INTRODUCTION
Improved management of water resources will have a major impact on World's social and productive progress. Freshwater availability and use, as well as the conservation of aquatic resources, are key to human well-being. The quantity and quality of surface- and groundwater resources, and life-supporting ecosystem services are being jeopardized by the impacts of population growth, rural to urban migration, and rising wealth and resource consumption, as well as by climate change. If present trends continue, two thirds of the world population could be subject to water stress by 2025. Practical implementation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) at the basin scale, including consideration of conjunctive groundwater aquifers and downstream coastal areas, is a key response to freshwater scarcity. Because agriculture accounts for more than 70 per cent of global water use, it is a logical target for water savings and demand management efforts. Stakeholders who pay attention to increasing the productivity of rain-fed agriculture and aquaculture, which can contribute to improved food security, are proving to be successful. Water quality degradation from human activities continues to harm human and ecosystem health. Three million people die from water-borne diseases each year in developing countries, the majority of whom are children under the age of five. Pollutants of primary concern include microbial pathogens and excessive nutrient loads. Water contaminated by microbes remains the greatest single cause of human illness and death on a global scale. High nutrient loads lead to eutrophication of downstream and coastal waters, and loss of beneficial human uses. Pollution from diffuse land sources, particularly agriculture and urban run-off, needs urgent action by governments and the agricultural sector. Pesticide pollution, endocrine-disrupting substances and suspended sediments are also hard to control. There is evidence that IWRM at the basin scale, improved effluent treatment and wetland restoration, accompanied by improved education and public awareness, are effective responses. Aquatic ecosystems continue to be heavily degraded, putting many ecosystem services at risk, including the sustainability of food supplies and biodiversity. Global marine and freshwater fisheries show largescale declines, caused mostly by persistent overfishing. Freshwater stocks also suffer from habitat degradation and altered thermal regimes related to climate change and water impoundment. Total marine catches are being sustained only by fishing ever further offshore and deeper in the oceans, and progressively lower on the food chain. The trend of fish stock degradation can be reversed when governments, industry and fishing communities work together to reduce excess fishing effort, subsidies and illegal fishing. A continuing challenge for the management of water resources and aquatic ecosystems is to balance environmental and developmental needs. It requires a sustained combination of technology, legal and institutional frameworks, and, where feasible, market-based approaches. This is particularly true where efforts are designed to share the benefits of waterrelated ecosystem services rather than merely sharing the water resource alone. In addition to capacity building, the challenge is not only to develop new approaches, but also to facilitate the practical, timely and cost-effective implementation of existing international and other agreements, policies and targets, which can provide a basis for cooperation on many levels. Although many coastal environments are benefiting from existing Regional Seas agreements, there is a paucity of international agreements addressing transboundary freshwater systems, a significant source of potential conflict in the future. A range of perverse subsidies also hampers the development and implementation of effective management measures at many levels. The benefits of tackling well-understood problems, especially those at the basin scale, are likely to be greatest when efforts are coordinated effectively among different levels of society.
Detailed Theme
The 1st International River Summit will be held on November 24-26, 2016 at Allahabad, INDIA. The SUMMIT will provide a leading edge, scholarly forum as well as discussions on field problems for researchers, engineers, scientists, academicians, government officials and students. All stakeholders will share their state-of-the art research and developmental work in the water and other fields related to water. The SUMMIT will feature a diverse mixture of interactive forums, core technical sessions of high quality cutting-edge research articles; insightful keynote speeches; panel discussions from domain experts, direct discussions with farmers and students, and the Case studies, posters presentations on emerging ideas.
