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Late Vice-Président Hon. Dr. Hüseyin Gündogdu (Turkey)
With deep sadness, we inform you of the passing of Dr. Hüseyin Gündogdu, which occurred in June 2026.
Dr. Hüseyin Gündogdu obtained his M.Sc. (Agricultural) from Thrace University, Department of Agriculture Structure and Irrigation in 1988 and Ph.D (Agricultural) from Aegean University, Dept. of Agriculture Structure and Irrigation in 2002.
Dr. Gündogdu had a thirty year-experiences by working on Irrigation and Drainage during his employment at DSi (The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works of Turkey and GDRS (General Directorate of Rural Servicesof Turkey) and as a private consultant in Azerbaijan. He was the Thematic Coordinator at World Water Forum 5 in Istanbul. He was actively involved in publishing Turkey Water Report 2009 for WWF-5. His specializations include: Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation and Drainage Systems (with specialization in preparing O&M manual for Water User Association, Irrigation groups and Water Suppliers) and preparing water delivery plan for the main system based on crop water requirements using computer programmes. He worked as a consultant for a World Bank project in Azerbajan. Dr. Gündogdu was also a Member of Chamber of Agricultural Engineers and had authored/ presented numerous papers in various publications / fora.
ICID family pays its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Late Vice-Président Hon. Dr. Hafied Gany (Indonesia)
With profound sadness, we inform you of the passing of our esteemed colleague and Vice President, Hon. Dr. Hafied Gany, in February 2026. Dr. Gany was a highly respected leader in the field of irrigation and water resources development in Indonesia, dedicating his life to promoting sustainable irrigation practices, strengthening institutions, and fostering international cooperation through his active engagement with ICID. We sincerely appreciate his unwavering support and invaluable contributions to the mission and vision of ICID. His efforts greatly advanced knowledge exchange, capacity building, and the overall progress of irrigation management in Indonesia. His legacy, dedication, and commitment will be remembered with deep respect.
Dr. Gany was a member of ICID WG-HIST since 2005 besides being Secretary General of Indonesian National Committee of ICID (INACID, 1993-1999) and President of INACID since 1999. He was Vice President of ICID during the period 2007 – 2010. He participated in numerous ICID IECs and Congresses and published more than 100 professional papers, eight books.
Government of Indonesia awarded him `Presidential Award` in 1996 for his 30 years of outstanding services to the government and in 1999 for National Development Contribution.
ICID fraternity pays its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Late Vice-Président Hon. Dr Gerhard Backeberg (South Africa) 2011-2014
With deep sadness, we inform you of the passing of Dr Gerhard Backeberg, which occurred in December 2025.
Dr Backeberg obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pretoria in 1994 and had accumulated over 30 years of experience in various roles. He worked at the Department of Agriculture from 1977 to 1995, and since 1995, he had been associated with the Water Research Commission. Throughout his career, Dr Backeberg was a member of several professional societies, including the South African Irrigation Institute and the International Association of Agricultural Economists. He received numerous accolades, including the S2A3 Bronze Medal for Research Excellence from the South African Association for the Advancement of Science in 1985, and a certificate for the best M.Sc. dissertation awarded by the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA) in 1984. Additionally, he was recognised with the ICID 2007 Best Paper Award for an article published in "Irrigation and Drainage" (Vol. 55, Issue 1) and the SABI Silver Award in 2007 for his contributions to irrigation research in South Africa.
Dr Backeberg authored or co-authored more than 30 papers and articles published in various proceedings and journals. He also served as the Director of Water Utilisation in Agriculture at the Water Research Commission in South Africa. From 2011 to 2014, he held the position of Vice President of ICID, to which he was elected.
ICID family pays its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Late Vice-Président Hon. David van der Merwe (South Africa) 1997-2000
With deep sadness, we inform you of the passing of Mr Davis van der Merwe, which occurred on December 24, 2025.
VPH Davis van der Merwe obtained his B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering and M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He began his career as an Agricultural Engineer and taught at the University of Pretoria from 1963 to 1967. In 1969, he was registered as a Professional Engineer. In 1976, he joined the Water Research Commission (WRC) as Chief Project Development Officer and was promoted to Senior Adviser in 1979. Throughout his career, Mr. van der Merwe was involved in various research activities related to irrigation, climatology, hydrology, groundwater, and salinisation. He was a member of several professional societies, both in South Africa and internationally, including the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the South African Irrigation Institution.
