Themed as “Water for a Changing Future”, the 24th International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research Asia and Pacific Division Congress officially opened on October 15 in Wuhan, China. WU Daoxi, Vice Commissioner of the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, hosted the opening ceremony.
Approximately 500 experts, scholars and guests from more than 30 countries and regions including China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Canada, Greece, Austria, and Ghana, gathered together to explore water management concepts and technological innovations, and to promote water-related sci-tech exchanges and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. They aim to address issues and challenges in the fields of water security, water environment, water resources and water ecology.
Hosted by IAHR-APD, the congress is co-organized by the Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (CRSRI) of Changjiang Water Resources Commission and Sichuan University, with additional support from over 30 organizations, including China Three Gorges Corporation, the International Economic & Technical Cooperation and Exchange Center of Ministry of Water Resources, and CISPDR Corporation. Spanning four days, the event features two plenary sessions, 19 thematic sessions, 12 special sessions, four side events, and academic poster displays.
After the opening ceremony, LIU Dongshun, Commissioner of the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, Mohamed S. Ghidaoui, Vice President of IAHR and Professor of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and NIU Xinqiang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chief Scientist of CISPDR Corporation, respectively gave keynote speeches entitled Reinforced Joint Scheduling of Water Projects to Ensure Water Security in the Yangtze River Basin of China, The Fascinating World of Waves and their Hydraulic Engineering Applications—Examples from Hong Kong & Beyond, and Discussion on the Necessity and Technology for the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Capacity Promotion. A roundtable discussion on the theme of “Flood and Drought Mitigation within Climate Change Area: How to Ensure Sustainable Water Resources Utilization and Ecological Requirements” was also held. Six experts from China and abroad engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as sustainable water infrastructure, integrated water resources management, energy transformation, technological innovation, policies and governance.
