Addressing Water Scarcity in Saudi Arabia

WEF’s Patrick Dube blogs about Water Arabia 2017, where the focus was combating water scarcity in the Middle East.
Although clean water is a major issue throughout the world, the Middle East is one of the most water-stressed parts of the world and as a result, the region is facing critical water scarcity issues.
Frequent droughts, low water reserves, and rising populations all combine to place many Middle Eastern countries in the “extremely high-water stress” range.
The leading Water Environment Federation (WEF) Member Association in the Middle East, the Saudi Arabia Water Environment Association (SAWEA), hosts a conference and exhibition every two years and this past October, I was invited to travel to Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia to attend.
The theme for Water Arabia 2017 was Sustaining Water Resources Through Innovative and Reliable Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies.
Mansour H. Al Mushaiti, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, with whom we were able to discuss the excellent work that SAWEA is doing in the Middle East.
I was honored to judge both the undergraduate and graduate competitions and present the winners of each category with WEF student memberships.
Water Arabia 2017 provided an excellent occasion for water professionals in the region to come together and discuss critical topics that will be necessary to address to help combat the region’s water scarcity issues.
About Patrick Dube, Ph.D. Patrick Dube, Ph.D., has recently joined WEF as the new Biosolids Program Manager.
His research background with UF and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service has ranged from anaerobic digestion to biofuel production to nutrient removal.

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