Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is hosting the 23rd Congress of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research - Asia and Pacific Division (IAHR-APD 2022) from 14th to 17th December 2022. It is jointly organized by the Departments of Ocean Engineering and Civil Engineering.

The congress brought together over 30 global experts to work towards conservation and mitigation and cope with the climate change effects on water resources.

The objective is to foster discussion and strengthen connections between experts and policymakers of the World's scientists, engineers, and researchers and create a virtual think tank for further deep policy analysis, scenario planning, and forecasting on World's future Water and Ocean conservation and management policy choices.

Participants from about 15 countries took part in this event for knowledge transfer of the engineering know-how in hydro-environmental engineering and research. Prof. S.A.Sannasiraj, Prof. B.S.Murty and Prof. R.Panner Selvam of IIT Madras are the organising secretaries of this prestigious congress. A book on Coasts and Estuaries authored by Prof. V. Sundar, Prof. S.A. Sannasiraj and Prof. K. Murali and published by World Scientific, Singapore was released during the Inauguration.

Addressing the inaugural session of the conference, Shri. Sunil Paliwal, Chairperson of Chennai Port Trust, said, "IIT Madras has worked extensively with the Government to solve problems. In the Kamarajar Port in Ennore where we were establishing a captive jetty for Indian Oil Corporation limited. There were lots of concerns about its location in the harbour. The NTCPWC of IIT Madras, which has a simulator, conducted various simulations in the presence of IOC personnel for various wind speeds, directions, wave heights and IOC after these simulations got convinced of the location allotted."

Shri. Sunil Paliwal added, "This is an example where academic has helped to solve problems in the field.... I am sure these deliberations will go a long way in enriching the knowledge of all the participants."

To encourage student participation in the conference, students were supported to attend through travel grants, complimentary attendance awards, and subsidized registration costs.

Delivering the presidential address, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, said, "Conference and getting the best people from all over the world to the campus is an important activity and IIT Madras is a vibrant institution hosting many such conferences... On climate change and sustainability, more than journals and articles, even our lived experiences tell us that things are changing."

Speaking later, Dr Gregory Costa, IAHR-APD President, said, "I am certain that this congress, with its research papers and in-depth discussions, will contribute to the advancement of scientific research and communities. The success of any organization or congress revolves around its participants and I thank you for all your participation. "

The three-day conference comprises two pre-conference workshops, three plenary sessions covering seven keynote speeches delivered by world-renowned scientists and academicians, 20 parallel sessions, two technical tours and social programs. The technical tours include prominent tourist attractions, UNESCO world heritage sites, and major hydraulic structures like Anicut and Dam. Over 120 delegates from across the World are attending the three-day conclave on the theme 'Water - From Land to Sea - Conservation and Management.'

Highlighting the importance of this conference, Prof. S.A. Sannasiraj, Organizing Secretary of the 23rd Congress of the IAHR-APD, said, "While we address the traditional hydraulics in the deliberation, the highlight of the event is addressing the problems of climate change in water security and flooding and in particular coastal problems too. Further, he said, the role of modern materials such as geotextiles and fibres reinforced systems in various applications of the water sector is inevitable"

Two special sessions on relevant topics such as coastal engineering, adaptation strategies due to climate change impacts and surface/ sub-surface hydraulics are organized. Two workshops one on Sustainable Urban Drainage and another on Textile Technology and its Application on coastal and river bank protection, both pertaining to present-day problems will deliberate and come out with specific recommendations for sustainable development and growth. This is the second such event being organised by IIT Madras after the 15th APD-IAHR in August of 2006.

ABOUT IAHR:

IAHR is a community of scholars and experts from across the globe that was founded in 1935 as a global non-profit organization responsible to promote basic and applied research in hydraulics. The Asia and pacific division of IAHR (APD-IAHR) was formed in 1973 to advance knowledge of hydraulics and the proficiency of hydraulic professionals in addressing water problems in the region and has been instrumental in the development of water engineering and protection of the environment. As a major activity of APD, the biennial congress has come a long way and continuously provides a medium for discussion among researchers on current hydraulic research engineering issues.

The objective of the current IAHR-APD congress is to bring together scientists, engineers and researchers to resourcefully share their experience in environmental fluid mechanics, hydraulic structures, water quality control and adaptation to climate change aimed to fuel the scope of sustainable development.