AfriWatSan participated in the International Symposium on Isotope Hydrology held from 20th to 24th May 2019 in Vienna, Austria. As announced on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s website, this 15th symposium aimed “to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge among water and environment professionals from developed and developing countries in order to advance the understanding, collaboration and capabilities to respond to the rapidly changing global environment.”
The conference’s website indicates that, at the symposium, water experts looked at new isotope techniques that could help address widespread pollution problems among others. They also shared examples of how countries, cities and regions are facing varying degrees of water stress, ranging from overexploitation of aquifers and surface waters, to drought and water shortages, to systemic and widespread surface and groundwater pollution. The meeting was also “a testament to the important role nuclear techniques have played in improving water management for almost 60 years” as pointed out by Melissa Denecke, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences.
The conference was attended by almost 250 international experts from 78 countries (Source: IAEA’s website) including the AfriWatSan project represented by Dr. Seynabou Cissé Faye, Co-I, UCAD. Her presentation focused on Isotopic and Geochemical Evidence of Anthropogenic Recharge to the Thiaroye Urban Aquifer of Dakar, Senegal (Click on the title to read the presentation).