(Dushanbe) – Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, is leading the UAE delegation to the high-level international conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life” 2005-2015, that kicked off in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.
Bin Fahad said the UAE’s participation in the international water conference underscores its active engagement in regional and international efforts to find sustainable solutions to water issues, particularly in countries suffering from acute shortage of water.
The minister noted that despite the progress the world witnessed in the last decade towards Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), there are still many challenges facing tens of millions of people who do not have access to clean drinking water, and also lack access to basic sanitation.
He added that challenges to water resources, including a marked decrease in per capita share of water in many countries due to natural and man-made factors, were negatively affecting development efforts.
To ensure better management and sustainability of water resources, the minister said the government had employed development options to develop and conserve water resources to address the shortage and meet the soaring demand from people as well as developmental activities. Desalination of sea water, he added, is now covering 41 percent of the local water demand.
(Courtesy WAM)
