Tiaravanni Hermawan
Researcher on flood and drought risk
Most of my work, both internationally and in the Netherlands, focusses on protecting people, buildings, and assets from flooding.
I work on different numerical models that predict floods and droughts. With these kinds of models, we know just how many people are affected by certain natural events. I give a lot of training in different countries, because I believe that when we share our knowledge, we can sustain and increase the knowledge in other countries and communities.
I find it important to actually meet the people that are affected and face certain challenges. We work together, and we come up with solutions together. That really gives me energy. We also know that at the end of the day, a lot of their problems are similar to the problems in other parts of the world. So then the question arises: how can we extrapolate the solution we found and apply it to other projects and other areas?
Exchange knowledge
It's interesting that when we are abroad, we can do our measurements in the field. It’s a strange feeling when I see what I model in computers in real life. I can see the actual infrastructure. I can see and understand even better how the water flows. That gives me even more knowledge.
We make most of the products – both the tools and the advice – that we develop here at Deltares available worldwide. When I go to Indonesia or to Bangladesh for example, I notice that, with a little bit of push in knowledge, I can help a lot. We want the knowledge shared to be used both now and in the future. That’s why we try to build the capacity of people, we provide training, and we try to work together with them on the projects.
Continuous learning
If you ask me what worries me the most, I would say it's the long periods of drought. Growing up in Indonesia, I was always privileged to have access to water. Then, I lived in the Netherlands with its advanced water management systems. So when I visited a polder in Bangladesh for the first time, it also was the first time I experienced drought. I was crying as I saw many little kids carrying small buckets to water their families' chili plants on such a hot, dry day. Seeing this first-hand, I felt the urge to do more.
How can I help? This is the main question I ask myself every day while at work. If you talk about knowledge and water, I think Deltares is the best place to learn. I'm surrounded by the best experts in the world, and that makes me always want to develop. I’m challenged every day to become like them some day.