Department of Groundwater Resources hosts the 1st international academic symposium on groundwater in Thailand

The event will be held in Bangkok from August 22-24 at the Ballroom, Amari Watergate Hotel, followed by a study trip in Kanchanaburi province on August 25-26, in order to discuss and share knowledge, experiences, research findings including innovations and technology on groundwater issues, as well as to emphasize the significance of groundwater on the international stages.

HE. Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, presided over the opening ceremony.

During the “1st THAILAND INTERNATIONAL GROUNDWATER SYMPOSIUM: KEY TO WATER SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY”, the international academic symposium on groundwater is organized in Thailand for the first time, with presence of experts from more than 23 countries around the world, such as:

• Mr. Péter Kovács, Head of River Basin Management and Water Protection Department, Ministry of Interior, Hungary.

• Dr. Peter Dillion, Head of CSIRO Australian Research Teams.

• Prof. Dr. Makoto Taniguchi, Deputy Director-General of Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan.

• Prof. Dr. Kyoung-Woong Kim, Director of International Environmental Research Institute (IERI), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology.

• Dr. Jim LaMoreaux, Chairman of PELA GeoEnvironmental, IAH US National Chapter.

This event marks an important occasion for the gathering of experts in the field of groundwater and includes the executives of the Department of Groundwater Resources, the executives of associated departments, academic work presenters, and more than 350 people interested in attending the event.

Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said during the opening ceremony: “On behalf of the Thai government and Thai people, it is our great pleasure to welcome you all to this international symposium. I believe that you are already aware that water is essential to our lives. Even though water is a renewable resource, it is also a limited resource, and we can still face water shortages in the future. A technical data has revealed that there is an abundance of groundwater throughout different regions of the world, and compared to the surface water, its volume is up to 30 times more. It will bring great benefits if we can develop groundwater sources to provide clean water that can be used in consumption or for industries.

“This academic symposium on groundwater is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to exchange ideas, knowledge, and experiences regarding groundwater management. By doing so, it will lead us to collaboration for a wiser use and further conservation of groundwater, as well as making the benefits of groundwater to become more visible by the public.”

Mr. Sakda Vicheansil, Director-General of the Department of Groundwater Resources, said “The Department of Groundwater Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, as an official agency with the main mission of managing groundwater resources, realizes the benefits of upcoming developments and therefore organizes the 1st International Groundwater Symposium on the topic of Groundwater: The Key to Security and Sustainability.

“The objectives are to promote the academic progress on groundwater in Thailand through learning and sharing of experiences, research findings, and technological innovations, in order to raise the quality of the research to international level. In addition, we aim to build relationships between academic networks in Thailand and both national and international networks of other groundwater organizations, to lead to cooperation in integrated groundwater management and elevate groundwater management to meet the international standards.”

The symposium includes 2 activities:

1. The academic seminars on the topic ‘Key to Water Security and Sustainability’; featuring oral and poster presentations on August 22-24, at Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok.

2. Study trip on the topic ‘Key to Water Security and Sustainability’, on August 25-26, in Kanchanaburi province.

For more details, please visit http://thaigroundwater-2022.org/