Iraq: Empty Quarter project starts pumping water to Najran

A project to exploit underground water in the Empty Quarter started pumping water to many districts of Najran on the 1^st of April 2011.

“Water supplied by 17 wells in the Empty Quarter are collected at a location 130 kilometers east of Najran city before supplying to various districts,” Director General of the Water Department in Najran province Saleh Heshlan said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.

The wells are now capable of pumping 50,000 cubic meters of water daily and the pumped water is collected in the first pumping station in Nuqaiha, 125 kilometers east of Najran, and then pumped with the help of boosting stations, he said.

The project will benefit Al-Fahd and Athayabah districts, districts on both sides of King Abdulaziz and King Abdullah roads from the Holiday Inn to the Al-Shalal intersection.

The minister told local Arabic daily Al-Madinah that there would not be any change in water tariffs despite the fact that demands will tremendously increase in the next five years due to an increase in population and development projects.

“The ministry is currently considering plans to specify the areas in which there is a need for treated sewage water,” he added.

Source: Iraq Daily Journal, April 2, 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

Arabs to face severe water shortages by 2015

The Arab world is facing severe water shortages as early as 2015, as the annual per capita share will be less than 500 cubic meters. This is below one-tenth of the world’s average, currently estimated at over 6,000 cubic meters of water per capita per year, according to a report [1] released by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED).

The report [...] warned that without fundamental changes in policies and practices, the situation will get worse, with drastic social, political and economic ramifications. Water supply sources in the Arab world, two-thirds of which originate outside the region, are being stretched to their limits. Thirteen Arab countries are among the world’s nineteen most water-scarce nations, and per capita water availability in eight countries is already below 200 cubic meters annually, less than half the amount designated as severe water scarcity. By 2015, the only countries in the region which will still pass the water scarcity test will be Iraq and Sudan. The Arab region is one of the driest in the world. More than 70% of the land is arid and rainfall is sparse and poorly distributed. Climate change will exacerbate the situation.

Water fears lead Saudis to end grain output

By Andrew England in Cairo and Javier Blas in London
Published: February 27 2008 02:00

Saudi Arabia plans to halt wheat production by 2016 because of concerns about the desert kingdom’s scarce water resources, according to a US government agency.

The Saudi Arabian government has not publicly given details of the move, which comes as global cereal prices surge, driven by strong demand and lagging supply. Top-quality wheat prices for baking bread hit a high this week of $25 a bushel and have more than doubled since January.

Read more: FT.com, 27 Feb 2008