JEDDAH: The three-day Saudi Water & Power Forum, which ended here on Tuesday night, stressed that Saudi Arabia needed to improve the price and value efficiency of water production and treatment, and develop a domestic water technology industry that will contribute to national economic performance and provide employment opportunities.
“Having a strong technological capability in a domestic water industry is both a national security and economic imperative to the Kingdom,” Dr. Khalid A. Aleissa, director, Atomic Energy Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), emphasized during one of the forum sessions.
Improved water technologies are of highest priority to the Kingdom to ensure adequate water supplies for human, agricultural and industrial use, and to support national self-reliance in water-related research and development. “It is also necessary for the Kingdom to reduce dependence on foreign technology,” he said.
The presentation of the SWPF Award for Innovation and the Marafiq Award for sustainability highlighted the forum’s fifth annual event, in which several experts and top executives from national and international companies gave their presentations. They focused on strategies for efficient and sustainable power and water production, opportunities in the improvement and upgrade of existing assets, impact of the global financial crisis on utilities and prospects for alternative energy sources for utilities water re-use and environmental management, aside from demand management, tariff policy and consumer relations. The challenges of privatization and decentralized solutions for production and services were among the other topics discussed. Site visits to Jeddah Desalination plants and Bushnak Academy technical seminar and workshops were held on Wednesday.
At the exhibition held alongside the forum, several foreign and national water and power companies displayed their strategic priorities and solutions, as well as equipment for water and power technologies.
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) focused on desalination technology, flash evaporation and reverse osmosis methods, as well as potable water treatment and characteristics and its role in the environment protection.
ELECTRAMA-2010, described as the world’s biggest electronic and electrical equipment expo to be held in India, at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai, from Jan. 20-24, held a preview of the event at the forum. The expo, a biennial trade exhibition on industrial electrical and electronics equipment, is entering into its 9th edition, Murali Venkatraman, president of IEEMA, which organizes the expo, told reporters. Seeking the participation of Saudis, he said the expo would present a common platform showcasing power equipment manufactures — switchgear, transformers, cable, conductors, winding wires right up to the segment of power electronics and design and consultancy.
The Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East focused on the Japanese total water management solution for sustainable development of water resources. “We can make your country a place where you can drink water form a tap,” a center executive said.
The Singapore Pavilion focused on the island state’s experience in the fields of water and power and sought Saudi participation in the Singapore International Water Week 2010 being held from June 28 to July 2, in conjunction with the World Cities Summit 2010. Themed Sustainable Cities: Clean and Affordable water, the water week will focus on the need for efficiency in water solutions to address water problems in the region amid a constantly changing environment.
