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Information about several papers discussed at the International Conference held by the Indian Member Committee of the International Federation for Structural Concrete in Mumbai, India on February 9 to 10, 2007. The event focused on summary reports from the 2006 fib congress in Naples. Moreover, the meeting featured several speakers including G. Mancini.

This article presents information on the achievements and activities of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) of the United States. IWRA has achieved considerable landmarks in the year 2005. The Association has leaped forward despite major water disasters in the world starting with South Asian Tsunami and the major damage of Hurricanes in the United States and the persistent drought in Africa. The Association has also completed the 12th World Water Congress in New Delhi, India. Around 500 participants from 50 countries attended the conference. They presented some 200 papers and key note addresses focusing on the contemporary water issues of the day. In this conference, the members of the Association added several special sessions to highlight specific regional water issues of interest to all the participants. It was a learning experience for all the participants. The occasion was accompanied by an excellent dose of cultural events and surrounded with traditional Indian hospitality. Apart from the New Delhi conference IWRA has sponsored and co-sponsored several events in the United States, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Egypt, China and elsewhere to strengthen the dialogue on water issues across the world.

The article highlights the Fourth Asian Meeting on Ferroelectricity at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. The conference was organized with plenary talks, invited lectures and contributed papers as oral and poster presentations, covering various topics on ferroelctric ceramics, crystals, thin films, piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics and some device applications.

This article focuses on the Global Consultation on Safe Water and Sanitation for the 1990s conference held in New Delhi, India in September 1990. According to the working paper of the 115-nation conference, about 40 percent of the world's population suffers from serious water shortages. With urbanization continuing and world population growing at about two percent each year, the conferees found that governments and international organizations are losing ground in the water crisis and that the number of nations lacking adequate renewable water resources is expected to nearly double from 19 in 1975 to an estimated 37 by 20225. The World Health Organization estimates that, of the world's 5 billion people, 1.2 billion do not have safe drinking water and 1.7 billion do not have adequate sanitation facilities. Although drinking water has been made available to 1.3 billion more people in the last decade, more efforts should be done including decentralizing water supply systems, making the planning and provision of water resources more efficient, and enlarging the role of women in decision-making.