Dubai : Mounting Demand, Major Challenges and Opportunities

The Environmental Practice at Frost & Sullivan, a Global Growth Partnership Company, is hosting an Analyst Briefing titled ‘Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in  Middle East and North Africa: Mounting Demand, Major Challenges and Opportunities’, on April 19th, 2011.

Frost & Sullivan will soon release a report called ‘Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Market in Middle East and North African Countries’. This report will provide an overview and assessment of the water and wastewater infrastructure market in the MENA region. The report evaluate the main challenges, drivers and restrains faced in the MENA market and provides a comprehensive analysis of the present market status as well as the forecast for future developments. This study also provides competitive analysis of water and wastewater treatment solution providers. The base year is 2010 with forecasts running until 2015.

The MENA region is a pioneer in Desalination plants. The region has witnessed huge investments in the water and wastewater sector in the recent years. The growth in this sector has been impressive and the participants are preparing to grab the opportunities and take advantage of the promising market dynamics.

To participate in this briefing, or for an interview, contact Tanu Chopra(tanu.chopra@frost.com/ Nimisha Iyer (niyer@frost.com) with full name, company name, title, telephone number, office e-mail id, address, city, state, and country.

Contact:

Tanu Chopra (tanu.chopra@frost.com), Corporate Communications – Middle East and North Africa

P: +91.22. 6607 2037/ F: +91.22.2832 4713

Nimisha Iyer (niyer@frost.com),  Corporate Communications –Middle East, North Africa and South Asia

P: +91 98200 50519/ F: +91 22 2832 4713

http://www.frost.com

Source: ZAWYA , 14 Apr 2011.

Water treatment technology showcased

ConocoPhillips, an international and integrated energy company based in the US has created an ‘innovative display’ that caught the visitors’ attention for its innovative design and content, as it reflects the work of one of the company’s major ventures in support and service of the environment, the Global Water Sustainability Center (GWSC).

GWSC is a collaborative effort between ConocoPhillips & General Electric Water Technologies, located at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) for the development of innovative, more efficient and cost-effective technologies for the treatment of petroleum by-product water.

The ConocoPhillips displayed also a children’s play area, a plantation area, a marina and desert life area, a cultural area, food outlets as well as school performances throughout the event. The display carried four story boards to explain the global and local water resources, desalination, formation water, reclaimed water and showcase the activities of GWSC/COP.

Dr Adham, GWSC managing director said, “Qatar has very limited ground water and rainfall but has abundant sea water. Hence 99% of Qatar’s household water comes from seawater desalination plants which remove salt & impurities from sea-water resulting in clean, fresh water that is safe for drinking as well as for use in construction, hospitals, factories, irrigation, lawns and landscaping.”

The collected “produced water,” is usually highly saline and may contain hydrocarbons, minerals or metals rendering it impossible to use without treatment.

“Managing the treatment and disposal of the “produced water” is a challenge for our industry,” explained Dr Adham.

Source:aeCERT, April 3, 2011

Saudi Arabia: Groundwater wastage

Image via Wikipedia

Local water experts notified the Saudi Arabian government on the danger of wasting as much as 30 percent of the country’s groundwater resources and warned that finite groundwater resources have been lost due to out-of-date extraction methods.

Mansur Abahusayn, a visiting scholar at the University of California, said at a renewable energy conference in Abu Dhabi that Saudi Arabia could reduce the amount of water wasted to 5 percent if the technology is changed.

He estimated the water would run out within 200 years at current usage rates, whereas new technology would allow the country to conserve supplies for 400 years.

Saudi Arabians used 5.5 million cubic metres a day of potable water in 2007, Abahusayn said, and the consumption is expected to rise to 9 million cubic metres a day in 2015, and 13 million by 2039.

About 55 percent of the Saudi Arabia’s water supply comes from seawater, while the rest is from groundwater. 

Source: ArgentinaStar.com, 28 september 2010

Accountability for Better Water Management Results

April 2008 – Are countries in MENA region able to adapt their current water management practices to meet these combined challenges:

• As the region’s economies and population structures change over the next few decades, demands for water supply and irrigation services will change accordingly;
• Rainfall patterns are predicted to shift as a result of climate change;
• Per capita water availability will fall by half by 2050?

The World Bank report “Making the Most of Scarcity: Accountability for Better Water Management Results in the Middle East and North Africa” tries to answer the question.

Source: Word Bank, 04 Apr 2008