Water festival conference
Water practitioners and researchers met in Warsaw to discuss innovative solutions and the future of the water sector in Poland. Water Festival conference took place as part of the International Trade Fair of the Municipal Industry.
We tend to talk about water usually when it is missing or it is contaminated. Its availability is taken for granted. However, irrational management of its resources may make it a luxury good in the near future. It is predicted that by 2050 as many as 7 billion people may face water shortage. Therefore, experts from various fields have met at the Ptak Warsaw Expo on 27th of September to debate how to prevent such a scenario.
Representatives of the water and sewerage industry, scientists and ecologists gathered to talk about various aspects concerning the use and protection of water resources. 18 lectures were delivered within four thematic areas, including practical use of science in rational management of water resources, adaptation to climate change, modern technologies as a support for the water and sewage sector, and hydropower. The meeting was held under the patronage of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS).
The conference was opened by Jolanta Czudak, editor-in-chief of the „Liderzy Innowacyjności” [Innovation Leaders] magazine who made a welcoming speech, and prof. Paweł Rowiński, Vice-President of PAS, hydrologist and hydrodynamic, who introduced participants to the subject matter of the conference. In his opening remarks prof. Rowiński admitted that the meeting is of particular importance to him, as its subject is also a part of PAS mission, which is to solve the major social problems with the help of science. He encouraged to look closer at the nature-based solutions used in water management and reminded that water is the only natural resource in the world that cannot be replaced.
The most important message of the conference was a reminder that water is a key resource for humans, and its sustainable management is necessary in the face of changes taking place in the natural environment. The prevailing belief was that it is worth improving the quality of water, both in rivers and in the tap. The speakers repeatedly emphasized that tap water is not only just as good as the bottled variety, but also fresh. Participants also agreed that the first step to change the way we think about managing water resources will be dispelling the common myth that ordinary tap water is unhealthy.
Photo: J. Ostałowski
