Sarawak To Host International Water Safety Conference

C hief Minister Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud announced that the State has won the right to host the International Water Association (IWA) Water Safety Conference from November 2-4.

The announcement was made during a visit by President of Malaysian Water Association, Ahmad Zahdi Jamil.

The Conference, themed “Managing Drinking Water Quality for Public Health”, covers urban, community and household level management of drinking water quality. The Conference is to be held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) is co-organised by the Malaysian Water Association (MWA), International Water Association (IWA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) with support of Sarawak Convention Bureau.

During his official visit Ahmad said, “Sarawak was chosen as the venue for this Conference as its international delegates will be attracted to Kuching’s many offerings as an exotic destination coupled with world-class convention facilities and resources offered by BCCK. We expect over 500 people to participate in the conference. Participants will come from a wide variety of background, including water professionals; operational staff of water operators; social scientists; government administrators and source protection specialists”.

“Besides, the conference being a platform for individuals to share their experience and ideas, it will also provide a good opportunity for delegates to interact with professionals across disciplines and regions to discuss common challenges and appropriate solutions. This Conference is one of the many MWA-organized events that supports MWA’s objective in making Malaysia the regional water hub for developing countries and Sarawak is proud to be part of this,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jill Henry, CEO of the Sarawak Convention Bureau added, “The Water Safety Conference will also help to build our reputation as a fresh new meeting destination. We are confident that Sarawak will become a centre for international meetings and conferences due to its diversity of culture amazing national parks, wonderful food, world class golf and international hotels in addition to developing dedicated professionals that specialise in handling conferences and events”. The last IWA Water Safety Conference was held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2008. This conference provided an opportunity to signpost best practices in water quality management and helped to stimulate further implementation of Water Safety. Sarawak is a perfect venue for this Conference, being a state rich in bio-diversity. The conference addresses significant drivers for water quality and safety including the impacts of climate change, increased urbanization and managing resources for drinking water.