The 3rd Regional Conference of the South African Young Water Professionals (YWP ZA) will be taking place for the first time in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, South Africa from 16 to 18 July 2013.
The YWP runs under the auspices of the International Water Association (IWA) and the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). In addition, this year’s conference is organised in close collaboration with Stellenbosch and Rhodes University.
The conference organisers recently informed delegates that Professor Eugene Cloete,Vice Rector, Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University, will be delivering the opening plenary of the conference in a session entitled: Eco –nomics, water and development.
Cloete’s opening plenary will highlight the importance of every ecosystem, including that of our planet earth, which has a limiting factor and determines the yield. The closer you come to this limiting factor in an ecosystem, the more instability there is in the ecosystem. Understanding how ecosystems in nature function might provide us with a more sustainable way into the future.
He will discuss how we should focus on managing wealth, not the eradication of poverty. Wealth is used as an acronym i.e. W (water), E (energy), A (agriculture), L (land), T (technology) and H (health). If we have WEALTH in place for everyone we will move towards a better and more sustainable future. Our ecosystem will work and stay in harmony.
More than 70 local and international speakers will present papers on a variety of topics on the top of the water agenda over the 3 day programme. Themes such as Mine water; Cities of the future; New and emerging methods and technologies; Trans disciplinary water issues are sure to provide solutions to some of the world’s water challenges.
The conference is CPD Accredited by SAICE. Delegates will qualify to receive 1 credit per day, to a maximum of 2.5 CPD points for full conference attendance (3 days).
According to Nora Hanke, Chairperson of the Organising Committee, close to 400 delegates have already registered to attend the conference. The conference aims to provide a forum for young researchers and practitioners across the water sector to present and discuss their work and ideas. Participants will meet peers within water and wastewater science, governance, engineering, technology, management and other areas of the water sector.
This conference aims to further career development and young professional capacities in a multi-disciplinary environment, encouraging discourse on current and future water concerns.
For further information on registration and the conference visithttp://www.sa-ywp.org.za/2013-conference.html.
Source: http://www.infrastructurene.ws/2013/07/10/young-water-professionals-to-gather-in-stellenbosch-2/