20. Water for life
RESEARCH PROGRAMME
WATER FOR LIFE
COORDINATOR
doc. RNDr. Martin Pivokonský, Ph.D.
Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS)
OBJECTIVES
- the interconnection between research and water management practice
- education on the importance of careful management of water resources
- the development of new technologies for drinking water and waste water treatment in response to current types of pollution (organic substances, micro-pollutants)
- elucidation of the principles of the origin, proliferation, and elimination of pollution in natural ecosystems
- a study into the processes influencing water retention in the landscape
- a search for the cause of storms and downpours and the possible elimination of their impacts.
Participating CAS institutes:
Biology Centre
Institute of Geology
Institute of Microbiology
Institute of Sociology
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals
Institute of Atmospheric Physics
Institute of Computer Science
Institute of Hydrodynamics
Global Change Research Institute
Institute of State and Law
Institute of Information Theory and Automation
Other participating partners:
Charles University Environment Centre in Prague
Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague
Vodohospodářská společnost Vrchlice-Maleč a. s.
VaK Havlíčkův Brod, a. s.
Vodárna Plzeň, a. s.
Vodohospodářská akciová společnost, a. s.
Želivská provozní a. s.
Čevak, a. s.
School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia (Pallanza, Italy)
Water is a basic prerequisite for the existence of life, an essential factor in the environment, a key natural resource, and an irreplaceable input in most economic branches. Any unsuitable intervention in the cycle or quality of water could cause a chain of serious consequences, which in extreme cases could end in the irreversible loss of some water resources. These resources are currently exposed to significant pressure due to ongoing climate change, unsuitable water management in the landscape, as well as increasing amount of chemicals in the environment. As a result, it is highly unlikely that their abundance and quality will be preserved for future generations, if the necessary measures are not implemented. For these reasons, an interdisciplinary, coordinated, and science-based approach to water management is highly important. The protection of water resources must be of primary interest to society, especially under the specific conditions in the Czech Republic.
Topics & Researchers:
Man and water
Researcher: RNDr. Lenka Pivokonská, Ph.D. (UH)
Water treatment technology
Researcher: doc. RNDr. Martin Pivokonský, Ph.D. (UH)
Water resources quality
Researcher: prof. RNDr. Tomáš Cajthaml, Ph.D. (MBU)
Water in the landscape
Researcher: RNDr. Václav Šípek, Ph.D. (UH)
Dangerous water
Researcher: doc. RNDr. Zbyněk Sokol, CSc. (UFA)