The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced today the organizing of a 5-day intensive water efficiency workshop to be held in Riyadh on May 1-5, 2011. The workshop will be sponsored by ACWA Power International, a lead developer, owner, and operator of independent water and power projects. The workshop will be held in cooperation with the Ministry of Water and Electricity in Saudi Arabia. 

The workshop will present and discuss strategies for achieving systemic water efficiency gains in both public and private sector organizations. Workshop leaders will use presentations, interactive exercises, and field water audits to train water users and managers to identify and prioritize water efficiency investments.

“AFED is proud to play a leading role in disseminating practical knowledge about efficient water use in our region,” said Najib Saab, Secretary General of AFED. “This workshop will present practical methods as well as training to increase the capacity of organizations in developing and implementing their own water efficiency programs. AFED strongly encourages companies, municipalities, and public agencies in the region to participate in this workshop, or others being planned in other cities in the region, to enable them meet the highest possible standards for water efficiency.”

The workshop will complement the AFED Water Efficiency Handbook produced in 2010. Acknowledging the importance of, and the need for, demand side measures, the handbook helps water users in all key sectors of society–industry, agriculture, and residential and commercial buildings–identify opportunities to increase water use efficiency.

Mr Paddy Padmanathan, CEO and President of ACWA Power stated “The conclusions contained in AFED’s 2010 Water report are a stark warning of the priority to use the region’s precious water with care and respect.  This workshop will continue the dissemination of best practices throughout the industry to ensure we avoid wasting even a single bucket of water.  We will be supporting the conference by sending our plant engineers and managers and encourage all of our industrial partners to do the same.”

Dr. Mohammed Al-Saud, Deputy Minister for Water Affairs in Saudi Arabia, welcomed the initiative and assured his Ministry’s support “especially that water efficiency is a top priority in our programs.” He noted that “effective solutions to water challenges require cooperation among all stakeholders, including private and public sectors, research community and end users”.

The free 5-day program will consist of two days of presentations, seminars, and interactive exercises to develop water efficiency concepts and programs. Over the following three days, field visits to three different facilities will be organized to conduct water audits on site. A questionnaire will be sent to the manager of each facility in advance to collect data and gather information that will assist workshop leaders in planning for the water audit.

“Projects to improve water efficiency do not often get approval because of the initial capital expenditures required for retrofits, despite the fact that up-front capital costs for financing water efficiency measures are usually recouped quickly through water savings”, said Dr. Murat Mirata, workshop leader and Associate Professor at Lund University, Sweden. “In fact, numerous case studies in the region demonstrate that investing in water efficiency yields significant cost reductions, while maintaining, or sometimes enhancing, reliability and functionality.”