The State of Qatar will host the Second Arab Water Conference from 27-29 May 2014 under the auspices of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) in cooperation with the Arab Ministerial Water Council.
This prestigious conference is being held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar.
Engr. Nasser Ali Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the organizing committee, said: “KAHRAMAA is honored to be hosting this conference on behalf of the State of Qatar. It reinforces Qatar’s active role within the Arab world as an advocate and champion of sustainability within our communities. We are thankful for the continuing support and encouragement received from our country from all quarters as well as the support and received from our brothers in the Arab world who have expressed their commitment to achieving this common goal.
Elaborating Eng.Al Mohannadi further said, ‘Through this conference we hope to further reiterate KAHRAMAA’s commitment to being a sustainable and responsible corporate citizen within our community and also encouraging the adoption and development of advanced technology and methodologies to ensure water security within our community.”
The Arab Water Conference aims to promote cooperation and partnership between the Arab countries and unite efforts in the face of the many challenges related to water in our region. It will also be a platform to exchange ideas and discuss sustainable technologies and methodologies used in the planning and preparation of national strategies.
This will ensure the evolution of water strategies in the Arab world both in the immediate future and in the long term.
Some of the topics being discussed include seawater desalination technologies being used in countries without sufficient access to fresh water. The summit will address desalination practices that are in use as well as new proposals to ensure efficiency not just in potable water extraction but also the energy utilized to achieve the results.
Other major issues that affect countries across the region include ground water quality and reservoirs. Many countries in the region have particularly challenging issues related to depleting groundwater resources. Solutions to meet these challenges range from replenishing groundwater resources to updating extraction technologies, as well as a range of other answers.
Most urban environments also face issued related to waste water management, which when effectively implemented can subsidize agricultural, city landscaping and industrial water requirements as well as contribute to reducing the contamination of groundwater reserves and terrestrial water systems like rivers and lakes.
Within the overall context of the mandate is the need to also consider drought mitigation in arid regions, where water scarcity has a direct correlation to agricultural productivity and, by extension, economic performance.
During the 2nd Arab Water conference, the objective is to enhance partnership and shared scientific, technological and industrial intelligence, while looking at overarching factors such as geopolitical pressures, regional challenges and priorities, as well as how country-specific development strategies fit into the overall picture.
Increasingly, water security is becoming a topic that is entwined with food security and this is extremely important within the Arab world where modern agricultural practices have helped countries supplement the amount of fresh produce imported from other countries. Even in countries such as Qatar with a naturally arid landscape, intelligent designs such as trickle irrigation systems are delivering remarkable results.
Participating in the 2nd Arab Water Conference & Exhibition 2014 will be senior decision-makers, senior officials, water experts and researchers from across the Arab region. They will meet to discuss water issues relevant to Arab countries in an attempt to reach a common understanding of what is required to address water scarcity and methods of sustainable management of water resources in the Arab region.
This conference provides an excellent opportunity for decision-makers, experts and researchers to exchange opinions and ideas and find potential solutions regarding water conservation in the Arab world.
The conference is supported by Strategic Partners including industry leaders such as Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC), Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG), Saint Gobain, Al Jaber Engineering and Kubota.
Source : Qatar News Agency
