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Metito to discuss challenge of water sustainability in region

Fady Juez, Managing Director of Metito, will make a presentation outlining the company's strategy to meet the sustainability challenge at the Middle East Infrastructure Congress (MEIDC) of which the company is a sponsor.

Currently the Mena region is the driest part of the world with five per cent of the global population but just one per cent of the world's renewable water supplies.

Fady Juez will make his presentation during the Middle East Water Supply and Wastewater Summit element of the event. Mutaz Ghandour, the Chief Executive Officer of Metito, will also participate in a closed session with Government Ministers and company Chief Executives during the conference to debate infrastructure developmnent strategies.

Commenting on Metito's involvement in the conference, Fady Juez said: "There is no doubt that water sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing the region in the coming decades.

"We face the problems of the least rainfall in the world, a rapidly increasing population creating unprecedented demand for domestic and industrial use and an arid environment dominating the majority of the Mena region. This Congress is very timely and I hope will help to develop strategies and conclusions that will actively meet the challenges we face in the future," he added.

Mr Juez says the challenge is to provide affordable, safe and sustainable water to the Mena countries which are facing the doubling of its population in the next 30 years.

He explains that to meet the challenge there must be increased awareness of conserving water resources and thereby reducing demand. This must happen in tandem with increased supply created by technical, legislative and financial means.

Water is currently used in three main sectors, agriculture using up 86 per cent, industry 5 per cent and domestic use nine per cent. Mr Juez argues that improvements can be made in the use of water in all three sectors to help increase supply

"Supply can be increased in agriculture through good crop selection, enhanced and more efficient irrigation methods and systems to convey the water. Domestic usage can be improved through metering, new pricing strategies and the recycling of 'grey' water Ð water used for washing and other domestic uses.