Groundwater as a resource will be analysed on the annual symposium of the Water Research Institute of the UB
The Water Research Institute of the UB focuses its annual symposium on groundwater, which constitutes the main source of freshwater to meet the needs of an increasing worldwide population which asks for more and more water per capita. The meeting takes place on Thursday 24 October at the Faculty of Geology. International experts such as Stephen Foster, senior adviser at the World Bank, participate in the conference.
The Water Research Institute of the UB focuses its annual symposium on groundwater, which constitutes the main source of freshwater to meet the needs of an increasing worldwide population which asks for more and more water per capita. The meeting takes place on Thursday 24 October at the Faculty of Geology. International experts such as Stephen Foster, senior adviser at the World Bank, participate in the conference.
The volume of groundwater stored on geological formations (aquifers) is higher than the volume of water that flows in rivers or is stored in lakes, and much higher than that stored on reservoirs built to regulate precipitation variability and guarantee a continuous supply. The exploration, control, modelling and management of groundwater have experienced a really important development during the last decades. Contributions made by many others disciplines such as geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydraulic engineering, and computer sciences have improved the knowledge of groundwater and dispelled ancient myths and beliefs.
The main objective of the symposium is to present current trends in groundwater research from three different perspectives: administration, business and research. Under the title “Groundwater: hidden, strategic and global resource”, the symposium includes lectures and a round table.
Stephen Foster is one of the speakers. He has been researching on groundwater for more than twenty-five years. Member of the Institute of Water and Environmental Management, he has provided specialist advice to private companies and public sector organisations worldwide, with major involvement in Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Peru, Thailand and Sri Lanka. He has published around 160 books and articles; he is the first author of 60 of them.
The symposium, coordinated by Professor Albert Casas from the UB, includes also speeches pronounced by Antonio Pulido, from the University of Almeria; Josep Lluis Armenter, from AGBAR; Irene de Bustamante, from IMDEA Agua; Juan Antonio López-Geta, from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain; Vera Parisio, from Brescia University; Albert Folch, from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya; Alberto Godio, from the Polytechnic University of Turin; Esben Auken, from Aarhus University; and Alex Sendrós, from the Water Research Institute of the UB.