The 1st Asia International Water Week (AIWW) brought together about 15,000 water policymakers and officials from industry, international organizations, academic circles and NGOs from 69 countries at the HICO in Gyeongju from Sept. 20 to 23 to discuss water issues in the Asian region and how to solve them.
The 1st AIWW was held under the theme “Asian Solutions for Water.” The event coincided with the Korea International Water Week (KIWW) 2017. The participating countries included China, Indonesia and Thailand.
The KIWW was hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial government, Daegu Metropolitan City government and K-water. The KIWW 2017 was organized by the Korea Water Forum under the theme “Water Partnership for Sustainable Development.”
The KIWW is held annually to provide help to Korean companies who want to explore overseas markets by raising the nation’s international standing. The venue of AIWW, held every three years, is decided by voting member countries of the Asia Water Council (AWC). Korea, the chair country of the AWC, was selected in 2016 as the venue of the 1st AIWW.
The KIWW 2017 consisted of 63 events, including the Water Leaders’ Round Table (WLRT), seminars, forums and exhibitions. Participants of the Water Leaders’ Round Table shared their insights and experiences under the theme of KIWW 2017, “Water Partnership for Sustainable Development.” They adopted a declaration of actions for the realization of the theme.
The KIWW WLRT represents a commitment to practical and tangible plans for water towards sustainable development.
The World Water Partnership (WWP) was established by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport with the World Water Council as a response to the international community’s recognition of the growing role of the previous World Water Form host countries in sustainable development and the need to adequately identify “solutions to prioritized global water challenges” and plan practical actions. The participants were water experts and decision makers of previous WWF host counties.
In a speech at an opening session on Sept. 20, K-water President Lee Hak-soo said, “Collective intelligence and collaboration are needed among diverse state and private entities to solve Asian water issues in a practical fashion.” Such efforts to overcome water crises will lead to growth in the global water industry, he added.
K-water erected its expo publicity pavilion for Korean and foreign participants. It employed smart water management to demonstrate its own technologies, including drought prediction and flood and natural disaster prevention via integrated water management based on ICT and satellite technology.
An algal bloom special session took place on the third day of the AIWW on Sept. 22 at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju. Korean and foreign experts on hand at the session shared information on algal bloom in Korea, and policies on algal bloom in the United States, Australia and China, as well as algal bloom predictions and integrated monitoring practices. Dr. Cary Jones, chairman of Australian Water Partnership, gave a presentation on Australia’s water management policies and utilization cases of governance.
Prof. Cuangwei Zhu of Nanjing Univesity spoke about a water crisis surrounding the algal bloom in Lake Taihu and consequential countermeasures.