Mr. van der Merwe attended several International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) congresses and played a crucial role in South Africa becoming a member of ICID. He served as the Chairman of the South African National Committee of ICID and was a member of the ICID Permanent Committee for Technical Activities. Additionally, he held the position of Vice Chairman of the Africa Focus Group and chaired the Working Group on the Impacts of Drought on Irrigated Agriculture. He also served as the ICID Strategy Theme Leader on the subject of Systems. Furthermore, Mr. van der Merwe served as the Deputy Executive Director of the WRC. In the 1997-2000 triennium, he was elected as Vice President of ICID.
ICID family pays its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Versión en español
Late Vice-Président Hon. Dr. José Antonio Ortiz y Fernández-Urrutia, Spain (1991-1994)
With deep sadness, we inform you of the passing of Dr. José Antonio Ortiz y Fernández-Urrutia, which occurred in Madrid on September 18.
Dr. Ortiz completed his technical training at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineers in Madrid in 1958. He developed his long professional career mainly at the Tagus River Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Río Tajo), the public body responsible for managing the Spanish part of the Tagus River basin, with broad responsibilities for the use of its natural resources, especially the water–soil nexus.
In parallel, Dr. Ortiz played a decisive role in the creation of the Spanish Association for Irrigation and Drainage (AERYD) and in that Association’s organization of the annual Irrigation (and Drainage) Congress, which celebrated its 40th edition this year. For a long period, Dr. Ortiz served as the Association’s Administrative Secretary-General.
For many years, Dr. Ortiz collaborated in the activities of ICID, always representing the Spanish National Committee (CERYD, now CEICID), of which he had been Executive Secretary since 1971, with personal participation in several Congresses, Conferences, Technical Meetings, etc. There were also numerous instances of international technical cooperation in irrigation and drainage, whether with ICID’s Central Services or with members of other Committees and Working Groups, and also with other international organizations. He played a fundamental role on the Organizing Committee of the 14th European Regional Conference, held in La Manga del Mar Menor (Murcia) in 1986, and of the 17th ICID International Congress, held in 1999 in the Spanish City of Granada. Finally, in the 1991–1994 triennium, Dr. Ortiz served as Vice President of ICID, to which he was elected. In short, a great person and a great professional.
ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late Vice-Président Hon. Dr. José Antonio Ortiz y Fernández-Urrutia, Spain (1991-1994)
Con profunda tristeza les comunicamos el fallecimiento del Dr. José Antonio Ortiz y Fernández-Urrutia, que se produjo en Madrid el pasado18 de Septiembre.
El Dr Ortiz concluyó su formación técnica en la ETS de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Madrid en el año 1958. Su larga carrera profesional la desarrolló principalmente, en la Confederación Hidrográfica del Río Tajo. Este Organismo público es el responsable de la gestión de la parte española de la cuenca del río Tajo, con amplias responsabilidades en el ámbito del aprovechamiento de sus recursos naturales, especialmente el binomio agua-suelo.
Paralelamente, la participación del Dr Ortiz fue determinante en la creación de la Asociación Española de Riegos y Drenajes (AERYD) y la organización por dicha Asociación del Congreso anual de Riegos (y Drenaje), que ha celebrado este año su 40 edición. Durante un largo periodo desempeñó el Dr Ortiz las funciones de Secretario General Administrativo de la mencionada Asociación
Durante muchos años colaboró el Dr Ortiz en las actividades de ICID, siempre en representación del Comité Español (CERYD) del que era Secretario Ejecutivo desde 1971, con participación personal en varios Congresos, Conferencias, Reuniones técnicas, etc . También han sido numerosas las ocasiones de colaboración técnica internacional, en materias de Riegos y Drenaje, bien con los Servicios Centrales de ICID o bien con miembros de otros Comités y Grupos de Trabajo y, también, con otros Organismos Internacionales. Finalmente, el Dr. Ortiz desempeñó un papel fundamental en los trabajos del Comité Organizador de las 14 Jornadas Regional Europeas, celebradas en La Manga del Mar Menor (Murcia) en 1986 y del 17° Congreso Internacional de ICID, que tuvo lugar el año 1999 en la ciudad española de Granada. Finalmente, en el trienio 1991-1994 el Dr Ortiz desempeñó el puesto de Vice Presidente de ICID, para el que fue designado por elección. En fin, una gran persona y un gran profesional.
