President arrives in Jaipur to inaugurate World conference on Lakes

Jaipur, Oct 28 (UNI) Warm welcome was accorded to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on her arrival here on a two-day visit to the Pink city.

Ms Patil arrived at the Sanganer at Airport around 1700 hrs by an Indian Air Force special plane. She was the Governor of Rajasthan before she was elected as the country's President.

Rajasthan Governor Shilendra Singh, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narain Meena, several members of state council of ministers, Chief Secretary DC Samant, Director General of Police AS Gill and other dignitaries were present at the airport to receive the President.

This is the President's first visit to Rajasthan after assuming the highest constitutional post in July this year.

She will inaugurate the five-day 12th World Lake Conference -- TAAL 2007 -- here tomorrow morning.

The conference, to be attended by experts from around the world, will discuss ways in which lakes can be conserved.

It is for the first time that this conference is being held in South Asia. It will provide a unique platform for interaction between scientists, researchers, technologists and policy makers from different parts of the world.

The conference, being hosted by the Environment and Forests Ministry with support from the Rajasthan Government, comprises many plenary lectures, technical sessions, keynote addresses on various sectional things by eminent scientists, oral presentations, poster sessions and working group discussions, together with a programme of socio-cultural events.

The five major themes of the conference are: Science and Lakes; Conservation and Management; Special Group of Lakes; Socio-Economic Aspects and Special Sessions.

A wide range of aspects will be covered in various sessions.

These are bio-diversity and conservation, lake catchments, lake eco-system process, invasive species and wind control, lake wetlands and climate change, fisheries, bio-remediation and bio-manipulation, Lake Littoral Zone Management, hydrology and eco-hydrology and legal as well regulatory frameworks.

A biennial event, these conferences are organised under the aegis of the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), Japan since 1985.

UNI