The 3rd international Congress on Water Desalination: Application of Advanced Technologies in Unconventional Water treatment for Zones under Water Stress was held during 14-16 Sep 2021.
This event was organized by University of Sistan and Baluchestan in cooperation with IORA RCSTT and Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). Holding this event was discussed in the Eleventh Bi-Annual Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) 14-16 June 2021.
The following objectives were considered in this event:
• Diagnosis and characterization of sources and causes of water stress
• Assessment of the effectiveness of water stress management measures and development of new tailored options
• Development of supporting methods and tools to evaluate different mitigation options and their potential interactions
• Development and dissemination of guidelines, protocols and policies
• Development of a participatory process to implement solutions tailored to environmental, cultural, economic and institutional settings
• Identification of barriers to policy mechanism implementation
• Continuous involvement of citizens and institutions within a social learning process that promotes new forms of water culture and nurtures long-term change and social adaptivity
• Supporting the policies makers in other fields such as environment, health, energy, regional development, etc.
• Promoting a better understanding of the role of science in modern societies and stimulate a public debate about research-related issues at regional level.
This webinar was very well received by the participants and about 170 participants from Iran and other member countries of the international authorities COMSATS, COMSTECH, APCTT and IORA-RCSTT participated in this event.
The participants from Iran, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Jordan, China, India and Pakistan, as keynote speakers, presented recent developments on the subject of Congress. Participants from countries such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Morocco also attended the conference.
In addition to keynote speeches, scholarly articles (orally and in the form of posters) demonstrated the achievements of the research department. In addition to this congress, 16 companies and institutions also participated in the virtual exhibition.
The congress took place in two scientific sections in the form of research papers, and the technology section with the participation of active companies in this field. The technologists also presented their products in the virtual booths of the exhibition.
Outcomes which were anticipated to be achieved were:
- Alternative approaches have to be found to meet water requirements for development activities.
-It is increasingly necessary to consider ‘unconventional’ water resources in future planning.
-Water reuse (or reclaimed water) is a reliable alternative to conventional water resources for a number of uses, provided that it is treated and/or used safely.
-Desalination can augment freshwater supplies, but it is generally energy intensive and thus may contribute to GHG emissions if the power source is non-renewable.
-Increasing water use efficiency and reducing unnecessary water consumption and water loss both translate into lower energy use and thus lower GHG emissions.
-Wetlands accommodate the largest carbon stocks among terrestrial ecosystems, storing twice as much carbon as forests.
Finally, “The key to climate change is a circular economy”. A circular economy seeks to increase the proportion of renewable or recyclable resources and reduce the consumption of raw materials and energy in the economy, while, at the same time, protecting the environment through cutting emissions and minimizing material losses.
The high participation of 170 people in the congress showed that the event could draw the attention of IORA region and beyond. The workshop outreached many countries like Iran, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Jordan, China, India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Morocco.