Doha Hosts 10th Gulf Water Conference on April 22

Doha, March 19 (QNA) - Under the patronage and attendance of HE Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammad Saleh Al Sada - the Water Science and Technology Association (WSTA), Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) and the Secretariat General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf State of the Gulf (GCC) are delighted announce the Tenth Gulf Water Conference will be held in Doha, Qatar on April 22 . The Conference will concentrate on coordination and cooperation between the GCC countries in the development and maggement of water resources, and the rationalization of water usage. Eng Essa Bin Hilal al Kuwari , President of KAHRAMAA and the conference, announced the Forthcomng "10th Gulf Water Conference" . The conference is organized by Qatar General Electricity and Water Cooperation, and the Water Science and Technology association and the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States in cooperation with Interactive Business Network(IBN). The press conference was headed by Essa al Kuwari , and attended by Egineer Ali Sif Al Malki, chairman of the conference organizing committee and KAHARMAA's water networks Director, and Raed Chehaib, CEO of Interactive Business Network (IBN) in addition to representatives of the spo9nsores & members of the press from Qatar, GCC, region and international media. Eng. Essa Bin Hilal al Kuwari opened the conference by welcoming all those present and stressing on the importance of the conference not only in terms of its subject and aims, but also in terms of its contiunity given that it was first lauched in 1992 and is being held this year in its 10h session. He also highlighted the lhigh level participation of minisers from Qatar and the GCC, experts and accademic members from the Arab and Islamic world, and international organizations for the Uited Nations incluing the ESCWA, UNDP, and UNU. In light of that, HE Al kuwari outlined the ma topics and issues that will be discussed at the conference including the present situation of planning and managing sustainable water resources in the GCC countries; projections of water requirements in the region and means of reducing the expected gap between water supplies and demand; the relation between water availability and food security; the role of GCC muncipalities in supplying and managing water resources; developments in water desalinatio technology nd its conomics; new techniques in waste watdr treatment and management; financing water projects, and other topics and issues. As the President of the conference HE Al kuwari emphasized on KAHARMAA's continual commitment towards developing national stragegies to manage water resources. He called for Qatari Minsters and instutions, ang GCC organizations involed in water, energy and food resource, to register for the conference before 16th of April on www.gwcdoha2012.org. Al Kuwari concluded by thanking the sponsors, press organizing company (IBN) and KAHARMA volunteers for their efforts and dedication to make this event a sussess. For his part, Engineer AL Malki , the Director of KAHARMAA's Water Networks Directorate, WSTA Board Member, KAHRAMAA, who is also Chairman of the Organizing Committe, talked about the importance of this conference to be held in Doha for the 2nd time, complementing the economc grwoth in the GCC. He shared the beliefhat this conference will be one of the most important events in the region attracting a large number of delegates including ministers and concerned officials from Qtar and the GCC, leaders and decision makers. Al-Malki thanked HE the minister of energy and industry for sponsoring and supporting the conference. The three-day function , held under the slogan: "Water in the GCC States The Water-Energy-Food Nexus" will be convened at Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel, Qatar. The Tenth Conference will concentrate on the close relation and interaction between water- energy and water-food issues, as well as other linkages between water use and health and environmental issues and priorities. The conferees will also discuss models for planning, managing and ensuring the sustainability of water resources, energy production, and food security, from the social, economic, legal and technical perspectives. Main topics on the conference agenda include: - Water security and food sustainability. - Managing surface and groundwater resources. - The management of municipal water supplies. - Latest developments in desalination technologies and alternative energy supplies. The conference will be attended by a number of Ministers, Under-Secretaries, and GCC, Arab and international water professionals from the public and private sectors, and representatives of international, regional and local organizations. Meanwhile , CEO of Interactive Business Network (IBN) Raed Chehiaib expressed his belief that the 10th Gulf Water Conference will be one of the most important events on the conference agenda in the region during 2012, and expected that the conference will arrive at effective conclusions and recommendations concerning eye development of water resources in the GCC countries and the rationalization of use of such resources in the various sectors and activities. Raed Chehiaib said that the 10th Gulf Water Conference is expected to attract at least 500 large and high profile level of attendance and participation , including ministers and concerned officials in the GCC countries and arab and foreign countries, leaders, experts, academics, and practitioners in public and private sectors in the field of water power and food security projects, in addition of course to Arab and international media organizations and press representatives. The Conference's main objectives will be raising awareness to the importance of considering and dealing with the strong inter-sector between water, energy, and agriculture, and identifying the major inter-relations, inter-dependencies, challenges, and opportunities of these resources today and in the future in the GCC countries, CEO of Interactive Business Network (IBN) said. It will also facilitate an open discussion platform to share knowledge and experiences between researchers, executives, decision and policy makers, and other stakeholders, on modern methodologies and techniques used in the planning and preparation of medium- and long-term national strategies for the sustainable management of water, energy, and food in the GCC countries, and other dry regions. The conference also aims at formulating a research framework and strategy for the needed research in the field of identifying the role and value of energy in the various water sectors in the GCC countries and formulating a research framework and strategy for the needed research in the field of rational and efficient water use in the agricultural sector and maximizing its value added. Building a network between individuals, institutes, NGOs in the GCC countries, the Arab countries, and other countries that are interested in scientific research in the water-energy-food nexus, The conferees are to to discuss several main topics including sustainable planning and management of water and energy resources, case studies of planning and management of water and energy resources on the national and regional levels; GCC fresh water and energy demands forecasts; approaches to close the demand-supply gap for water and energy; role of energy, energy demands, and energy use efficiency in the various water sectors; policies, legislations, institutional roles and capacities, and financial and economic considerations required for the sustainable management of water and energy; expected impacts of climate change on the use of water and energy, carbon trade, tools and technologies for increasing the efficiency of energy use in the water sector. They will discuss as well water security and food sustainability ,water security versus food security in arid regions; demand management and water conservation strategies in the agricultural sector in arid regions; modern agricultural technologies (biosaline, soilless ), modern irrigation techniques, and protected agricultural; the principle of virtual water and its role in agricultural policies and water resources management in the GCC countries. The participants will also consider management of natural resources (groundwater and surface water), strategies for integrated management and sustainable planning of water resources (renewable and nonrenewable); water harvesting and artificial recharge; water protection and monitoring strategies; economical, legislative, and technological tools for managing demand. The conferees are to discuss as well management of the municipal water sector and demand management and conservation strategies in the municipal sector; management of non-revenue water; quantitative and qualitative management of water supply systems (Production, treatment, transmission, and distribution); role and efficient usage of energy in the municipal sector. Desalination technologies , the current trends and recent and future developments in desalination technologies and alternative energy sources; design, operation, and management of desalination plants; Innovative desalination plants design and modeling; economics and financing of desalination; desalination and renewable energy sources, will be also taken up. (QNA)