La familia del ICID ofrece sus más sinceras condolencias a la familia del fallecido.
Que su alma descanse en paz eterna!
Late Dr. Masayoshi Sato, Japan
Dr. Masayoshi Sato, who served as a member of the JNCID (Japanese National Committee of ICID) for many years, passed away on 17 February 2024 while recovering from an illness. We pray for his soul to rest in peace.
Dr. Sato was born in 1948 and graduated from the University of Tokyo. He had long been involved in education and research on agricultural water management and basin water resources management and served on many activities and committees of academic and governmental organizations in Japan and abroad.
He served as a member of the JNCID from 1998 to 2018, during which time he was a member of WG-CBTE (Working Group on Capacity Building, Training and Education) (1998-2007), WG-MIS (Working Group on Modernisation of Irrigation System) (2008-2012), and PCTA (Permanent Committee for Technical Activities) (2012-2017). Among his various international activities, he was a Principal Investigator of the international joint research project "Sustainable Systems for Food and Bio-energy Production with Water-saving Irrigation in the Egyptian Nile Basin" of the SATREPS by JST and JICA, and achieved many results, some of which were published as "Irrigated Agriculture in Egypt: Past, Present and Future," (M. Satoh and S. Aboulroos (Eds.)), Springer, 2017).The late Dr. Masayoshi Satoh was still leading several research projects, and his passing will be greatly missed. We would like to pay tribute to his achievements and contributions during his lifetime and wish him a peaceful rest.
Late Bernard Vincent (AFEID/ France)
We were extremely saddened and shocked to hear the sad news of the passing away of Dr. Bernard Vincent, whose memorable association with the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage began two decades back when he became a Member of ICID’s Working Group on Use of Poor Quality Water for Irrigation (WG-PQW) in 2003. He also served as the Chair, Secretary and Member of a number of ICID workbodies, which dealt with topics like Drainage, Land Drainage and Irrigation and Drainage in the States under Socio-Economic Transformation.
Dr. Bernard Vincent was a highly respected member of the entire ICID family and served the Commission with utmost sincerity and professionalism. His services were immense not only to the French National Committee of ICID (AFEID) but also to ICID, at large.
On behalf of the ICID fraternity, we express our deep sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family and to the French National Committee. We wish strength and peace to his near and dear ones, and to you in particular, at this time of grief.
With his passing away, the irrigation and drainage community lost a very distinguished member, who was highly respected. We personally feel the vacuum, as we considered him as a friend and mentor.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late Vice-Président Hon. Abdellah Bekkali (Morocco) - 1974-1977
We were extremely saddened and shocked to hear the sad news of the passing away of Vice President Hon. Abdellah Bekkali, the Founder President of ANAFIDE and a world renowned agricultural engineer.
VPH Bekkali was a highly respected member of the entire ICID family and served the Commission as its Vice President during the term 1974-77. His services were immense not only to the Moroccan National Committee but also to ICID, at large. We fondly recall his contributions to ICID as an office bearer and a patron.
On behalf of ICID fraternity, we express our deep sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family and to the Moroccan National Committee of ICID. We wish strength and peace to his near and dear ones at this time of great grief.
With his passing away, the irrigation and drainage community lost a very distinguished member. We personally feel the vacuum, as we considered him as a friend and mentor.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late President Hon. Marvin Eli Jensen (USA) - 1984-1987
We were extremely saddened and shocked to hear the sad news of the passing away of President Hon. Dr. Marvin Eli Jensen (1984-87), a globally reputed agricultural and civil engineer.
