JEDDAH, 21 April 2008 — The water crisis in the Middle East, waste management and economic losses caused by pollution will figure high on the agenda of the first Jeddah Environment Forum that opens at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) today. Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of the chamber, said discussions at the forum would focus on four pivotal topics: sustainable development, water crisis, energy requirements and environmental challenges.
The three-day forum will seek practical solutions to environmental problems in Jeddah in particular and Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in general.
Dr. Muhammad Al-Johani, chairman of the forum, said 30 international experts would present papers on environmental issues. “We have completed all preparations for the event,” he added.
The Arab European Council on Environment, Environment Center at King Abdulaziz University and the University of Rostock in Germany are the forum’s academic consultants. “The forum will discuss practical solutions to get rid of garbage in cities and how to coexist with nature in the backdrop of increasing pollution,” Al-Johani said.
Organized by JCCI in association with the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, the forum seeks to benefit from the experiences of other countries in fighting environmental pollution.
Al-Johani described urban waste as a very serious problem and blamed its accumulation for various health problems. Garbage fires, water contamination from sewers and industrial waste have polluted Jeddah’s environment.
According to Ahmed Al-Najjar, an economist at Political and Strategic Studies Center in Egypt, the forum offers a good opportunity for experts to find realistic solutions to the water crisis in the Middle East. “About 60 percent of water currently used by Arabs is obtained from sources outside their borders. This makes Arabs dependent on others for water,” he said.
As a result, Al-Najjar said, water could be used in the future to exert political and economic pressure.
The demand for water in Arab countries is increasing as a result of population growth and development.
“We have to set out an Arab strategy for the joint use of rivers and other water resources and exchange information related to water and desalination,” Al-Najjar told Al-Watan Arabic daily. He warned against the negative impact of the excessive use of underground water in the Arab world.
Dr. Faraj Al-Mabrouk, professor of environmental engineering and public health, drew attention to the danger posed by traditional methods of disposing of sewage water, saying that it was the main reason for environmental pollution. He emphasized the need to apply modern technology to treat sewage water.
Al-Mabrouk emphasized the importance of re-using purified sewage water for different purposes, considering it as a second vital source of water. “This system will not only reduce pollution and contagious diseases but also prevent contamination of underground water and environment.”
Abdul Hadi Al-Najjar, one of the organizers, highlighted economic losses caused by environmental pollution in terms of destruction of fish and other marine life, loss of human and animal lives and loss of work as a result of diseases, and damage caused to agriculture and the ozone layer.
