Introduction

The seventh International Conference on Sustainable Water Resources Management will present the more recent technological and scientific developments associated with the management of surface and sub-surface water resources.

The conference provides a platform for professionals involved in water resources management to exchange knowledge and gain an insight into the state of the art in current technology, techniques and solutions in sustainable water management as they have been developed and applied in different countries. Participants include a wide variety of stakeholders from research, academia and industrial sectors as well as government organisations.

Water is essential for sustaining life on our planet and its uneven distribution is a source of permanent conflict. The growth of human population combined with irregularity in precipitation and water availability may restrict even further the access to water in certain regions of the world. This problem is made more severe by anthropogenic activities that affect its quality.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for scientists, experts and practitioners to exchange their knowledge and experiences. Only by comparison of the performance of current technologies and practices can the best platforms be selected as the basis for future improved strategies. The goal of sustainable water resources management is not static; it changes as the conditions in the world alter due to, for instance, growing populations and climate change. New ways of thinking are required in order to successfully predict future trends and prepare adequate sustainable solutions.

The first conference on Water Resources Management was held in Halkidiki, Greece, in 2001; the second in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (2003); the third in the Algarve, Portugal (2005); the fourth in Kos, Greece (2007); the fifth in Malta (2009) and the sixth in Riverside, California (2011).