Conference
Key dates
- Open – Abstract/workshop submission
June 1, 2021 - Deadline – Abstract/workshop submission
December 1, 2021 - Open – Registration
December 1, 2021 - Author notification
March 1, 2022 - Deadline – Early bird registration
April 1, 2022 - Deadline – Authors registration
April 15, 2022
From the Chair of the Programme Committee
Safe water supply remains a top priority for the water industry globally. Despite the positive global trend where 70% of the population today have access to safely managed drinking-water services, significant disparities exist and still at least 2 billion people use a drinking water that is faecally contaminated.
The most effective means of consistently ensuring the safety of a drinking-water supply is through the use of a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach called water safety plans (WSPs) that encompasses all steps in water supply from catchment to consumer. The WSP framework was codified as best practice in 2004 in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality and in IWA Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water. Now more than ever, policy makers and practitioners must give increased attention to proactive drinking-water supply management, as countries strive towards the attainment of their sustainable development goal (SDG) commitments.
The 5th Water Safety Conference will provide great opportunity for the global water and health community in practice and research to share knowledge, experience and lessons learned related to water safety planning. The Conference will address latest developments and learnings as well as several of the most important challenges related to providing safe and reliable drinking water services at an affordable cost, including the increasing impacts and uncertainty arising from climate variability and change and the current situation with the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Water safety planning can help utilities to proactively address risks and build resilience, which is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. SDG 6 clearly addresses the connection between water and sanitation management. Water reclamation systems are increasing in numbers globally and the interrelation between WSP and sanitation safety planning (SSP) is obvious and needs to be addressed. Particular attention is also needed for small supplies which are more prone to breakdown and associated with greater incidence of waterborne disease outbreaks than larger water supply systems. Latest WSP developments will also be discussed throughout the conference, including the revision of the 2009 WHO/IWA Water Safety Plan Manual, alongside other recent developments in global guidance for water safety.
We are happy to invite and encourage contributions from both academics and water practitioners and are looking forward to a good and nice mix of research work and applied case studies. At this 5th Water Safety conference in Narvik, Norway, in 2022 we aim to bring together global water professionals, researchers and decision makers from around the world to discuss best practices and the emerging trends and risks to help improve the safety of water supplies globally.
I warmly welcome you to attend the conference!
Thomas Pettersson
Prof. Thomas Pettersson
Professor in Drinking Water Engineering
Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
Programme Committee:
The Artic University of Norway, Norway
EMANTI, South Africa
Águas do Algarve (water utility), Portugal
WHO Headquarters
WHO Regional Office for Europe
EurEau, Belgium
Norsk Vann, Norway
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway
NORCONSULT AS, Norway
Swedish Water and WW Association, Sweden
Gothenburg Water, Sweden
IWA HQ, Kenya
Yarra Valley Water, Australia
National Institute of Public Health, Japan
Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Uruguay
Regional Centre on Urban Water Management, Iran
From the Chair of the Organizing Committee
I am very pleased that the IWA SG on Water Safety has chosen UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Narvik as the host for the upcoming International conference for water safety to be held on June 22-24, 2022. On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I am delighted to welcome all of the great scientists, academics, professionals, young researchers, and students from all over the world to Narvik, Norway.
UiT The Arctic University of Norway, is a multi-campus medium-sized research university that contributes to knowledge-based development at the regional, national and international level. UiT is the third-largest university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. The campus spread throughout Northern Norway where the main campuses are located in Tromsø, Alta, Narvik and Harstad, with smaller departments in the towns of Mo i Rana, Hammerfest and Kirkenes.
The Water Safety conference will host a number of sessions led by technical influencers in water safety for water supply systems, and I earnestly encourage all aspirants to take this opportunity to participate and share your invaluable insights and knowledge. I am buoyant with the thought that the conference will be an exceptional platform instilling you with unlimited benefits and will open new frontiers for addressing current water safety challenges. I look forward to seeing you all at the conference to exchange thoughts and ideas that will generate remarkable initiatives and contribute to maintaining a safe supply of drinking water to the public.
Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity and encourage you to extend your stay in the Arctic region, and experience the unique nature of the Arctic and the extended daylight of up to 24 hours depending on the distance from the North Pole during the summertime.
Prof. Bjørn R Sørensen
Dean at the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Organising Committee:
- Bjørn Reidar Sørensen (Chair), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Rajnish Kaur Calay, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Moa Persson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
- Leif-Gunnar Hanssen, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Wenche Berg Kvernelv, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Christina Solberg, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Jostein Starbo, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Espen Dalmo, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Thomas Brændvik, Narvik Vann, Norway
- Thomas Petterson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
- Fasil Ejigu Eregno, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik, Norway
- Philip de Souza, EMANTI, South Africa
- Rui Sancho, Águas do Algarve (water utility), Portugal
- Brenda Ampomah, IWA