The participants were addressed via video by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, who pointed out that people are at their most vulnerable when they lack access to water.  When we talk of water, we first think of rivers, lakes and seas, but tend to ignore the key source of drinking water, which is under the surface and highly susceptible to external pollutants and threatened by climate change.  This is why we need the know-how and interaction between policies, science and technologies to preserve groundwater for future generations.

Rok Tomšič spoke about the importance of groundwater as a vital source of drinking water on the planet. Sustainable groundwater management remains one of Slovenia’s priorities, and it needs to be noted that it is not only the domain of hydrogeology, but also necessitates cooperation between the economy and science as well as communication with political decision makers.

The high-level guests stressed the importance of innovation and technologies, and participation of all stakeholders, for in order to protect and sustainably manage water resources we need to be aware that they are threatened. Another important aspect is data collection, which dictates high-tech and innovative solutions. And to implement these solutions, we must take into account the diverse cultural environments.

The business event hosted 11 Slovenian companies and institutions. The purpose of their presentations and talks is to attract new business partners in the water technology sector. The floor was also given to representatives of Slovenian innovative water technology and data collection companies to discuss the impact of water on health and the environment. Among other high-tech solutions, they presented agile satellite technology for gathering data on water, which might play a valuable role in predicting and preventing droughts and floods.