1. Subsurface hydrology

Groundwater in arid areas is the most important natural water resource for water supply. Over-exploitation of groundwater resources due to increasing demand has caused considerable water level decline and salinization. A sustainable use of the scarce groundwater resources is imperative. The precondition for an optimal management is a fundamental and sound understanding of the hydrogeology in these arid regions.

2. Salinization and irrigation practices

Salinization is a major problem associated with irrigation, because deposits of salts build up in the soil and can reach levels that are harmful to plants. Salinization is a worldwide problem, particularly acute in arid areas which use lots of irrigation water, are subject to intensive evaporation, poorly drained, and never get well flushed. Traditional farming practices for irrigation and fertilization have caused salinity levels increase. The topics of this session include soil salinization mechanisms and solutions, advanced irrigation approaches, saline agriculture, etc.

3. Climate change and water resources

In arid areas, the main climate change consequences related to water resources are increases in temperature and shifts in precipitation patterns, and a likely increase in the frequency of flooding (e.g. flash floods) and drought seasons. It is important to understand the impact that climate change is having on irrigation, drinking water supply, human and environment health, and flood risk, as well as mitigation and adaptation approaches to cope with these impacts.

4. Economics and management of wastewater

Topics include greywater and re-use at household level, economic analysis of treated wastewater and reuse including the environmental costs of seawater contamination, pricing policies to balance water utilities budgets, etc.

5. Water desalination and purification technologies

In arid areas, limited and precious natural water resources are under increasing pressure from over-exploitation and contamination caused by growing population and associated anthropogenic activities. Desalination of seawater is a popular way to supplement insufficient water supply for drinking purposes and desalination of brackish water is also becoming popular mainly to provide water for irrigation. The topics of this session include desalination and water treatment technologies, water pollution control and management.

6. Aflaj and traditional water systems

Aflaj (or Qanat, Khettara, Foggara, Kariz, etc.) are complex, common-pool farming communities that depend on maintaining the balance between several spheres of influence, the hydrosphere, human sphere, ecosphere and knowledge. In order to have survived and thrived for thousands of years, Aflaj communities have had to constantly adapt to assure the longevity of these interdependent systems. Now these systems are under threat due to the rapid urbanization and climate change. The challenge is to move these systems to the future, without compromising the heritage and culture.

7. Hydroinformatics

This session is to attract studies on applying advanced information and communication technology to the management of water. Topics includes traditional hydrologic modeling, GIS and remote sensing, hydrologic data management, water information systems and decision support system, as well as emerging concepts such as water smart cities, digitization of water, big data, etc.

8. Urban water

Balancing supply and demand for urban water is a challenging task mainly with the ever increasing population and its concentration in large coastal cities. Future economic growth will require a reduction of per capita water use given the scarcity of the resource. Supply side policies have reached their limit. Demand side policies are complex and often misunderstood and hence disliked by politicians. Successful policy reforms from all over the world are needed to show case the feasibility of command and control as well as pricing policies to induce water conservation and adoption of water saving and/or reuse technologies. We are calling for papers on domestic water demand estimation and pricing; Water saving technology adoption drivers and policies; Urban water management including non-revenue water management, etc.

Special Theme: Water-use and production in greenhouses

The rapid growth of greenhouses in arid and semi-arid regions decreased the pressure on freshwater resources for irrigation. However, the evaporative cooling systems, which are normally-employed in greenhouses, still consume large amount of water. This theme discusses the evaluation of water-use efficiency of the existing evaporatively-cooled greenhouses and the proposed AC-cooled greenhouses. It also discusses the potential of producing freshwater inside greenhouses. Topics related to water-use in greenhouses are all welcome.