The 13th Biennial Groundwater Division Conference and Exhibition, which will he hosted in Durban between 17 and 19 September, aims to bring together students, academics, specialists and decision makers to discuss and showcase groundwater and related activities.

The National Development Plan (www.npconline.co.za) sets out bold plans and interventions to be achieved by 2030. Water plays a key role in most developmental plans, and the demand and pressures on the country’s groundwater resources will increase going forward.

The role of the groundwater professional is also likely to increase and the groundwater community should be prepared to engage society on the efficient management of this finite resource in order to ensure social, economic and environmental security. The way groundwater is perceived by decision makers and society needs to drastically change, to effect positive change.

Themes

To structure discussions on the conference theme, A New Paradigm, the following topics have been identified:

• Groundwater and water-energy-food security
• Groundwater in a green economy
• Groundwater and infrastructure
• Groundwater and mining
• Groundwater as a catalyst for social development
• Groundwater and the environment
• Case studies
• Capacity development
• Monitoring, data and information management
• Resource economics
• Groundwater governance
• Knowledge gaps and innovations

Call for papers

High-calibre oral and poster papers, which are relevant to the conference theme, are invited for submission. Prospective authors are requested to complete their details and abstract on the abstract template available at www.gwd.org.za.

The deadline is 10 March.