KUWAIT CITY, Nov 19: The Water Research Center at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) organized a regional workshop entitled, “Wastewater Treatment Technologies and Energy Production in Arab Countries,” under the patronage of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KISR Dr. Nader Al- Jalal. The objectives of the workshop include building a platform for cooperation and joint work through the exchange of experience between researchers and specialists in wastewater and industrial water management, as well as enriching the results of scientific research that the State of Kuwait considers crucial in laying down plans to improve the path towards comprehensive and sustainable development. In a speech he delivered on behalf of the minister, the acting Director General of KISR Dr. Faisal Al-Humaidan confirmed that Kuwait enjoys safe management and wide coverage of drinking water and wastewater services. “Kuwait ranked first among Arab countries and sixth globally in the quality of drinking water and treated wastewater and its use in a manner that protects the environment by 100 percent, according to the joint monitoring program between the World Health Organization and UNICEF,” he revealed.

He added the Sulaibiya Water Treatment and Desalination Plant is the largest facility in the world that uses reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration water treatment methods to treat wastewater, proving that Kuwait is one of the top nations in the world for treating wastewater using the latest international technologies. He affirmed that the Kuwaiti government has always been keen on treating industrial wastewater. “More than 10 years ago, the government issued a regulation for the transfer of industrial wastewater to establish a system to control the transfer of industrial liquid waste and dispose of it through environmentally safe ways to prevent harmful effects on public health. This is in addition to the establishment of a database on the quality, quantity, and sources of industrial liquid waste,” he added. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Scientific Research Councils Prof. Abdul Majeed Benamara confirmed the importance of water and energy as two main axes for achieving sustainable development, especially in light of water scarcity and increasing pressure on energy resources in the region.

By Abdulrahman Al-Shammari Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff