The 9th International Environmental Arsenic Conference and Exhibition opens at KIIT | Parami News

Bhubaneswar: The prestigious 9th International Environmental Arsenic Conference and Exhibition opened today at KIIT-DU, bringing together more than 100 international delegates and 300 participants, including scientists from 50 countries.
The guest of honor, Professor John Cherry, Emeritus Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of Waterloo in Canada, talked about the complexity of groundwater management.“Groundwater is one of the most complex elements of our environment, and the arsenic crisis is the result of humanity’s own failure,” he noted, urging vigilance and innovation to address these challenges.
This was a well-organized conference involving many different scientific specialties. He said that KIIT University is the amazing creation of Professor Achyuta Samanta. The institute is a model for the world and despite being relatively new, ranks highly in the world.
At this conference, Professor Abhijit Mukherjee, winner of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, also emphasized the importance of water in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Water is a core pillar of all the sustainable development goals, and we aim to achieve them by 2030,” he said.
The organizing chair of the event, Professor Prosun Bhattacharya of the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, emphasized the global scope of the conference. “This platform allows us to address pressing environmental challenges and exchange different ideas,” he said, adding that representatives from Sweden, Taiwan, the Netherlands and India were actively participating.
Professor Saranjit Singh, Vice-Chancellor of KIIT, added that the conference is particularly important in view of the new challenges posed by water pollution.
Professor Dipankar Saha, former member of the Central Groundwater Board, highlighted India’s position as the largest extractor of groundwater, extracting 250 cubic kilometers annually. He warned that groundwater contamination and depletion remained a serious problem in the country.
At the inauguration ceremony, the International Society for Groundwater for Sustainable Development (ISGSD) conferred honorary lifetime membership to Professor Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS, in recognition of his contribution to education and environmental sustainability. During this period, KIIT was also awarded the Green Campus Award 2024 for its outstanding green initiatives.
Highlighting the relevance of the conference in his speech, Professor Samantha said, “Water pollution is a serious problem and the levels of pollution are high, but India is still making progress. However, the burden on future generations will be huge.
During the event, the KIIT Center for Water Research and Climate Change was inaugurated. KIIT Provost Professor JR Mohanty said in his speech at the meeting that the center is committed to solving problems related to water scarcity and climate change through academic excellence, practical applications and collaboration with policymakers and industry. It is consistent with KIIT’s commitment.
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