In the area of water management there is much that we can learn from China with its wide diversity in conditions, very diverging scales and many extremes. Northern China suffers from tremendous water shortages whilst in the South there are frequent floodings. I have had the pleasure to visit China several times and on each visit I have been very awed by the scale of the problems that have to be solved and very impressed with the tremendous works that have been realised in the country with the largest population of the world. For the future, China has some very impressive plans drawn up, including the modernisation of the irrigation schemes, the water saving activities and the inter-basin water transfers between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.

If we look in more detail in this bulletin on the Questions, the Special Session and the Symposium that will be organised under the main Congress theme, we will find an interesting mix of all the issues that are of interest to our work. I would like in particular to draw your special attention to Question 53: Harmonious coexistence with flood water. I consider this an extremely important Question as we take into account that by the year 2050 about 80% of the world’s population is expected to live in flood prone areas. This answers to this Question will certainly make a significant contribution to solving this problem, especially for the Asian Continent.

This all makes our forthcoming Congress in China very interesting. Now the Congress topics have been described in detail, it is time for us to think about our own contribution to the Congress. The strength of ICID is its solid base in the know how and skill of our members, and I encourage you to submit in due time your contribution. This will make the event even more interesting to all of us.

Mr. Ir. Keizrul bin Abdullah
President
International Commission on Drainage and Irrigation (ICID)