Challenging Water (2016)
Water is a fascinating liquid that keeps our bodies running, powers our turbines, and makes our crops grow. But water also presents many challenges: We often have too little or too much, or it is polluted. Global water resources are unevenly distributed and different sectors compete for them – with side effects for people and the environment. National interests can even spark conflicts over water allocation. Water issues are therefore as complex as they are relevant. During the second ETH Week in September 2016 participants addressed the challenge of water in all its dimensions.
Meet the teams of 2016:
![Team Eureka - Solstill, the natural solar distillation](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-16.imageformat.imagegallery5.627208167.jpg)
![Team Molino - Choose to save water](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-17.imageformat.imagegallery5.771518391.jpg)
![Team Blue Bubbles - Blue Bubbles](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-18.imageformat.imagegallery5.2035820638.jpg)
![Team Aqua 4 Life - Aqua 4 Life](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-19.imageformat.imagegallery5.1929646319.jpg)
![Team S.P.I.R.I.T. - Stayhot](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-20.imageformat.imagegallery5.269444627.jpg)
![Team The Watermelons - Smart fish](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-21.imageformat.imagegallery5.1533776215.jpg)
![Team Dope Dolphins - Message in a Bottle](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-22.imageformat.imagegallery5.442930176.jpg)
![Team Poseidon - Save-o-Pillar](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-23.imageformat.imagegallery5.232600166.jpg)
![Team Go with the flow - BluSense](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-9.imageformat.imagegallery5.1031730238.jpg)
![Team Waterlicious - Make grey Water great again](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-24.imageformat.imagegallery5.1663118521.jpg)
![Team Ice breakers - Blue Village](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-25.imageformat.imagegallery5.376845550.jpg)
![Team Aquality - Mission WASH](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-15.imageformat.imagegallery5.1392326332.jpg)
![Team Liquid dozen - PoopTube](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-26.imageformat.imagegallery5.1512894581.jpg)
![Team The fantastic Bubbles - Hydroponics for Children](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-27.imageformat.imagegallery5.981956139.jpg)
![Team Thirsty Fish - ActDrain 2000](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-28.imageformat.imagegallery5.996859586.jpg)
![Team Bachue? - Flourish It](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-29.imageformat.imagegallery5.2008803431.jpg)
![Team H:O:H - Pupi-truck](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-30.imageformat.imagegallery5.975093926.jpg)
![Team World Wide Water - AQUOPIA](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow/images/image-31.imageformat.imagegallery5.245030072.jpg)
Participants encountered the following questions during ETH Week 2016: What roles can people and industries in Switzerland play in tackling major water challenges? How can your discipline improve the way we handle water – be it civil engineering, mathematics, information technology, economics, architecture, environmental science, or any other discipline. How can we feed our planet’s growing population while safeguarding its natural water resources? How can we design good water supply systems for people, industries and the environment. More information can be found in the detailed programme and Downloadworkbook (PDF, 1.6 MB)vertical_align_bottom.
Impressions of ETH Week 2016 "Challenging Water"
![Enlarged view: Introducing the ETH Week team of 2016 (all photos: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-6.imageformat.imagegallery5.1450109492.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Team work during ETH Week 2016](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-1.imageformat.imagegallery5.1562147904.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Team work during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-10.imageformat.imagegallery5.1281442207.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Lecture by Suzanne Thoma, CEO of BKW (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-18.imageformat.imagegallery5.651481518.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Getting to know the team, ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-2.imageformat.imagegallery5.336333431.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Design challenge during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-3.imageformat.imagegallery5.1485998142.jpg)
![Enlarged view: At the lake with long distance swimmer Ernst Bromeis (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-4.imageformat.imagegallery5.717259648.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Prototyping during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-7.imageformat.imagegallery5.1003028689.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Running with the Rector Sarah Springman, ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-5.imageformat.imagegallery5.1318016415.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Challenging questions to invited speakers during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-8.imageformat.imagegallery5.1528531700.jpg)
![Enlarged view: ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-20.imageformat.imagegallery5.539963062.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Expert input by Darcy Molnar from NADEL, ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-9.imageformat.imagegallery5.633171417.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Getting to know the team during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-11.imageformat.imagegallery5.74350249.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Unilever at the Knowledge Fair during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-16.imageformat.imagegallery5.384086292.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Sports program during ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-12.imageformat.imagegallery5.451301098.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Excursion to a hydropower plant (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-15.imageformat.imagegallery5.984684104.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Expectation-wall of ETH Week 2016 (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-17.imageformat.imagegallery5.2028022976.jpg)
![Enlarged view: Chatting with the rector Sarah Springman (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)](/en/the-eth-zurich/education/pblabs/eth-week/past-editions-/2016-challenging-water/_jcr_content/par/slideshow_2134822346/images/image-14.imageformat.imagegallery5.929905729.jpg)