Kuwait takes part in Arab conference

Kuwaiti and Arab officials held preliminary talks here on eve of the Second Arab Water Conference due to discuss closer pan-Arab cooperation to preserve water resources in the region. Ahmad Khaled Al-Jassar, Kuwait's Electricity and Water Undersecretary, who took part in the meeting of the Executive Bureau of the Arab Water Ministerial Council, indicated the initial discussions dealt with a host of items, namely cooperation among Arab states on water rationing and treatment. The talks dealt with preparations for the World Seventh Forum, due in South Korea in 2015, coordination among Arab countries ahead of the events, plans to guide Arab citizens on saving water and matters related to water treatment. Conferees, Al-Jassar added in remarks to KUNA, discussed sharing water resources. For his part, the assistant undersecretary of the Kuwaiti ministry, Homoud Bader Al-Roudhan, told KUNA the participants in the meeting examined studies on bolstering cooperation among Arab League member states, through workshops and courses, for sake of utilizing and preserving the water resources on sustainable basis. The Second Arab Water Conference, due on May 27-29, will be held under auspices of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), in cooperation with the Arab Ministerial Water Council. The Arab Water Conference aims to promote cooperation and partnership between the Arab countries and unite efforts in face of many challenges related to water in the Gulf region. Some of the topics on the table include seawater desalination technologies being used in countries without sufficient access to fresh water, in addition to desalination technology as new proposals to ensure efficiency in potable water extraction. Other major issues that affect countries across the region include ground water quality and reservoirs. Many countries in the Gulf 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. Tomorrow's major conference will bring together senior decision-makers, officials, water experts and researchers from across the Arab region. They will address in particular water scarcity and methods of sustainable management of water resources in the Arab region.