KUALA LUMPUR, July 18: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Malaysia Dr. Hamad Burhama said on Monday that the State of Kuwait has contributed to securing water in several parts of the world through projects funded by the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development (KFAED), with a value of USD 1.6 billion.

In a lecture on “Challenges of Water and Water Security in Islamic Thought” at the International Institute of Thought and Civilization of the Islamic University of Malaysia, the ambassador added that the contributions of the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development amounted to 100 diversified projects in the field of water and sanitation in many countries of the world. He explained that a number of Kuwaiti organizations have also funded water projects in countries of the world, such as the Direct Aid Association, whose number of projects to provide water has reached more than 27 thousand projects in the African continent. He stated that among the Kuwaiti organizations that have funded water projects in the world are the International Islamic Charitable Organization, the Kuwait Society for Relief and the Kuwaiti Society for Humanitarian Relief and Development, pointing out that the projects of these organizations are spread in countries such as Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Madagascar and others.

Ambassador Burhama touched on the water resources in the Gulf countries that suffer from a water shortage, pointing to the volume of desalinated water production, according to the statistics of 2020, which amounted to about 6.4 billion cubic meters. He also touched on water as a political and legal issue through international and bilateral treaties and agreements, especially in common or transit water problems between countries, explaining that there is no alternative to solving these problems except legal agreements and technical and functional cooperation.

He added, “In this part, some countries need funding and expertise, and from here comes the role of Kuwait, especially the KFAED and charitable organizations to support those countries and support solutions to water problems,” stressing that the difficulties are not only related to water shortages, but also pollution, water use, health and disease control. Today, Ambassador Hamad Burhama launched the second edition of his book ‘Water in Islamic Thought and Arabic Literature’ at a ceremony held by the International Institute for the Unity of the Nation, another institute affiliated with the International Islamic University in Malaysia. (KUNA)