İsmail Uğural June 14, 2020 

Dursun Yıldız, President of the Water Policy Association, made a statement about the use of digital technology and digital transformation studies in Turkey.

Yıldız said in his statement that digital technologies have started to be used in many areas, but these uses require digital transformation strategies and a controlled management of change on a sectoral basis.

Dursun Yıldız said:

“We’re now watching the work in digital transformation in Turkey. A Digital Transformation Office, which operates under the Presidency, was established a year ago. Very important work is being done. We have also published our ‘Digital Water World’ report a week ago and sent it to all relevant institutions and organizations in order to contribute to the awareness of this issue in our field.”

Pointing out that digital transformation in water services management will be included in Smart City studies, Yıldız noted, “In 2019, the 2020-2023 National Smart Cities Strategy and Action Plan was published by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. A very comprehensive study has been done. In this study, Change Management process is also defined. This section includes the following explanation:

Public institutions and local governments are affected by economic, social, political, financial and technological factors. This interaction involves instant as well as structural or sharp changes. It is an important issue to follow the direction of change in the field of activity and to control the risks arising from change in terms of management.”

“We consider that this change should be managed in a controlled manner and that the processes related to the change should be carried out in a healthy position in accordance with our national and social interests,” Yıldız added.

Yıldız explained, “In this sense, especially for the digital transformation in the field of Water Services Management, it will be beneficial to establish Digital Transformation Education and Research units in the Water and Sewerage Administrations General Directorate of our Metropolitan Municipalities. Informing the educational work of these units will be held by the Association of Municipalities of Turkey is very important. Because, making the most appropriate and correct decisions in both the transformation and implementation stages of these rapidly developing technologies will depend on the training of human resources in this regard.”

“We think that it will be necessary and appropriate to carry out these studies under a heading of Digital Transformation in Water Services Management,” Yıldız concluded…