Rotary International joins IDA for Social Responsibility desalination event

A three day international conference in Italy in 2011 on Development of Desalination Technology for Social Responsibility features for the first time a unique cooperation between the International Desalination Association (IDA) and Rotary International.

The conference, on 16-18 May 2011 will also be held in cooperation with the European Desalination Society at the venue in Santa Margherita, Portofino, where EDS held a successful conference in 2007.

In cooperation with Rotary International, the funds raised from this conference will be donated to support a humanitarian project aiming at addressing severe water issues in the District of Ankililoaka, Madagascar, where a population of over 100,000 (50% children) is badly affected by water scarcity.

IDA wishes to solicit presentations from industry and related NGOs on how the association and the desalination community as a whole can be more responsive to human needs for clean and affordable potable water.

IDA describes the event as an opportunity for practitioners to share their experiences and ideas to help the industry develop the tools to ensure that growth in the desalination and water reuse industry goes hand in hand with social responsibility; that it can provide hope to all the people of the global village that desalination can deliver water, the essence of life, at an affordable cost, solving the scarcity of existing water supplies, avoiding regional and territorial conflicts, and providing water resources for health, economic development and a sustainable environment.

Day One will focus on the topic of water as a human right and the ability of the desalination industry to respond to this need by providing water at more affordable and sustainable prices. Topics will also address existing constraints to global coverage in drinking water; water pricing; and public sector and private sector involvement to provide partnership to growing water needs.

There will be a special session aiming at discussing the rapid deployment of desalination equipment and resources in the event of natural disasters or humanitarian crises around the world.

Day Two will focus on the next generation of technology to turn saltwater into a fresh resource. This requires innovative solutions for generating potable water at twice the efficiency of current production and using alternative energy sources like solar and wind to provide lower cost desalination for humanitarian missions, and therefore, make desalination affordable to communities around the globe.

For more information contact: Dr Corrado Sommariva at Corrado.Sommariva@ilf.com, Leon Awerbuch at letleon@comcast.net or IDA secretary-general Patricia Burke at paburke@idadesal.org or the IDA website.

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