International conference in Mingachevir discusses water security
The VIII Eurasian Conference on Cascade Dam Failure Risks in Earth Dams (RISK-2026) was held in Baku and Mingachevir. The international event brought together scientists and researchers, and its Mingachevir stage continued on 23 October at Mingachevir State University with panel discussions and scientific sessions.
Gurban Gurbanzadeh3 min read
The VIII Eurasian Conference on Cascade Dam Failure Risks in Earth Dams (RISK-2026) was held in Baku and Mingachevir. The international event, which brings together scientists and researchers from various countries, continued in Mingachevir on 23 October with panel discussions and scientific sessions at Mingachevir State University.
The conference was organised jointly by Mingachevir State University, the Geography Institute of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, AMIR Technical Services company, the European Safety and Reliability Association (ESRA), Tbilisi State University of Georgia, the Southeast Asia Institute of Water Resources and Marine Environment of Vietnam, the Politecnico di Milano of Italy, and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
The conference, attended by scientists and researchers from 16 countries, featured 110 scientific papers. It served as an important international platform for discussing the sustainable management of water resources, the safety of hydraulic structures, the assessment of ecological and socio-economic risks created by climate change, and scientific approaches and innovative technological solutions for natural disaster mitigation. The event contributed to bringing together the scientific potential of different countries, sharing best practices, and promoting joint research aimed at solving regional problems.
Rector of Mingachevir State University Anar Eminov, director of the “Azerbaijan Istiliq Elektrik Stansiyası” LLC Tahmasib Huseynov, and director of the Geography Institute Zaur Imrani spoke at the conference. The speeches focused on the scientific significance of the conference, ensuring the safety of water and energy infrastructure, assessing risks in the context of climate change, and strengthening international scientific cooperation.
A panel discussion titled “Water security prospects in Mingachevir” was also held as part of the event. Rector Anar Eminov, Geography Institute director Zaur Imrani and Tahmasib Huseynov, director of “Azerbaijan Istiliq Elektrik Stansiyası” LLC, participated as speakers on the panel. During the discussion, views were exchanged on Mingachevir’s water security prospects, sustainable management of water resources, the reliability of hydraulic structures and reducing environmental risks, and questions from participants were answered.
Reports by scientists and researchers representing various countries were heard at the section sessions held as part of the conference’s scientific programme. Presentations covered topical areas, including the reliability of dams and modelling of cascade dam failure risks, assessment of flood risks in the Kura-Araz basin, the impact of climate change on water resources, early warning systems based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, environmental security, and the development of sustainable infrastructure. Following the scientific presentations, discussions addressed the practical application of research results, the capabilities of modern technologies in risk management, and the importance of cooperation between different fields.
Holding the international conference in Mingachevir has provided an opportunity to present current issues related to the city’s water and energy infrastructure, as well as its scientific and research potential, before an international audience. The event, which brought together the university, research institutions and industry representatives, has strengthened cooperation opportunities for linking scientific knowledge with the needs of the real sector and for seeking science-based solutions to regional problems.
One of the conference’s important achievements is that 30 articles selected after expert evaluation are under consideration for indexing in the Scopus database.
