Meeting focuses on protecting coastal habitat

Per capita share of potable water in West Asia decreased from 1,700 cubic metres to 907 cubic metres between  1985 and 2005, officials revealed this alarming figure at the opening session of the Seventh International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering, PIANC-COPEDEC VII, and the concurrent exhibition, Waterfront 2008, on Sunday at InterContinental, Dubai Festival City.

The conference, which was attended by about 1,000 industry professionals, was inaugurated by Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director of Dubai Municipality.

Addressing the gathering at the opening ceremony, Lootah underlined the significance and timeliness of the conference in light of the development of waterfront engineering projects in Dubai and across the region. 

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 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-based decision support system for live management of the Dubai’s dynamic coastal zone, coastal modelling of the Dubai coastline with emphasis on morphological model validation, and shoreline management of the Dubai coast.

Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi environment Agency, Majid Al Mansouri, noted climate change related issues the world faces. He also compared a 60 per cent increase in the aridity of fertile land to a 75 per cent increase in the population. PIANC-COPEDEC VII continues until Thursday.