The following information was taken from a blog posted by PDG Avner Fuchs on the WASHAG (Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group) website.

An international water and sanitation symposium was held on Thursday, September 14, 2017 with the focus on water technology and environmental control, in conjunction with theWATEC 2017 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The symposium was organized by the Water and Sanitation Committee of Rotary District 2490 Israel, chaired by PDG Avner Fuchs who is also serving as WASRAG Ambassador 2017-2018 for Israel, Romania, Poland and Hungary - and with the support of DG 2017-18 Danny Fessler. The conference centered on: "The Global Water and Sanitation Crisis – its Alleviation by Education and Training.”

Among the various personalities who honored us with their presence and congratulatory speeches were the Minister for Social Equality of Israel, Ms. Gila Gamliel, Their Excellencies the Ambassadors in Israel of Hungary, Ukraine, and Nigeria as well as DG Danny Fessler. Representatives of Peru, Singapore and China also attended the event.

The reputation of the various lecturers as well as the impressive list of the subjects treated at the symposium testify to the great interest aroused by the event. Among the speakers were Nobel Prize 2011 for Chemistry, Dr. Dan Shechtman, Prof. Uri Shani, Past Director of the Water Authority, Prof. Richard Laster of the Hebrew University, a renown ecology expert, Prof. Avner Adin, a major expert in ecological engineering as well as the founder of the Israel Water Association. All of the lecturers talked about the water crisis worldwide, its global impact and how to alleviate it by education and training. All the speakers agreed on one issue, namely that the water crisis is not due to the lack of water resources, but is mostly due to poor management of water resources.

The symposium was chaired by Rotarian Michael Pascal, a leading figure in water issues as well as a valued member of the District Water and Sanitation Committee.

The participation of many pupils from various locations who share in the "Rotary Hands Across Water"' a project initiated and carried out by PhD Amnon Shefi and his staff, also contributed to the success of the event. This program is financed by Israeli and foreign Rotary Clubs with the contribution of a Global Grant by TRF. A few months ago, it was granted a "noteworthy recognition" by TRF as one of the most significant and successful projects worldwide, a model to be emulated by more Rotary clubs and districts everywhere. Junior-high school students exhibited various projects illustrating the efficient use of constantly depleting water resources.

Indeed, everything begins with education! Our symposium clearly stressed the need for various educational programs and activities at the national and international level alike. Our youth are the next generation that will have to deal with the conservation and improvement of living resources on our planet! They will have to figure out how to avoid crises as well as to provide solutions to future water crises.

The opinions expressed in this Make-up Article do not necessarily represent the opinions of Rotary eClub One and its editorial staff