Conclusions of IWA Specialist Groundwater Conference

The IWA Specialist Groundwater Conference was held in Belgrade from 8 to 10 September 2011. This Conference was a continuation of the activities of the same organizers who in 2007 hosted the highly successful regional conference on Groundwater Management in the Danube River Basin and other Large River Basins.

The objectives of the IWA Specialist Groundwater Conference can be summarised as such: (1) to present recent experiences in the development and implementation of the groundwater component in river basin or water management plans; (2) to improve knowledge of the importance of the aerobic state of aquifers in different phases of groundwater resources management; (3) to promote necessity of bank filtration and artificially recharge to mitigate groundwater scarcity; to provide insight into the impact of climate change on groundwater resources and potential mitigation and adaptation measures; and (4) to promote contemporary methods for the mitigation of anthropogenic influences on groundwater aquifers, especially within the large urban centres, coastal and transboundary areas.

Conference Themes

1) The preparation and implementation of the groundwater component of water management plans for large river basins;

2) The importance of the aerobic state of groundwater, and of the processes which are driven by the level of aerobicity;

3) Climate change and its impact on groundwater; and

4) Management of urban groundwater basins: mitigation of water quality impacts from anthropogenic threats.

60 papers were presented at the conference; keynote and overview papers on some areas were presented by invited speakers.

Key Findings

Under Theme 1, representatives from several global (IWA, UNESCO) and regional institutions (EU Commission, ICPDR, IAWD), as well as from certain countries (Iran, Canada, Austria, Romania, Serbia) present the current situation and various issues related to groundwater management.

Theme 2 addressed the increasingly important issue of aerobic state of groundwater and its impact on groundwater source protection and maintenance. A number of papers showed that a continuation of investigations in this particularly interesting area is certain.

Themes 3 and 4 include various issues of groundwater quantity and quality under forecasted climate changes (on global, regional and local level, including measures for mitigation and adaptation) and actual anthropogenic threats, and methods for determination and removal of specific pollutants.

The Conference was held under the auspices of the Serbian Government (the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management/Directorate for Water and the Ministry of Education and Science), the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as the following international organizations: the International Water Association (IWA), the International Association of Water Supply Companies in the Danube River Catchment Area (IAWD), and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). UNESCO contributed through the presence of its officials. The Jaroslav Černi Institute for the Development of Water Resources played a leading role in the planning and organization of the Conference. It was supported by a large number of organizations, companies, and individuals and was attended by some 300 participants from 23 countries.

Disclaimer

The information contained in the ICPDR website is intended to enhance public access to information about the ICPDR and the Danube River. The information is correct to the best of the knowledge of the ICPDR Secretariat. If errors are brought to our attention we will try to correct them.
The ICPDR, expert group members, nor other parties involved in preparation of information contained on this website cannot, however, be held responsible for the correctness and validity of the data and information provided, nor accept responsibility or liability for damages or losses arising directly or indirectly from the use of the information conveyed therein.
Only those documents clearly marked ICPDR documents reflect the position of the ICPDR.
Any links to other websites are provided for your convenience only. The ICPDR does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy, availability, or appropriateness to the user's purposes, of any information or services on any other website.
When using the information and material provided on this website, credit should be given to the ICPDR.