Overview
The Water Pollution conference started in Southampton 1991 and since then has been held in a variety of different locations, with the previous conference taking place in the New Forest, UK, home of the Wessex Institute of Technology. All papers since 1993 have been widely distributed around the world and are permanently archived in the eLibrary of WIT Press, where they are widely available to the international scientific community.
Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of Wessex Institute, opened the conference. He stressed the importance that WIT attaches to disseminating scientific and technological information as widely as possible. This ensures that papers also regularly appear in different databases, referencing and abstract services. This contributes to the success of the Wessex Institute conferences, such as Water Pollution, and helps to create an atmosphere conducive to the exchange of information amongst the participants.
The research presented at Water Pollution – Carlos said – discusses the interdisciplinary character of Water Pollution problems, which is essential to achieve solutions that respond to socio-economic factors, as well as being scientifically sound.
The deterioration of water quality has become a cause of concern all over the world. Solutions need to be taken within an international framework and require cooperation across national boundaries.
Carlos pointed out that the conference attracted participants from many different countries contributing to a variety of experiences and different perspectives. He ended by thanking the delegates for their participation and hoping that they will be able to become more involved with the work of the Wessex Institute in the future.
Invited Presentations
The papers presented at the conference included a series of invited presentations:- “Water quality deterioration of the EuphratesRiver before entering Iraqi lands” by Hussein S Al-Bahrani, University of Kufa, Iraq.
- “Pollutants in sewage effluent and sludge and their impact on downstream water quality: a case study of Malamulele sewage plant, South Africa” by Jabulani Gumbo, University of Venda, South Africa.
- “Retention of pharmaceutical residues: the example of the Altendorf retention soil fitter” by Ekkehard Christoffels, Erftverband Bergheim, Germany.
- “Impacts of submarine groundwater discharge on KuwaitBay” by Mohamed Al-Senafy, Water Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Water Research.
- “Assessment of environmental conditions in Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy) harbour” by Giuseppe Zappala, National Research Council and Tuscia University, Italy.
Conference Sessions
The rest of the programme was classified in the following sessions:- Water quality
- Health risk studies
- Wastewater treatment and management
- Groundwater and aquifer issues
- Monitoring and modelling
- Environmental modelling
ISAC and Conference Dinners
The meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Committee took place in a local fish restaurant on Alvor Marina where the participants had the opportunity to taste the renowned dish Cataplana (which is a fish stew cooked in a special closed metal container). The excellent food was accompanied by good Portuguese wines. The participants discussed the conference topics and nominated new members, as well as proposing a few locations for the conference in two years’ time.The Conference banquet took place in a typical Portuguese restaurant located in a beautiful village near the hotel where the meeting was held. The main dish consisted of lamb cooked in Portuguese style and accompanied by excellent wines. A special programme of fado folklore-music was arranged. The singer was accompanied by Portuguese and classical guitar players and she went through a range of different pieces. At the end of the meal Carlos toasted to the success of the meeting in the hope that it will help to strengthen links between delegates from so many different countries. He also distributed a piece of ceramic to each participant. They were made and hand painted in a local pottery that retains the original designs and craftsmanship, an art that is being rapidly lost. Carlos hoped that the souvenir will help them to remember the happy occasion and the very successful conference.
Closing of the Conference
At the end of the conference, Carlos addressed the participants to thank them in the name of his Institute for having participated in a very successful conference. This success – Carlos said – guarantees that the meeting will be reconvened in 2016, in a location and at a date to be announced shortly.Carlos stressed the importance of these conferences to make new contacts and share experiences in an informal manner as well as during the discussions taking place in the conference sessions.
He hoped that all participants will consider visiting the Wessex Institute when they are in the region, so that they can better appreciate the work of WIT.
Conference Proceedings
The proceedings Water Pollution 2014 –Water Pollution XII, 412pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-780-3; eISBN: 978-1-84564-781-0) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: marketing@witpress.com, telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 182 of WIT Transactions on the Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1746-448X, Digital ISSN 1743-3541). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
Related Conferences
- Sustainable City 2014
- Water Resources Management 2015
- River Basin Management 2015
- Water and Society 2015
