Welcome message from President of Kyungpook National University

Welcome to the International Water Industry Conference 2017. It is my great pleasure to welcome all for you to this very important conference focusing on ‘Water sustainability’.

We all know that 'Water' is life. World civilizations began and grew alongside rivers. This city, the city Daegu, has had thousands of years of culture and history set along the Nakdong River.

As early humans learned to control their environment, they built reservoirs to provide stable supplies of drinking and agricultural water; as well as banks and dams to prevent floods. We invented equipment to draw water, and dug wells to solve water shortages.

However, in the modern world, the issue is not just ‘getting’ fresh water, but ‘sustaining’ it. Needless to say, if clean water could be supplied indefinitely, there would be no need for conferences to discuss the 'water industry' or ‘water sustainability’. Unfortunately, due to water shortages and pollution, the Earth has reached the point where it can no longer reliably supply clean water for human needs.

Water sustainability is a universal concern, for not only for industry experts but for everyone. To the average Korean citizen, ‘water’ is something that we take for granted; but even Korea, where water seems to be abundant, is, in fact, categorized as a country with a water shortage.

The situation is even more severe in developing regions of the world, such as in parts of Africa and the Middle East, where people must walk several miles just to get access to water; and where citizens and children are at constant risk of getting diseases from unsafe drinking water.

Finding a way to ensure the sustainability of the world’s fresh water supplies is critical to ensure the health and well-being of future generations. State-of-the-art technology may help solve some of the immediate water problems, but the essence of the problem ‘Water sustainability’, is something we all must ponder upon.

I believe that international discussions and conferences such as the International Water Industry Conference are the key to finding the answers to the problems we face. Through this conference, diverse opinions will be shared, research areas will be expanded, and better solutions will be found.

In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to Kyungpook National University and the Daegu Convention and Exhibition Center for their great efforts in preparing for this conference. Congratulations again on hosting the International Water Industry Conference 2017; I wish you all tremendous success in everything you do.

Thank you very much.

Kim, Sang-Dong, Ph.D.
President, Kyungpook National University

• Kwang-Ho Choo Chairman of Organizing
  Committee IWIC 2017
• Woong Kim General Secretary of Organizing
  Committee IWIC 2017