The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation ‘KAHRAMAA‘ in collaboration with Water Science and Technology Association and Secretariate General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, will hold the 15th Gulf Water Conference in Doha from 29 – 30 April, under the patronage of HE Eng. Saad bin Sharida Al Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs.
20 speakers will participate in the conference attending seven main sessions, and 50 research papers will be discussed. The topics include ways of reducing carbon emissions in the water sector of the GCC Countries in collaboration with the General Secretariate, and the effective management of the municipal water sector in collaboration with Arab Countries Water Utilities Association. Additionally, the conference will explore prospects of water science and technology research in collaboration with the UNESCO office in Cairo, and the use of technology to bridge the data gap for the effective management of agricultural water in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ‘FAO.’
The sessions will also cover topics related to the privatisation of the water sector and regulatory aspects, which are organised in cooperation with the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association. Additionally, the sessions will address water information systems for integrated water management in collaboration with the UNESCO office in Doha, as well as the study of antimicrobial resistance in municipal wastewater in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme.
HE Eng. Issa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, President of Kahramaa, pointed out that technology is an important tool we possess today, and we strive to harness it to improve the water sector and enhance the management of water resources. With coordination between the GCC countries and the concerned organisations, we can effectively implement these innovations. This conference is an invitation to share expertise and discuss the latest technologies, benefits, and challenges facing the region. It is an important step towards the sustainability of the water sector, elevating the level of water treatment, investing in water sector technologies, and identifying smart innovative solutions.
He also stated that the conference welcomes all participants and invites fruitful discussions related to the future of the water sector and modern technology in the Gulf region.
The Vice President of the Water Science and Technology Association, the Head of the Scientific and Training Committee, and the Dean of the Graduate Studies College at the Arabian Gulf University, Professor Waleed Al-Zubari, stated that the conference primarily aims to review the current and emerging technologies used in various water sectors, increase awareness of them, and understand their advantages, challenges, and limitations.
Prof. Al-Zubari mentioned that the conference’s slogan is ‘Gulf Water: Embracing Technological Progress,’ attributing choosing the slogan to the radical change in the systems of production, management, and governance, at a time when we stand on the brink of the technological revolution, the fourth industrial revolution.
He added: ‘The rapid developments in modern technologies in all aspects of water informatics, the current massive amount of data coming from all types of devices, the increasing capacity of computers, and the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud analytics, and the general digital transformation of the council’s states will revolutionize all sectors, and the water sector system will be no exception.’
An example in the municipal water supply sector, he said: ‘The combination of the power of data analytics, including artificial intelligence, with the current and future urban water infrastructure, represents a significant untapped opportunity for the operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of water infrastructure in urban areas to achieve economic development and social sustainability. Similarly, in the management of agricultural water, the adoption of smart water management systems, where sensors measure soil moisture in real-time and automatically irrigate the field without human intervention, provides a great opportunity to enhance irrigation efficiency and improve water usage.’
The 15th Gulf Water Conference calls for harnessing technologies in both the supply and demand management to achieve effective water management in the GCC countries. It encourages the exchange of expertise and discussion about the benefits, costs, risks, and the required human capabilities, as well as the obstacles facing their implementation.
The conference will feature 20 keynote speakers who have been invited by the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) to present their speeches on the latest developments in water management across various water sectors. During the conference, the results of 50 scientific papers that have been reviewed and evaluated by the scientific committee through a large network of reviewers in the region will be presented. The conference will address six main themes, which collectively focus on the integrated management of water resources, desalination sector management, surface water and groundwater management, sewage water management (treatment and reuse), as well as household water management and agricultural water management.
In conjunction with the conference sessions, three training courses will be held discussing the role of the salinity agriculture approach in sustaining agricultural production in the arid GCC countries, organised by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture. The courses include also the design of sanitation safety plans, organised by the World Health Organization, and the treatment and reuse of sewage water in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, organised by the International Water Management Institute.
The list of partners and supporters of the conference includes the:
- United Nations organisations: ESCWA and UNESCO
- World Health Organization
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- United Nations Environment Programme
- International Water Management Institute,
- ICARDA
- International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
- Arab Organization for Agricultural Development
- Gulf Standardization Organization
- Arab Countries Water Utilities Association
- International Desalination Association
- European Desalination Society
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute
- Oman Water Society
This conference comes in fulfillment of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, under the pillar of environmental development and sustainability, and balancing between meeting immediate needs and requirements of environmental conservation.
For more information about the Gulf Water Conference, please visit their website: gulfwaterconference.org.
Check out Marhaba’s FREE e-Guides for everything you need to know about Qatar.
