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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

INTRODUCTION

SHUKOS and SHUKALB are pleased to invite you to join and participate in the Program of the 10th Balkans Joint Conference and Exhibition which will be held on 8 – 10 November, 2022 with a physical presence at the Emerald Hotel, in Pristina, Kosovo.

The Conference Theme Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible, is inspired by World Water Day 2022, and brings attention to the importance of protecting the quality and quantity of our underground water resources. The topic is of particular importance for countries like Western Balkans, which rely heavily on groundwater for their water supply needs.

The Conference Program allows for a broad range of topics covering from policy to technical, as well as management issues of the water sector. The conference provides a platform, where all professionals in the water sector gather, discuss and exchange experiences and share their good practices on issues of interest in the water sector.

The strength of the Balkans Joint Conferences, as evidenced from the collected participants’ feedback throughout the years, has been the delivery of high quality program with a diversity of plenary discussions, technical professional papers presented by well-known professionals in both countries and wider in the region. You are welcome to review the key themes and subject areas prior to submiting an Abstract for presentation.

SHUKOS and SHUKALB look forward to welcoming you to the Joint Conference and to sharing our commoninterest for a better water environment for the larger Balkan region.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE

To find more information about The Technical Program Committee, please view “PROGRAM COMMITTEE”, page linked here.

MAIN THEMES OF THE CONFERENCE

Prior to the submission of the Full Paper and PowerPoint presentation, the authors have to submit an abstract of their paper covering one of the following topics. The submitted abstracts will be further evaluated by the Technical Program Committee of the Conference. The authors of the selected abstracts will be invited to submit the Full Paper and Power Point Presentation. You are invited to submit an abstract on a wide range of water-related topics, including but not limited to:

GOVERNANCE AND POLICY FOR WATER UTILITIES

  • Development of Governance Policies and Institutional Relationships.
  • Selection, Establishment and Functioning of Utility Governing Bodies.
  • Organizational Management and Structure.
  • Regionalization of Water Supply and Sewerage Services and Implementation of Service Agreements.
  • Corporate Governance.

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

  • Licensing of Water Supply and Sewerage Service Providers.
  • Analysis of Performance of Water Supply and Sewerage Utilities.
  • Tariff Review and Approval Process.
  • Development and Application of Water Supply and Sewerage Services Standards.
  • Public – Private Partnerships.
  • Relationship between the Water Utilities and Local Government.
  • Management of Rural Water Supply and Sewerage Systems.
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Measures.

MANAGEMENT OF WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE
INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Capital Investment Absorption Capacities in Developing Countries.
  • Current Methods of Assessment and Prioritization of Investment Needs.
  • Development of Dynamic Master Plans.
  • Monitoring of Investments and their Sustainability.

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

  • Climate Change.
  • Balancing Water Demand Management and Conservation with New Source Development.
  • Water Supply Source Monitoring and Protection of Trans-boundary Waters.
  • Integrated Water Resources Management.
  • Drought and Flood Management.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF WATER UTILITIES

  • Financing Sources and Subsidy Policies.
  • Financial Risk Management.
  • Development, Implementation and Monitoring of 5-year Business Plans.
  • Financial Reporting to Support Performance Improvement.
  • Internal Auditing Instruments.
  • Debt Management.

TECHNICAL OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE UTILITIES

  • Water Demand Analysis.
  • Water Consumption Measuring Practices.
  • Water Loss Reduction– Best Practices.
  • Service Zone Mapping (GIS).
  • Application of Hydraulic Modelling – Practices.
  • Increasing Use of SCADA systems in the
    Operation of Water Utilities.
  • Water Safety and Crisis Management.
  • Benchmarking.
  • Energy Efficiency in Water Supply and
    Wastewater System and Facilities.
  • Integrated Asset Management.
  • Occupational Health and Safety.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SLUDGE
MANAGEMENT

  • Wastewater Management in the Context of
    Circular Economy.
  • Wastewater Policy and Governance.
  • Construction and Operation of Waste Water Treatment Plants.
  • Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems and Challenges.
  • Selecting Treatment Technologies for Small and Rural Systems.
  • Sludge Treatment and Reuse.
  • Use of Sludge for Energy Production.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

  • Commercial Efficiency.
  • Organization and Operation of a Customer Service Department.
  • Customer Database Management.
  • Customer Service Contract.
  • Public Relations and Communications Management.
  • Management of Customer Complaints and the Use of GIS.
  • Implementing Service Disconnection as Debt Collection Policy.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

  • Human Resources Management and Employment Policies.
  • Training Needs Assessments and Capacity Building.
  • Training and Test-based Certification.
  • Annual Staff Performance Review/Assessment.

IMPORTANT DATES 

Early Bird: until 
Abstracts Submission:
Acceptance Notification: 
Advanced program: 
Registration ends:
Submission of the Presentations:
Submission of the CVs:
Submission of the Full Papers: 

30 September 2022
16 September 2022
23 September 2022
14 October 2022
01 November 2022
04 November 2022
21 October 2022
15 November 2022


The official languages of the Conference are Albanian and English.

Simultaneous translation will be provided.

ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

To find more information about The Abstracts Submission Guidelines, please view “RULES AND GUIDELINES”, page linked here.