The recently concluded International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress 2019 held in Dubai saw the rising demand for clean water emerge a key highlight.
The event organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, ran from October 24, 2019 under the banner “Crossroads to Sustainability” at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The summit brought together prominent water and energy sector leaders who discussed critical long-term sustainable solutions within the desalination and water reuse industry.
The exclusive forum underscored the ever-growing demand for clean water as well as key solutions to the mounting sustainability challenges amidst the growing threats of climate change.
During the summit, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa said Dewa has aligned its strategies with all other UAE and UN strategies which support the Sustainability. “We have a comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy, which focuses on enhancing water resources, rationalizing water consumption, and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to reduce water consumption by 30 percent come 2030,” he added.
READ: Dubai to host International Desalination Association’s Flagship Event
Dewa has a world-class infrastructure, with a capacity of 11,400MW of electricity and 470 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day (MIGD) to meet the growing demand in Dubai, serving over 900,000 customers, with investments of US$ 23.4 billion over the next five years.
“We are currently desalinating water through the Combined Cycle Co-Generation, which is efficient and depends on using waste heat created by the production of electricity for water desalination,” he said.
It is expected that by 2030, Reverse Osmosis will help expand the production capacity by 305 million gallons of desalinated water per day, increasing total desalinated water production capacity to 750 million gallons of desalinated water per day, compared to 470 MIGD currently.
Dewa adopts a clear strategy to ensure that by 2030, total energy requirements to meet Dubai desalinated water demand will be 100 per cent generated from clean energy sources using a mix of clean energy and waste heat. This will allow Dubai to exceed global targets for using clean energy to desalinate water.
Kenya announced 2021 IDA World Congress host
During the closing of the event, Kenya was announced the winner for the 2021 IDA World Congress hosting.
READ: Kenya bidding to host 2021 global desalination conference
The announcement made by IDA MENA region director, Mr. Imad Makhzoumi, will see Kenya host the international event at the Coastal city of Mombasa.
Mr. Imad’s statement read: “In partnership with Dewa, it has been a great honor and privilege to watch our collective vision for the 2019 World Congress come to life. In IDA’s coming years, we intend to continue this journey of change, development and growth all to the better to achieve our mission of connecting people and Ideas to water solutions. As we look forward the future, it gives me a great pleasure to announce the 2021 IDA World congress host Winner, Kenya.”
More than 2,500 delegates consisting of key players in desalination and water reuse technologies are expected to attend the high-profile event scheduled for October 2021.
