The Sustainable Water Solutions Village at the International Water Summit from 20-22 January 2014 in Abu Dhabi will bring together global ideas and best practices to find solutions.
Abu Dhabi - With new predictions that water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa will worsen, conserving groundwater resources as part of the region’s water security strategy is becoming more urgent.
A recent study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact and Research, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, concludes that an expected rise of 3.5°C in global mean temperature by the end of the century will expose 668 million people worldwide to new or aggravated water scarcity, on top of the 1.3 billion currently living in water-scarce regions.
The problem will be even more severe in arid regions such as the Middle East with these expected changes in climate delivering less rain and further diminishing the availability of scarce groundwater resources.
Conserving precious groundwater resources, which, as an example, accounts for 63.3 per cent of water resources in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, will be a key focus of the Sustainable Water Solutions Village at the 2nd International Water Summit (IWS) from 20-22 January 2014 in Abu Dhabi, hosted by Masdar.
The Sustainable Water Solutions Village at IWS 2014 will bring together global ideas, best practices and think-tanks that have been successfully implemented in water-scarce communities to achieve water sustainability and conserve natural resources.
“The success of the Sustainable Water Solutions Village at this year’s inaugural IWS encouraged us to expand the village in 2014, and we will engage even more governments, NGOs, universities and companies in an effort to find solutions, alternative water resources and strategies to protect groundwater,” said Mr Fernezian.
IWS 2014 is a global platform that hosts world leaders, government organizations, policymakers, public and private sector investors, business leaders, consultants and water experts to interact, negotiate and finalise plans to develop diverse and sustainable water portfolios in the GCC and other regions.
The Sustainable Water Solutions Village in the exhibition area at IWS 2014 will feature technologies, projects and case studies that offer solutions to the challenges of water security, with a particular focus on water solutions for agriculture and groundwater conservation.
About International Water Summit 2014 (IWS)
IWS 2014, hosted by Masdar, is a global platform that hosts world leaders, government organizations, policymakers, public and private sector investors, business leaders, consultants and water experts to interact, negotiate and finalise plans to develop diverse and sustainable water portfolios in the GCC and other regions.
The inaugural edition of International Water Summit 2013, hosted by Masdar with the strategic Partnership of ADWEA, was attended by over 4700 attendees from 75 countries and contributed significantly to addressing global water issues such as water scarcity in Arab regions, sustainable growth and economic development in arid regions, the future challenges of water availability and cross-boundary collaboration through international water governance and the water – energy nexus.
IWS 2014, from 20-22 January 2014, is co-located with World Future Energy Summit, also hosted by Masdar, as a part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), a global platform that addresses the interconnected challenges that affect the widespread acceleration and adoption of sustainable development and renewable energy.
For further information on IWS, please contact
Dania Ghalayini
Reed Exhibitions
Email: dania.ghalayini@reedexpo.ae
Ian Masion
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
Email: ian.mason@bm.com
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