Director General of Dubai Municipality opens PIANC-COPEDEC VII

Dubai: Acting Director of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, opened the seventh international conference on coastal and port engineering, PIANC-COPEDEC VII, and concurrent exhibition Waterfront 2008 today at InterContinental Dubai Festival City. Close to 1,000 industry professionals attended.
Addressing the Opening Ceremony, Mr Lootah underlined the significance and timeliness of the conference in light of the expanding development of waterfront engineering projects in Dubai and across the region.
Mr Lootah identified several vital touchpoints of the conference, including its focus on coastal and port infrastructure engineering, management and planning of ports and marinas, development of waterfronts and beaches, monitoring of beach movements, risk management for coastal areas, and the importance of protecting the coastal environment.
About Dubai Municipality's involvement in PIANC-COPEDEC VII, he said, "We are presenting three papers showcasing best practices that deal with the main theme of the conference. These include a coastal process modelling-based Decision Support System for Live Management of the Dubai dynamic coastal zone, coastal modeling of the Dubai coastline with emphasis on morphological model validation, and shoreline management of the Dubai coast.
Following Mr Lootah's address, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi environment Agency, Majid Al Mansouri, noted climate change related issues that the world faces. He identified that the per capita share of potable water in West Asia decreased from 1,700 cubic metres to 907 cubic metres during 1985 to 2005. He also compared a 60% increase in the aridity of fertile land to a 75% increase in the population. He identified changes in consumer habits and increase in hazardous waste leading to ecological imbalances. "Our coasts are repeatedly subjected to development risks including increased pollution, salinity, and overuse of fisheries wealth, plus numbers of people now choosing to reside in waterfront areas, and the growing amount of industrial projects, water treatment plants, and power production.
Following the Opening Ceremony, Mr Lootah opened Waterfront 2008, the exhibition of products, technologies and services featuring some 30 companies including sponsors Platinum Sponsor Sama Dubai, Gold Sponsor Roads and Transport Authority Dubai, and Silver Sponsor Dubai Maritime City.
Keynote addresses were then heard by His Excellency Nayef Al Kalali, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Bahrain and Datin Paduka O.C. Phang, General Manager of Malaysia's Port Klang Authority and President of the International Association of Ports and Harbors.
The technical conference began in earnest afterwards, with today's sessions devoted to Port Planning, Coastal Resort Development, Wave Modelling, Sea States, Low Crested Structures, Shoreline Modelling, Measurement Techniques, and Wave Climate.
PIANC-COPEDEC VII continues until Thursday 28 February.
For further information: www.pianc-copedecdubai.com [25/02/08]

Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.