Rivers’07 was co-organised by River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre (REDAC) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB). The conference is the second of a series of triennial International Conference on Managing Rivers in the 21st Century. This series of conference is aimed to provide a major forum for researchers and engineers to present and exchange their views on the latest research issues and application methods to solve existing problems related to rivers in Malaysia and worldwide.

The conference was supported by government agencies, research institutions and professional societies, which include Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia, Malaysian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (MANCID), Humid Tropics Centre (HTC), Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Water Watch Penang (WWP), Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) and International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR).

The three-day conference was attended by 154 participants including exhibitors from eight countries including UK, USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia. The official opening was made by YB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang, Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, representing the Right Honourable Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud on the 6th of June, 2007. Event on the first day, 4 keynotes speeches were delivered by established speakers namely, YB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang (Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia), Datuk Paduka Ir. Hj. Keizrul Abdullah (Director-General of DID Malaysia), Professor Roger A. Falconer (Cardiff University, UK), and Professor Jörg Imberger (University of Western Australia, Australia). The keynote addresses touched on river management, river restoration and developments in river modelling. Later that evening, participants were invited for a state dinner, sponsored by the Sarawak State Government. Cultural performances from the indigenous tribes of Sarawak delighted the guests, which include the Deputy Chief Minister himself.

The second day of the conference was dedicated to the presentation of papers. There were two parallel technical sessions held concurrently, covering eight sessions in total. Various issues and new developments were presented and discussed by participants from various backgrounds. Among the topics brought up were Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM), advancement in 2-D hydraulic modelling, real time water quality monitoring and forecasting, localised effort in restoring and managing rivers, as well as inland river navigation systems.  Professor Dr. Nor Azazi Zakaria (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia) addressed his keynote speech on the final day of the event, highlighting on the importance of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).  Two technical sessions followed, before the Chairman of Sarawak River Board, YB Dr. Stephen Rundi Anak Utom addressed his speech to officially bring the curtain down on Rivers’07 International Conference.  Later, participants were treated to a river cruise ride down the Sarawak River to the Sarawak River Barrage and back.  The participants were briefed through the operation of the barrage system in mitigating flood and protecting the city against intruding tide in the half-hour stay at the barrage.

A part from the involvement of participants, the success of conference was also due to contribution by the exhibitors, government agencies, private companies and NGOs participated in the exhibition.  The exhibitors were active in promoting their products and services, which include state-of-the-art surveying techniques, material innovations, and water quality test apparatus.  The official opening of the exhibition was done by the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, right after the official launching of Rivers’07 International Conference.

The papers presented in the conference were compiled into CD-ROM Proceedings. There were 88 papers included in the proceedings, systematically arranged into ten topics of, Integrated River Basin Management (12 papers), Watershed Land Use Planning and Management (5 papers), Flood Forecasting and Flood Risk Management/Mitigation (10 papers), Floodplain, River and Estuarine Rehabilitation (13 papers), Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System (17 papers), Stream Heritage Restoration and Conservation (1 paper), Water Quality Treatment (9 papers), Inland Water Transport (3 papers), Soil Erosion and Sedimentation (16 papers), and Legislative and Policy (2 papers).  40% of the papers were from international participants whereas the remaining 60% were from local participants including research institutions, NGOs and government agencies.  The CD-ROM proceeding is priced at USD 75 (RM 250) and can be obtained from Professor Dr. Aminuddin Ab. Ghani (redac02@eng.usm.my).

Overall the organizing of Rivers’07 International Conference can be described as successful.  All parties have contributed their 100% effort and commitment towards this conference.  Congratulation to the organizer, Universiti Sains Malaysia under River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre (REDAC) and Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) and their co-organizers such as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia, and the others, for their enthusiasm to support this conference as a way of awareness and sharing experience at the national and international level.