ICBA to help Noga boost capacity in water management

Dubai - ICBA and NOGA inked an agreement to this effect during a virtual meeting on June 24.

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Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, acting director-general of ICBA, and Nasser Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of NOGA.
Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, acting director-general of ICBA, and Nasser Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of NOGA.

Published: Thu 1 Jul 2021, 3:23 PM

Last updated: Thu 1 Jul 2021, 3:24 PM

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) of Bahrain have joined forces to enhance institutional capacities in integrated water resources management in Bahrain.

The agreement was signed by Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, acting director-general of ICBA, and Nasser Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of NOGA, in the presence of various partners and stakeholders.


Under the agreement, ICBA will provide technical support for ongoing activities to strengthen the Water Resources Council (WRC). Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain, the WRC is a Cabinet-level inter-ministerial organ of the government responsible for coordinating water policy formulation and implementation. The activities under the agreement will broaden the WRC’s functions and enhance its role in climate risk management and wastewater recycling, treatment and reuse.

“Improving water accountability, water-use efficiency and water conservation are necessary conditions for achieving water security. A key entry point is applying the principles of integrated water resources management to holistically balance competing demands for water. This forms the basis for sustainable utilization of water resources for both current and future needs,” said Alzaabi.


“We are delighted to sign this agreement with NOGA to contribute to the Kingdom of Bahrain’s ongoing efforts to develop a climate-resilient water sector. The particular component on capacity development in integrated water resources management plays to our strengths as an organisation.”

The agreement was signed in the context of strengthening the institutional capacities of Bahrain’s government departments to implement climate change adaptation strategies across the water sector.

Al Suwaidi praised the depth of the historical bilateral relations between Bahrain and the UAE and common historical ties between the two brotherly countries, stressing the importance of the distinguished bilateral relations in various fields and the desire of the two countries today to develop these relations to the maximum extent of integration.

“This agreement was signed in the context of the Bahrain’s water sector development, with the project’s scope including the development of institutional capacities of government sector employees in integrated water resource management (IWRM), which will aid in the management of water resources as a whole, which is considered one integrated network,” said Al Suwaidi.

The partnership between ICBA and NOGA is part of the project titled “Development of an Enabling Environment for Water Demand Management”, which is supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and is implemented by the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain through NOGA. — sandhya@khaleejtimes.com


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