The Minister of Electricity and Water affairs Dr. Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza, on the sidelines of the launch of the UNDP-RBAS report “Water Governance in the Arab Region” said that the idea of having such alternative integrated water supply system would be developed to ensure a clean water supply in the event of contamination.
“The GCC countries are seeking to develop another water source by using Oman Sea and Oman Sea as water source. Under the plan, the entire GCC will be covered through a water supply network linked directly to the two large desalination plants,” Dr Mirza explained.
Dr Mirza also delivered a keynote address during the roundtable held in Manama with the participation of the Foreign Ministry and UNDP.
Dr Ghaith H Fariz, Director Arab Knowledge Report and Arab Water Report at the UNDP said that the development and the adoption of a good governance of water resources was a key to keep water flowing in region’s taps. “This is stark and urgent message for the people of the Arab region to secure the future of the future generations,” Dr Ghaith told The24X7News.
Touching on the benefits of an integrated alternative water supply network for GCC, Dr Mirza said since the establishment of the GCC Power Grid almost 800 major incidents of blackout, interruption and possible power disaster had been avoided.
“Statistics supports the immense benefits of the GCC Power Grid and a system of uninterrupted power supply cannel. We want to replicate the same model by developing an integrated GCC water supply system,” the Minister added.
The Minister explained the important issues of water sustainability in the long-term life and prosperity of the region and the water challenges in the Arab countries. The minister explained the scarcity of renewable water resources as a distinctive characteristic of the region, the critical issues of sustainability water strategies within the inner borders of countries and between neighboring countries, the water management and the continuous deterioration of the available natural water resources which has become during the past 25 years equally distinguishing features as well.
The Minister highlighted the importance of the developing an integrated national sustainable water strategy for Bahrain, which will address a number of focal issues such as integrated water institutional framework, coherent coordination between the three players in the provision of water resources in Bahrain and ensuring the implementation of major performance indicators for the integrated approach, long term availability of water for generations to come, the protection of the available ground water resources, the strengthening of public involvement and participation, the reinforcing inter area cooperation with the neighbouring countries for the protection of underground water resources.
The Minister highlighted the key issues being undertaken at the GCC Electricity and Water Ministerial level among which the development of a comprehensive unified GCC water strategy (The Abu Dhabi Declaration – 2010) and the GCC water Grid which was discussed recently at the Minister’s annual meeting which was held in Manama last September, also the study updates on the proposed GCC water grid to address emergency situations that may arise in the event of pollution affecting the main source of water destination i.e. the Arabian Gulf waters.