The total water production in the GCC is only 7.1 billion cu m per annum, falling 19.4 billion cu m short of the total annual consumption of 26.5 billion cu m, said the organisers an upcoming power and water summit in Abu Dhabi, citing reports.

With groundwater supplies almost exhausted in some countries, there is an urgent need for new water supply projects to come online to meet deficit, according to a recent White Paper by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan.

Leaders in the region’s water and wastewater industry will be discussing how to best meet this gap between consumption and production at the upcoming Waterworld Middle East Conference and Exhibition, to be held in Abu Dhabi from October 12 to 14.

“The recognized need to address the gap has attracted more than 100 water technology companies, service providers and equipment manufacturers to the region,” said Tom Freyberg, conference director for WaterWorld Middle East.

“It is the goal of our conference to bring technology leaders together with decision makers to enhance dialogue around best practices for asset management and wastewater management to address eminent water shortage challenges.”

To share advice and experience on delivering successful water projects, some of the region’s top consultants and service providers will take part in a panel debate on “Delivering Water Projects”, to take place on October 13.

Leading projects that have recently come online to help address the increasing need for water in the region will also be reviewed during the conference.

“The region’s own economic success is ironically driving the water shortage that could have the potential to stymie additional growth in the future,” said Freyberg.

“The Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company’s strategic tunnel engineering project (STEP) will deliver additional wastewater collection capacity to help address the demands created by the region’s growing population and economy. It’s a great example of one of the large scale engineering projects currently underway in the region.  We encourage all delegates to sign up for the technical tour of the STEP project to see first-hand how Abu Dhabi is future proofing its infrastructure.”

The WaterWorld Middle East Conference and Exhibition will run in tandem with Power-Gen Middle East from October 12 to 14 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec). The event will bring together the region’s leading plant owners and operators, consultants, utilities, investors and academics, with representatives of over 80 companies from 30 countries. – TradeArabia News Service