Irrigation Sustainability with Saline and Alkali Waters: Saline Water Management

Dr. Paramjit Singh Minhas has about four decades of research experience in natural resource management. He commenced his scientific career as a scientist in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and achieved the positions of Senior Scientist, Project Coordinator (AICRP Management of Salt-Affected Soils and Use of Saline Water in Agriculture); Assistant Director General (Integrated Water Management); Director of Research, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Assistant Director General (Soil and Water Management); and Director, National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management from where he superannuated. Later, he was an Emeritus Scientist with ICAR. His research areas include irrigation and water quality management, soil physics, soil-water-plant interactions, managing salt-affected soils and coping strategies for edaphically stressed environments. The soil-water-crop management technologies put forward formed the basis for irrigation water quality guidelines; innovated planting techniques for greening saline soils and shallow basaltic soils; bioremediation/agro-forestry for long-term use of wastewater; identification of bio-regulators to mitigate drought and sodicity stresses. Dr Minhas is a recipient of the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award and Hari Om Ashram Trust Award in Natural Resource Management from ICAR, Jain-INCID Krishi Sinchai Vikas Puraskar from CWC, Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Award in Environmental Science and Ecology from UGC, Su Kumar Basu Award from IARI, CSSRI Excellence Award on 'Soil Salinity and Water Management', and 12th International Congress Commemoration Medal from ISSS. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Punjab Academy of Sciences (PAS), Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS), and Associate Editor of Agricultural Water Management Journal.

Dr. Manzoor Qadir is an environmental scientist working on water-related sustainable development through contributions to policy, institutional and biophysical aspects of unconventional water resources, water recycling and safe reuse, water quality and environmental health, and water and food security under changing climate. Manzoor has led teams of eminent professionals as Coordinating Lead Author to contribute to global assessments, such as the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, and the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development. He has implemented multidisciplinary projects on water and land management with major work in the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. In addition to supervising post-doctoral fellows, postgraduate students, and interns, he has undertaken several international and regional capacity development initiatives such as organizing knowledge-bridging workshops and training courses for young researchers. Before joining the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Canada, Manzoor previously held professional positions at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow and Visiting Professor at Justus-Liebig University, Germany; and Associate Professor at the University of Agriculture, Pakistan.

Dr. Paramjit Singh Minhas 擁有約四十年的自然資源管理研究經驗。他的科學職業生涯始於印度農業研究委員會，擔任科學家，並晉升為高級科學家、項目協調員（AICRP 鹽害土壤管理及農業中鹽水利用）、助理總監（綜合水資源管理）、旁遮普農業大學研究主任、助理總監（土壤與水管理）以及國家非生物壓力管理研究所所長，並於此退休。之後，他成為 ICAR 的名譽科學家。他的研究領域包括灌溉與水質管理、土壤物理學、土壤-水-植物互動、鹽害土壤管理及應對土壤壓力環境的策略。他提出的土壤-水-作物管理技術為灌溉水質指導方針奠定了基礎；創新了鹽土和淺層玄武岩土壤的綠化種植技術；進行了廢水的生物修復/農業林業長期利用；識別了生物調節劑以減輕乾旱和鹼化壓力。Minhas 博士獲得了 ICAR 的 Rafi Ahmed Kidwai 獎和 Hari Om Ashram Trust 獎（自然資源管理）、CWC 的 Jain-INCID Krishi Sinchai Vikas Puraskar、UGC 的 Swami Pranavananda Saraswati 獎（環境科學與生態學）、IARI 的 Su Kumar Basu 獎、CSSRI 的「土壤鹽分與水管理」卓越獎，以及 ISSS 的第十二屆國際大會紀念獎章。他是國家農業科學院（NAAS）、旁遮普科學院（PAS）、印度土壤科學學會（ISSS）的院士，並擔任《農業水管理期刊》的副編輯。

Dr. Manzoor Qadir 是一位環境科學家，專注於通過對非常規水資源、水回收與安全再利用、水質與環境健康，以及在氣候變遷下的水與糧食安全的政策、制度和生物物理方面的貢獻，推動水相關的可持續發展。Manzoor 擔任協調首席作者，領導著一群傑出專業人士，為全球評估做出貢獻，例如農業水管理的綜合評估和農業科學與技術發展的國際評估。他在中東和北非、中亞、南亞及撒哈拉以南非洲地區實施了多學科的水與土地管理項目。除了指導博士後研究員、研究生和實習生外，他還進行了多項國際和區域能力建設倡議，例如為年輕研究人員組織知識橋接研討會和培訓課程。在加入位於加拿大的聯合國大學水、環境與健康研究所（UNU-INWEH）之前，Manzoor 曾在乾旱地區國際農業研究中心（ICARDA）和國際水管理研究所（IWMI）擔任專業職位；並在德國的尤斯圖斯-李比希大學擔任亞歷山大·馮·洪堡研究員及訪問教授；以及在巴基斯坦農業大學擔任副教授。