Conference brings groundwater issues to the surface

The conference brought participants from over 20 countries to Belgrade to share their experiences of large river basins, including the Nile and the Mississippi Basins.

The IWA Regional Conference on Groundwater Management was held in Belgrade in June. The conference was held under the auspices of the Serbian Government and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, with planning by the Jaroslav Černi Institute for
the Development of Water Resources and the Belgrade Waterworks and Sewerage Company.

The conference highlighted current issues in groundwater management, including preparation of river basin management plans for the EU Water Framework Directive. More than 300 participants from over 20 countries took part in the conference. “When you gather so many experts in one place”, says Milan Dimkic, Director General of the Jaroslav Černi Institute, “you raise the level of knowledge of your country and for all of the people in attendance”.

As one outcome of the conference, the Programme and Scientific Committee will publish a book entitled ‘Groundwater Management in Large River Basins’. The book will include experiences and selected conference materials as well as theoretical approaches. The book will target politicians and experts involved in groundwater management, as well as professors, engineers and students. “The book will be a very good overview of water management in large river basins, and may be a good basis for the water management plans to be developed soon”, says Dimkic.

Kirstie Shepherd is a freelance journalist living in Vienna and has
called the Danube River Basin home since 2000.