{"id":9809,"date":"2026-11-12T12:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T12:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/ar\/agadir-conference-iwa-swsm-eau-1211\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T16:02:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T16:02:40","slug":"agadir-conference-iwa-swsm-eau-1211","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/agadir-conference-iwa-swsm-eau-1211\/","title":{"rendered":"Agadir to host IWA water systems conference, a first in Africa, in December"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agadir will host the third international conference on Sustainable Natural and Engineered Water Systems Management (SWSM 2026<\/a>) from December 14 to 17. It will be the first time the event is held in Africa, the Complexe Horticole d’Agadir (CHA) said in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 10.<\/p>\n

The conference is organised by the CHA in partnership with the International Water Association (IWA). More than 200 participants from 47 countries and eleven keynote speakers are expected to attend. Previous editions took place in Bangkok in 2023 and Xi’an in 2024.<\/p>\n

Souss-Massa as a test case<\/h2>\n

Organisers chose to centre this edition on the Souss-Massa, an agricultural region under heavy water stress. The statement notes that the region brings together the main water challenges facing the Kingdom: high-value agriculture, scarcity, desalination, irrigation, non-conventional resources and climate adaptation. Solutions developed in Morocco will be set against international experience.<\/p>\n

\"SWSM<\/figure>\n

An institutional plenary session on the opening day will address Morocco’s water policies and strategies, along with prospects for the Souss-Massa. The conference is meant to serve as a forum for public decision-makers, researchers, water operators, farmers, technology companies and development partners.<\/p>\n

A technical visit on December 17 will take participants to field sites covering desalination, irrigation, treated wastewater reuse and research platforms.<\/p>\n

Keynote speakers and themes<\/h2>\n

The eleven keynote speakers come from the United States, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. Among them are Pr Rabi H. Mohtar of Texas A&M University, a specialist in the water\u2013energy\u2013food nexus; Pr Jun Ma of the Harbin Institute of Technology, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Pr Virender K. Sharma of the University of Miami, who co-chairs the conference; and Pr Dinesh Shetty of Khalifa University, whose work focuses on materials for water purification and desalination.<\/p>\n

Sessions will cover emerging contaminants such as PFAS, microplastics and pharmaceutical residues, membranes and desalination, water reuse, sensors and artificial intelligence for water quality, and the water\u2013food\u2013health nexus.<\/p>\n

Farid Lekjaa, director of the Complexe Horticole d’Agadir, said in the statement:<\/p>\n

“The Souss-Massa is not only hosting the global conversation on water. It is living it, and bringing its solutions to it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Plans for a permanent event<\/h2>\n

The CHA said it hopes to make the conference a recurring fixture. In time, this could form the basis of an International Water Fair in Morocco, envisaged as a permanent space for meetings, demonstrations and cooperation.<\/p>\n

Programme and registration: iwa-swsm2026.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Agadir will host the IWA water conference SWSM 2026<\/a> from Dec. 14 to 17, a first in Africa, the Complexe Horticole d’Agadir said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5563],"tags":[6746,6747,6538],"class_list":["post-9809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-international-water-association","tag-agadir-horticultural-complex","tag-souss-massa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t