The Bled Water Forum once again offered concrete solutions to pressing water challenges

The tenth anniversary edition of the two-day international Bled Water Forum, with participants from thirty-eight countries, concluded with the awarding of prizes for outstanding innovations in the field of drinking water quality and water resource conservation.

The 10th Bled Water Forum was held on 4 and 5 June in Bled. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, officially opened the Forum, emphasising the significance of water diplomacy in global affairs. She highlighted that the issue of access to water is not only a matter of development and the environment, but also of peace and security. In this regard, water can also serve as a catalyst for peace, given its transboundary impacts, as demonstrated in practice.

Ms. Csilla Mezosi and Mr. Iztok Altbauer represented the European Spas Association at the event for the second consecutive time. Mr. Altbauer also participated as a panellist in the round table discussion titled “Global Water Trends in Everyday Life and Gastronomy – The Future of Drinking Water and Water Menus.” The session focused on innovative global developments in the delivery of drinking water to households, hotels, and restaurants, highlighting breakthrough practices that are redefining industry standards.

In two panel discussions, representatives of governmental organisations, academics and experts from as many as 38 countries highlighted the most pressing challenge of our time: the new-age contaminants that are not yet regulated and their impact on human health and the health of other organisms in our living environment. The Bled Water Forum is at the forefront of addressing these challenges, showcasing innovations, new technologies and ground-breaking projects in the field of drinking water quality and water conservation, and rewarding those with the greatest potential for positive impact.

This year’s European Water Award in the category of Improving Drinking Water Quality was presented to the RIKEN Centre for Emerging Materials Science (CEMS) in Japan, where researchers led by Takuzo Aida have developed a new plastic-like material – a strong, glassy supramolecular polymer that prevents the formation of marine microplastics by slowly dissolving into metabolizable compounds in salt water. The new material is non-toxic and non-flammable, which means it does not emit CO2 and can be reformed at temperatures above 120 °C like other thermoplastics. “With this new material, we have created a new family of plastics that are strong, stable, recyclable, multi-functional and, importantly, do not create microplastics,” said Aida.

The European Water Award in category Protecting Waters and Water Quality – Rivers, Lakes, Seas was awarded to the Sava River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System of the International Commission for the Sava River Basin. It is the first flood early warning system in the Danube sub-region, the Sava River Basin, which has a proven track record of improving information and thereby reducing the risks and vulnerability of people to flooding throughout the Sava River Basin. This initiative exemplifies exceptional collaboration among five nations and diverse organisations.

The Forum concluded with an international evaluation of more than thirty bottled waters from around the world, which was also open to the participants. The international panel of judges evaluated waters by linking them to new global standards in the understanding of drinking water and the pairing of water with food and other beverages.