Karin Kneissl at the conference "Water Security — 2024": the attitude towards water resources should be such that river water would be clean and safe to drink

The University delegation was headed by Alexey Tudvachev, Head of the International Association of Hydrogeologists of the Russian Federation, UN expert, and Director General of the Water Centre at St Petersburg University. 

'Water is the source of life. Humans cannot live without water. Yet sometimes, water becomes the cause of natural disasters; floods; and water inundations during underground mining operations, construction works, and operation of facilities, causing extensive damage and human casualties. At the 1st International Conference "Water Security — 2024", we are discussing the whole range of water-related challenges and issues,' emphasised Alexey Tudvachev. 

He noted that topics chosen for the conference and roundtable discussions were not random. One of the key objectives of the event was to establish contacts and hold discussions among representatives of various stakeholders: the business community; government agencies; academia; and expert community to ensure a comprehensive analysis of water security issues in order to generate viable ideas to implement.

The 1st International Conference "Water Security — 2024" aimed to address issues related to the protection of surface and groundwater and the provision of safe drinking water for the population, including: modern water treatment technologies; economic assessment of water resources; issues in the governance and use of transboundary water resources, operation of hydraulic structures, and changes in subsoil use legislation. Much attention was also given to the topical issues of inundation and flooding of territories as a result of spring freshets, and the development of comprehensive measures to resolve the issues.

Among the conference participants were representatives of: federal and regional authorities; the research community; national supervisory authorities, leading universities; the Russian Academy of Sciences; major subsoil users; resource supplying organisations, and Russian and international experts. 

The plenary address on water sovereignty and its role in world geopolitics was delivered by Professor Karin Kneissl, Head of the G.O.R.K.I Centre at St Petersburg University. In her opinion, water management must be strictly controlled at the state level and it is imperative to prevent the privatisation of water sources. ‘States have to ensure high quality drinking water for humans and animals,’ underlined Professor Karin Kneissl. She stressed that social stability in each country is not possible without sustainable water management. "I observed Nestlé’s activities in Uzbekistan 20 years ago. Their bottled water business created many problems, from plastic waste to the accessibility of water for the citizens. Every state is obliged to control water supply and its quality and oppose the privatisation of water resources. The attitude towards water resources should be such that river water would be clean and safe to drink," the expert said.