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 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.
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 the 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.
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.