Within three days of the Congress RENEXPO Water management in Belgrade, there were held a number of professional conferences in the field of water management. Domestic and foreign experts have dealt with the topics of water, such as the availability of drinking water, flood defence, climate change, proper management of waste water etc. Rivers have no borders, and after the catastrophic floods that occurred in the region in 2014, it became clear that this natural disaster can be kept under control only through international cooperation and collective action of all sectors, and just that was emphasized at the meeting.
CONFERENCE TOPICS
- Risk Disaster Management - Flood Prevention Sytems
- Waste Water Treatment - Reclamation & Purification
- Drinking Water - Wells & Pipes
- Management of Resources
- Biodiversity - Water, Forest, Land Management
Predictability is important in flood protection
Climate change is present and what was the centuries-old becomes a year old, and it is very important to be devoted to flood control, and that is the stand that was estimated today at the opening of the conference RENEXPO on prevention and protection against floods in the western Balkans.
Dusan Jovic, adviser in the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection stressed that water is very important for humanity, adding that it is estimated that about one billion people lack access to clean water and over two billion have no access to adequate wastewater management. It is estimated, according to him, that by 2025 more than half of the world's population could be faced with problems related to water, and by 2030 in some areas in development consumption could outstrip supply by 50 percent. Water, as he said, plays a significant role in the world economy, but is also important for agriculture. Jovic said that we are witnessing the catastrophic floods that sent a message throughout the region and that only through international cooperation, interaction, and joint operation of all sectors we can fight against this natural disaster.
Franz Georg Unger from the Office of the City of Vienna for water management and flood protection, that the most important thing the capital of Austria gained is the experience gained by timely engagement in flood defences . He underlined that "More than two centuries we are dealing with flood prevention in Vienna, in particular along the Danube river and we have taken appropriate preventive measures. We have developed a model for predicting floods, build dams and surfaces for the water withdrawal, in order to adequately defend the city against possible decennial flood ". Unger said it is very important to know when floods may follow and to what extent. So in Serbia should be possible to predict rainfall, that is the volume of the rainfall, and where it can cause flooding. Further pole of the flood protection is the cooperation of all institutions, underlined by the Austrian expert.
The director of "REECO", an institution that organizes the three-day conference, Myriam Dobrota pointed out that the aim of this conference is to hear the opinions of experts who are engaged in the field of water, in order to gain insight into the situation in the region.
According to her, the region has a lot of work, but it also has enormous potential.
"As seen in recent days, in the west European countries, which are well equipped, can occur as tragedies, which is the case now in France and Germany. From this we see that no one is spared from the risk of flooding", announced Dobrota.
Boban Djordjevic expert in the practical application of international contractual conditions on infrastructure projects, stressed the importance of knowledge of international standards in this field. He recalled that the contractual terms are important and that they are based on international standards and that it is necessary to get them closer to the local government.
According to him, 95 percent of the projects does not end up as planned, and therefore people need to know the contractual mechanisms to avoid further damage.
Deputy of German Ambassador in Serbia Gabriela Bennemann ordered that water is the export of life, which is why it is very important to understand the correct use of it and it’s management. Latest floods, as she added, also show how much water can be dangerous, and due to climate change, it can be more often occurring in the future.
Director of the German KfW bank in Serbia Arne Gooss said that environmental protection is an important issue in the EU accession process, and that most of the funds will be directed to the fulfilment of obligations from the area. Germany, as he added, is supporting Serbia in projects of water management, and the goal is to minimize the loss of water, before large investments arrive. He also considers that it is necessary to increase the tariffs, which should be at a sustainable level.
Zarko Petrovic, from the UNDP pointed out that the Serbian government has taken a series of measures in understanding of flood risks in order to reduce them, and Dr. Heike Burghard from the "German Water Partnership" underlined that the water is main prerequisite for the development of the economy because investors are looking for places where there is good management of water and wastewater.
The conference participants were more than 60 experts, and they had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the system of flood control in Vienna, and national institutions in the region will present their experiences and plans. Also, there are presented opportunities for investment in systems for the prevention and protection from floods. Congress RENEXPO® Water Management is the first organized international exhibition expert meeting and conference on water management and waste water management in the Western Balkans.
UPCOMING EVENT
Congress RENEXPO® BiH
9-10 November 2016
Hotel Hills , Sarajevo
