The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is proud to announce Swathi Saralaya, project manager with IAPMO India, is the recipient of a 2018 World Plumbing Council (WPC) Education and Training Scholarship. Saralaya is the first woman to be awarded a WPC scholarship.

The primary liaison and master trainer for IAPMO India’s Plumbing Education to Employment Program (PEEP), a code-based training program developed by IAPMO India and the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), Saralaya plans to travel to Australia to explore the implementation of building regulations and plumbing standards. The scholarship will help fund her efforts to learn about advancements in plumbing from the perspective of sustainability and the impact plumbing systems have on the health of consumers and the state of the environment.

“I feel extremely honored and appreciative for receiving this significant scholarship, which boosts my confidence,” said Saralaya. “I look forward to expanding my knowledge of the plumbing industry and pursuing opportunities where I can have a positive impact on the industry. While in Australia, I will be conducting a comparative study between India and Australia, around the key aspects of water conservation strategies, utilization of alternative sources of potable water supply, envisioned frameworks/guidelines related to sustaining potable water supply and sanitation, and implementation of programs focused on improvement of plumbing and sanitation in impoverished rural communities.”

Saralaya joins Sudip Das, a plumbing engineer and trainer from Kolkata, India, and John Lansing, a plumbing designer from Portland, Oregon, in receiving 2018 WPC scholarships. The winners were selected from a record number of applicants.

Saralaya played an integral role as an organizing team member for the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IWSH) Foundation’s 2015 Community Plumbing Challenge (CPC) in India and the 2017 CPC in Indonesia.

“I’m thrilled to learn that Swathi has been selected to receive one of the 2018 WPC Education and Training Scholarships as she has been instrumental in the success of IAPMO India to date,” said IAPMO Group CEO GP Russ Chaney. “Swathi has made significant contributions to the Community Plumbing Challenge, which is conducted under the auspices of IAPMO’s philanthropic foundation, IWSH. I’m confident we’ll see great success as Swathi undertakes her research to assess the best methods of education and training for the plumbing industry workforce in India. I’m very proud of her accomplishments to date and I have great hope that she’ll continue to excel in all that she sets out to accomplish.”