GCC countries facing major water-related challenges

Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water Technical Services Khalifa Al-Feraij said that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are facing water-related challenges, which affect several sides.
In a press statement during a workshop on a comprehensive strategy on water in the GCC, he said on Monday that limited sources, required fuel and increasing resources of sanitation are among these challenges.
He added that the workshop was organized upon directions of the leaders of the GCC member states, noting King Abdullah Institute for Research and Consulting Studies is conducting a study on the strategy, which includes two goals.
The first one aims at developing a unified and comprehensive strategy on water in the GCC member states for the coming 20 years, while the second goal is to establish an office to manage the strategy.
He said that the study includes some key axes aiming at appreciating the GCC water position, and analyzing and reviewing strategies of water in each Gulf country.
The Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Public Authority for Industry, Public Authority for Environment and the GCC General Secretariat took part in the workshop.
The workshop, he noted, discussed the possibility of formulating a unified strategy on water in the GCC countries through outlining key goals of the water sector in line with different visions of the GCC. Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water had hosted another workshop on water last December, which was attended by technical bodies.