International water experts gather in Auckland

Posted on 3 March 2020

International experts will focus on water resources and environmental and ecological hydraulics at a conference being held in Auckland next week (21-24 February).

The Open Polytechnic and Auckland University are co-hosting the 17th Congress of the Asia Pacific Division of the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research. The conference will be held at the Engineering School at Auckland University.

The theme for the conference is ‘Go with the flow? Changing perceptions in balancing environmental and economic needs’.

Dr Gregory De Costa, co-chairman of the local organising committee and an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at the Open Polytechnic says there will be over 200 presentations during the conference from water experts from 35 different countries.

“How different countries manage their water resources has become crucial in some areas of the globe”, says Dr De Costa, an international expert in water quality and management. “As the world population grows, and we deal with the effects of climate change, the spotlight on how we manage our increasingly scarce water resources will intensify.

“This conference offers the opportunity to appraise new research by world class experts on the issues we are facing.”

It is the first time the congress has been held in New Zealand, and will also incorporate the 7th International Urban Watershed Management Conference.