Introduction to SUMMIT Theme
Basin wise optimization of water resources with other ecosystem activities including agriculture, fisheries etc., is becoming necessary to secure crop and water productivity at all the regions of the world. Decline in fresh water resources and increasing water demand due to global warming, excessive use in agriculture, occasional drought and excess exploitation is posing severe problems for food security. Watershed Management, Water harvesting and timely supply of water to crops, Precision agriculture practices, use of optimal farm inputs and machines for post-harvest processing of farm products somehow provides better farm income. Application of biotechnology for crop modification and genetic improvement of fresh water fishes etc., and processing/ improvement of shelf value of end products provide additional food security alternatives. The SUMMIT will discuss the scientific and technological implications, available know how and its application and resource availability for water Conservation and protection for agriculture and urban areas throughout the world
THEME 1: Water Demand and Storage Potentials in River Basins
• Water demand projections and water allocations for the 21st century • Domestic industrial and agricultural water use patterns • Role and Capacity improvement of Dams and Reservoirs • Urban water Management • Water accounting and budgeting for sustainable water management • Crop and water productivity • Market-based instruments for water sustainability • Ecological governance legal and institutional framework for fresh water • Reviving traditional knowledge and practices • Building partnerships and enhancing capacities • Global and national information systems, models and it applications • Assessments and conservation actions Search for solution: River interlinking, Ground water recharging, Water Conservation strategies
THEME 2: Climate Change impacts on Hydrology, water Resources and Agriculture
• Climate change studies • Climate change and the effects on freshwater ecosystems and Agriculture • Hydrologic cycle approaches and modelling • Rivers and sustainable Water Resource Management • Droughts, Floods, Risk and uncertainty • Runoff and sediment models, Decision support and Expert Systems Search for solution: Drought and flood mitigation: micro climate control: Crops in changing climate
THEME 3: Threats to world’s rivers, Lakes, wetlands and fresh water systems
• Flow regimes and aquatic biodiversity • Environmental flows • Invasive Alien Species and the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity • Rivers, biodiversity and livelihoods • Climate Change and biodiversity • Biodiversity conservation • River and ground water quality appraisal assessment, Monitoring and Improvement • Sewage Disposal and Treatment Search for solution: Urban and rural water quality improvement, biodiversity conservation
THEME 4: Sustainable Watershed Planning for River flows Regeneration
• Water Crisis and the Need for River Restoration • An Ecosystem Approach for Agriculture, Improved crop varieties, deficit irrigation, Evapotranspiration estimates and models, Improved irrigation systems, Sensors and Instrumentation, Remote Sensing and GIS applications • Genetic Modification of Crops, Microbes, Application of Nanotechnology • Water for sustainable food production, poverty alleviation and rural development • Focusing on farmers as custodians of diversity • Land use decisions for conservation and other uses • Carbon credits for agricultural biodiversity • Integrated Watershed Management • Technologies for Moisture Conservation and Water Harvesting • Strengthening institutions and policy frameworks • Capacity Building, Case Studies Raising awareness Search for solution: Food security provisions and Watershed solutions
THEME 5: River Biodiversity and Ecosystem sustainability & Restoration
• Ecological Consequences of Biodiversity losses • Status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity • Biodiversity conservation to sustainable development • Biodiversity and ecosystem services • Environmental and sustainability appraisals • Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building • From genetic resources to ecosystem services • Economic Valuation of Biodiversity • Participatory Management and Public Private Partnerships in water management and biodiversity Conservation Search for solution: Restoration Framework and strategies for ecosystem revival These presentations identified or offered solutions to problems, utilize case studies, identify knowledge gaps or collaboration opportunities, and discuss broader applications and implications of material presented. Participants from academic, industrial professionals and key-decision makers delivered the new achievement on their research, together discussed and analyzed the efficient use of water and its conservation. The SUMMIT will promote the communication of colleagues and collaboration of partners from the Industries, Academic and Scientific Institutions, and Government officials, NGO’s, farmers and students. Large number of research Scholars, students of Engineering, IT and Agriculture and other disciplines are expected to attended the SUMMIT and will be equally benefitted. The SUMMIT is designed to provide a strong platform for professionals from both academic and industrial sections to make experience exchanges around the world. It will bring together industry leaders, investors, policy makers, scientists, researchers and other professionals working in the area of Agriculture and discuss the latest scientific advances in agriculture and future directions of the technologies and will also provide an excellent learning platform to students. We cordially invite you to participate in the three day event. Your participation could be by Expert talks in topics mentioned above, Presentation of research paper /poster presentation We sincerely hope for a positive response from your end to make the SUMMIT a grand success.