The Water and Electricity Minister, Abdullah Al-Hussayen, who is leading a Saudi delegation to the World Congress on Desalination, said water desalination projects would require $500 billion within the next 10 years.
Over 700 delegates from 42 countries have gathered in Singapore for the opening of the International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse, according to a report published today by the Arab News.
Saudi Arabia is not only the world's largest oil producer but also one of the world's largest producers of desalinated water, accounting for some 30 percent of the world's total output. Though better known for its role in OPEC, the Kingdom is also an active member of the International Desalination Association (IDA).
Today, Saudi Arabia had the chance to share its experiences of desalination at the IDA World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse. The congress was opened by Singapore's Minister of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, who is also Singapore's Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.
In his opening remarks, Yaacob said, "Clean, drinkable water cannot be taken for granted, as evidenced by a recent United Nations report that about one-sixth of the world's population still lacks access to safe water. Only about one percent of the planet's natural water supply is fresh water."
Supporting Dr. Yaacob, IDA president, Abdul Hamid Al-Mansour, underlined the importance of desalination in dealing with the world's potential water shortage. "Desalination has decisively proven its reliability to deliver large quantities of fresh water from the sea, from brackish resources and through water reuse. Fresh water is no longer the infinitely renewable resource that we once thought it was. Unlike oil, fresh water has no viable substitute and its depletion both in quantity and quality bodes even more profound economic and social effects. The sea is the unlimited source from which we can create new fresh water through desalination."
The congress brings together experts and water industry personnel and many government officials from some 42 countries. More than 150 technical papers covering the latest advancements in desalination design, construction, operations, maintenance and finance will be presented at this conference and delegates will also see the latest technologies and services in desalination and water reuse presented by 58 major industry players at an exhibition. As well as Al-Husayyen and Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Dr. Khamis Mubarak Issa Al-Alawi, Oman's Minister for Housing, Electricity and Water also attended the conference.
