RIYADH, 29 April 2008 — Saudi Arabia and Germany have teamed up to tackle water problems and find out solutions to cope with the dwindling water resources of the Gulf region. As prelude to their joint move, the two countries will hold a high-profile conference on innovative water projects on May 5. The five-day event is being organized in Munich on the sidelines of IFAT 2008, the leading international fair for water, sewage and recycling.
“The conference is organized by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce (Gesalo) in cooperation with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE), Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and a few other Saudi and German government agencies,” said Gerd M. Doepner, Gesalo chief, here yesterday. Doepner said that Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, SWCC deputy governor, will be present at the event along with several high ranking Saudi officials.
“On May 7 during IFAT 2008, the conference will mainly feature the high-value projects, to be implemented in the Kingdom with innovative technology to cut soaring costs of desalination, water supply and recycling,” said Doepner.
Doepner said that “organizing such events show the importance of transferring technical know-how and exchange experience between our two friendly countries and this is one of the main Gesalo’s goals,” said Doepner.
He said that “one can find solutions to various problems alongside the latest technology at IFAT.