Dr. Jensen received a BS degree in agriculture in 1951 and an MS degree in agricultural engineering in 1952 from North Dakota State University (NDSU) where he was on the staff from 1952 to 1955. He received a PhD in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (CSU) in 1965. From 1955 to 2007 he was employed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of USDA in Texas, Colorado, Idaho and Maryland. His primary area of research was crop and irrigation water requirements. He traveled internationally extensively as part of his work and received numerous invitations to be a keynote speaker and participate in workshops. While at CSU he served several one-month assignments in Egypt and Sri Lanka. He was elected to a 3-year term as President of the International Commission of Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in 1984. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1988 and to the ARS Science Hall of Fame in 2003. His work in irrigation helped make computerized irrigation scheduling for more efficient crop water use possible.
On behalf of the ICID fraternity, we express our deep sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family and to the US National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (USCID). We wish strength and peace to his near and dear ones at this time of great grief.
With his passing away, the irrigation and drainage community lost a very distinguished member. We personally feel the vacuum, as we considered him a friend and mentor.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
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Late President Hon. Mr. John Hennessy (UK) - 1990-1993
It is indeed sad that ICID community has lost one of its stalwarts who was instrumental in bringing up the sector of agricultural water management. An expert in water resources development for irrigation, drainage and power generation, Mr. Hennessy has handled major water resource assignments in more than 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He has actively been associated with ICID since 1978 in various capacities. He is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, U.K., and the Institution of Water & Environmental Management, and has served on a number of engineering and scientific committees and advisory boards. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Engineer and Transport Staff Corps.
We, at ICID Central Office grieve his passing away with many fond memories and gratitude for the guidance that he provided. ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Late Vice President Hon. Prof. Dr. Brane Ivan Maticic, Slovenia (1994-1997)
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad demise of Vice President Hon. Dr. Brane Ivan Maticic on 5 Feburary 2018. He has been associated with ICID activities for a long time. He was Chairman of Slovenia National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (SLCID)/ Slovensko drustvo za namakanje in odvodnjo (SDNO). Prof. dr. Brane Maticic was also a Professor in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Agrohydrology and Soil and Water Management, University of Ljubilana. As Vice President of ICID for the term 1994-1997, Prof. Dr. Maticic’s contribution and dedication to ICID are widely recognised in the ICID fraternity and will be long remembered. Dr. Maticic was the recipient of numerous awards and widely recognized by the international community.
ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late Vice President Hon. Er. Michel Delavalle, France (1983-1986)
Er. Delavalle’s contribution and dedication to ICID are widely recognised in the ICID fraternity and will be long remembered. He had represented in various international organizations like UAIT and UNESCO-IHP programme, CIGR etc.
ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late Vice President Hon. Dr. Jose Maria Martin Mendiluce, Spain
ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Late Vice President Hon. Dr. Ryota Nakamura, Japan
ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
May his soul rest in peace!
Late Mr. Pritam Singh
His career spanned 35 years in the fields of planning and design of large as well as small water resources development projects like dams, barrages, hydro-power schemes, canals, and other appurtenant works. He actively participated the ICID annual meetings. In 1973, he visited Bangladesh as leader of Working Group for Flood Forecasting and in 1978, visited Pakistan as leader of the Indian delegation to WMO/ESCAP Panel on tropical cyclones. His contribution and dedication to ICID are widely recognized in the ICID fraternity and will be long remembered. ICID fraternity records its profound sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and to the members of the Indian National Committee on Surface Water (INCSW).
May his soul rest in peace! |
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May his soul rest in peace.
Mr. Jean Goussard passed away on December, 26th, 2012. He has been for long a member of AFEID and ICID, where he was actively participating in the Working Group on "Construction, Rehabilitation and Modernization of Irrigation Systems". He authored the book on "Automation of Canal Irrigation Systems" published by ICID in 1993. All who have met him remember a very friendly man, passionate and inexhaustible about canal control. Although, he was a strong supporter of Neyrpic automatic gates, he always asserted that control system is indubitably more to be considered than its components.
Jean Goussard nous a quittés le 26 décembre 2012. Longtemps membre de l'AFEID et de la CIID, où il a participé activement au Groupe de travail sur "la Construction, la Réhabilitation et la Modernisation de Systèmes d'Irrigation". Il était l'auteur d'un livre intitulé "Automatisation des Systèmes de Canaux d'Irrigation" publié en 1993 par la CIID. Tous ceux qui l'ont rencontré se souviennent d'un homme sympathique, passionné et intarissable sur les questions de régulation des canaux. Bien qu'il ait été un ardent promoteur des vannes automatiques Neyrpic, il affirmait toujours que le système de régulation importe plus que ses composantes.
