20 years later: What has changed - and what hasn't

V. Klemeš, 20 years later: What has changed - and what hasn't, XXIV General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, Perugia, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 2007.

This talk is a plea to all hydrologists and water professionals, to stand up for water, hydrology and water resource engineering, to restore their good name and unmask the demagoguery hiding behind the various 'green' slogans. Their profession has nothing to be ashamed of - from the times of the ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome to the present, it has done more good for mankind than all its critics combined. This is a historical fact. So, hydrologists and water professionals, need to be brave, proud, heretic if necessary, and above all, to use their common sense.

Postscriptum by Vit Klemes on 2008-01-05: I now can report that the fate of our dam (cf. slide 19: "For the time being, our dam and lake appear to be safe") has been officially decided in favor of its preservation since the city built a staircase from the dam crest to the hiking trail down below; it was finished just before Christmas. While I don't know whether my angry remonstrations at the public meeting a few years ago had anything to do with it, I regarded the 71 solid steps as a welcome Christmas present (see photo in Additional Material).