London: Professor Anusha Shah has been elected for the post of President of the ‘Institute of Civil Engineers’ of Britain and with this she will be elected President of the Institute in its 205 year history. Has become the first Indian. ICE is an independent association and charitable body of civil engineering professionals with approximately 95,000 members.
Shah took charge as the 159th President of the institute and delivered his presidential address on the theme of nature positive engineering at the ICE headquarters in London on Tuesday evening. Shah specializes in water and environmental engineering and has 22 years of experience designing, managing and leading major projects and programs in the UK and internationally. He said in the speech, “My tenure as President will focus on how to create an image of this profession as nature-friendly and people-positive in the hearts of people.”
Superb and hugely inspiring Presidential address by Anush Shah tonight as she becomes 159th President of @ICE_engineers. So honoured to be there and be part of this. Congratulations and good luck Anusha. Fabulous portrait too. @anushashah1 pic.twitter.com/4FZHo7Fzfa
— Dawn Bonfield MBE (@dawnbonfield) November 7, 2023
“We have failed to understand the interrelationship between infrastructure and nature,” Shah said. We are implementing nature-based and green solutions globally, but in a limited scope. “This has not yet become a practice.” Professor Shah said that construction work is responsible for 30 percent loss of biodiversity worldwide, but adopting a positive attitude towards nature and people will help engineers prevent environmental damage. Shah grew up in Kashmir.
At the age of 23, she located a consulting company in New Delhi that was working on the conservation of Dal Lake in Kashmir and went to its office to discuss the role of engineer. Shah was one of two recipients of the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship in 1999 and then came to the UK to pursue a Masters in Water and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey.
The University of East London honored him in 2021 with an honorary doctorate in engineering for his efforts to curb climate change. In the same year, the University of Wolverhampton also gave him the post of Honorary Professor for spreading knowledge. Shah’s other achievements include becoming the youngest and first female President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London Region, before becoming a Fellow of the ICE in 2016. Two years later, he founded the ‘Climate Change Advisory Plan for the Earth’.