La CIID présente ses sincères condoléances à la famille de Jean Goussard et à ses amis.
Mr Aly Shady, a visionary who made efficient water management as the mission of his life by addressing the technical, policy and governance issues at global level, was born in January 1942. A graduate from Cairo University and McGill University, Canada, he had a wide experience in policy development, public administration, soil salinity control and reclamation, environmental management, institutional strengthening and capacity building. Working in CIDA, he supported the development of water resources in more than 38 countries.
He guided several vital professional associations such as International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, International Water Resources Association (IWRA), American and Canadian Societies of Agricultural Engineering, International Soil Science Society, American Society of Agronomy etc. in their efforts to support nations in their fight against hunger and poverty. He organized several international conferences and served on the management teams of many professional organizations and was the recipient of a number of Awards and Honours. He was one of the three founding members of World Water Council, the Global Think Tank on Water.
Mr. Aly Shady was the President of ICID from 1996-1999 and its Vice President from 1990-1993. He served in ICID with distinction representing the Canadian National Committee of ICID since 1979. He was the Chairman of various Task Forces of ICID i.e. Task Force to Guide ICID Inputs to 5th World Water Forum (WWF-5), Task Force to Guide ICID Inputs to 4th World Water Forum and Task Force to Guide Preparation of ICID Inputs for the 3rd World Water Forum. He was the member of Task Force to Guide ICID Inputs to 6th World Water Forum. Mr. Aly Shady has over 100 publications and five books to his credit in the area of irrigation and drainage.
PH Aly Shady’s contribution and dedication to ICID are widely recognized in the ICID fraternity and will be long remembered. At this time of great grief, ICID fraternity records its profound sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and to the members of the Canadian National Committee of ICID (CANCID). May his soul rest in peace! |
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad demise of President Hon. John Hennessy on 7 June 2020. He has been associated with ICID activities for a long time and the President of ICID for the term 1990-1993.
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad demise of Vice President Hon. Er. Michel Delavalle on 4 September 2015. Er. Michel Delavalle was elected Vice President of ICID for a period of 3 years (1983-1986) during the 34th International Executive Council Meeting held in Melbourne on 1 October 1983. He was responsible for the study and implementation of irrigation projects for the development of rice farming in northern Cameroon and also for the entire rural infrastructure in this region until 1960. He was also responsible for the study of irrigation and drainage projects in Tunisia, and then led a multidisciplinary mission for the feasibility study of a major agricultural water project in Morocco, and a study mission on Regional Development with service plan in Tunisia. As a consultant of the World Bank and IFAD, he performed various studies and project evaluation of missions in Tunisia, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali.
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad demise of Vice President Hon. Dr. Jose Maria Martin Mendiluce on 31 August 2014. Dr. Mendiluce was actively associated with numerous studies of irrigation and water supply projects in Spain, Ecuador, Venezuela and The Dominican Republic. He was appointed as the President of the Spanish National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CERYD) in 1978 and held the post until now. As Vice President of ICID for the term 1983-1986, Dr. Mendiluce’s contribution and dedication to ICID are widely recognised in the ICID fraternity and will be long remembered. Dr. Mendiluce was the recipient of numerous awards including the Encomienda do Numero, the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, and the ‘Francisco de Miranda’ Order in the Second Class (of the Republic of Venezuela).
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad and untimely demise of Vice President Hon. Dr. Ryota NAKAMURA on 10th April 2014. He was Professor and Head of Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Tokyo. Dr. R. Nakamura was associated with ICID since 1978 and was Vice President from 1993 to 1996. He was also very active in the activities of ICID and Japanese National Committee, ICID (JNC-ICID). 
Mr. Jean-Marcel Laferriere (Canada) passed away on October 31, 2013. He was very active in the activities of ICID and Canadian National Committee on International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (CANCD). ICID family offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
It is with deep regrets that we inform the sad and untimely demise of President Hon. Aly M. Shady, Senior Policy Advisor of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on 27th December 2012 in the hospital of Ottawa.