of 140 IHP Member States in 2007, and is now operational. While based in Paris he worked as a Liaison Officer between UNEP & UNESCO to formulate a joint portfolio of groundwater relevant projects for Member States, which are being submitted to the GEF for financing. A notable one of these is the Dinaric Karst of the Balkans, just approved, with strong support of the IAH Chapters in Serbia and Slovenia. Other than scientific bodies, he has worked extensively with Development Banks, the European Commission's AIDCO and bilateral Aid agencies. In close cooperation with the UNESCO-ISARM-TARM and other IAH Commissions (eg WHYMAP, MAR & Ecosystems) he has worked relentlessly alongside the UN's International Law Commission for developing legal instruments on transboundary aquifers, and is delighted to see that the fruits of the efforts of many fellow IAH Members is in the Draft Articles that are now before the UN General Assembly for imminent adoption.

With support from UNESCO, UNEP & IGRAC he has been able to participate in the work of IAH National Chapters in Latin America, especially with Argentina, Brazil, (resulting in the ISARM Atlas of Transboundary Aquifers of the Americas) and in SADC countries, as well as ECOWAS countries where similar work is well advanced. He is a member of the UK National Chapter, having served on its Committee.

His vision for the period of this election from 2008 - 2012 can be summarized as…….

……..we are at the threshold of a new era of recognition for hydrogeology and hydrogeologists. Our Science is now increasingly within the radar of all environmental agencies and they recognise that groundwater forms an indisputable part of the natural and the built ecosystems. This is an opportunity for the IAH to help these organisations and agencies, to now turn their awareness into action - so that aquifer resources may firstly, be better managed, secondly, proactive measures are included in the national planning to preserve their sustainability, and thirdly, to ensure that people and the natural environment benefit from the careful use of these "hidden treasures”. 

Secretary General