05 October 2015
Muscat: The fast increasing population and the development of industry has now raised the water consumption sharply causing rapid deteriorates the already dramatic situation of water scarcity in the arid and semi-arid countries, said Prof Heinz Hotzl, Professor Emeritus in Hydrology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, while delivering keynote address on the topic "Options and Problems of Managed Aquifer Recharge under Semi-arid conditions" at the opening ceremony of the Seventh Environmental Symposium of German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies at SQU.
"Groundwater is a major drinking water resource in most of the semi-arid regions in the world. Under the present climatic conditions, annual precipitation is generally low and poorly distributed over the year.
When rain does occur, it is commonly in intense storms with subsequent strong but short flash floods. On an average, a few wet months followed by long months of dry and hot conditions prevail leading to evaporation and precipitation. Therefore surface water resources exist only over a short period. In the past, the natural underground water resources satisfied the demand of villages and small cities enabling even a limited productive agriculture. Now, climatic changes also make matters worse. Even extended aquifers become severely over-pumped and are exhausted. Water scarcity in many countries is approaching critical levels. Improved technologies are necessary to optimise reclamation of the rare water resources for human utilisation," Prof Heinz Hotzl said.
The Seventh Environmental Symposium of the German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies titled "Environmental Protection and Water Resources in the Middles East and North Africa-Water Resources, Air and Soils" is hosted by Sultan Qaboos University. The opening ceremony was held on Monday at SQU under the patronage of Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, the Vice-Chancellor of SQU in the presence of Hans-Christian von Reibnitz, Ambassador of Germany to the Sultanate of Oman, and other dignitaries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prof Dr Fathi Zereini, Chairman of the German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies, said that environmental protection is not the privilege of the rich countries.
"It is our common duty. For example, the climate change does not stop at the borders. It threatens to exacerbate current problems regarding water availability. The effects of climate change are already perceptible in all parts of the world. Water scarcity combined with high rates of population growth in this region is already a political issue. Conflicts regarding ownership of entitlement to available water resources has led to strain relationships between various populations of this region. If water resources become even more limited, this could of course destabilise the region and obstruct attempts to establish peace," Dr Fathi Zereini noted.
As many as 130 scientists and experts from various institutions in Oman and abroad are attending the two-day symposium being held at Sultan Qaboos University.
The symposium sessions address topics such as water resources: protection and management, wastewater treatment and reuse, climate change, and, air and soil pollution and protection.
The German-Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies is an association of scientists of different scientific fields as well as of individuals and institutions sharing a common interest in the development of the German-Arabian relations in the field of environmental questions.
Muscat: The fast increasing population and the development of industry has now raised the water consumption sharply causing rapid deteriorates the already dramatic situation of water scarcity in the arid and semi-arid countries, said Prof Heinz Hotzl, Professor Emeritus in Hydrology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, while delivering keynote address on the topic "Options and Problems of Managed Aquifer Recharge under Semi-arid conditions" at the opening ceremony of the Seventh Environmental Symposium of German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies at SQU.
"Groundwater is a major drinking water resource in most of the semi-arid regions in the world. Under the present climatic conditions, annual precipitation is generally low and poorly distributed over the year.
When rain does occur, it is commonly in intense storms with subsequent strong but short flash floods. On an average, a few wet months followed by long months of dry and hot conditions prevail leading to evaporation and precipitation. Therefore surface water resources exist only over a short period. In the past, the natural underground water resources satisfied the demand of villages and small cities enabling even a limited productive agriculture. Now, climatic changes also make matters worse. Even extended aquifers become severely over-pumped and are exhausted. Water scarcity in many countries is approaching critical levels. Improved technologies are necessary to optimise reclamation of the rare water resources for human utilisation," Prof Heinz Hotzl said.
The Seventh Environmental Symposium of the German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies titled "Environmental Protection and Water Resources in the Middles East and North Africa-Water Resources, Air and Soils" is hosted by Sultan Qaboos University. The opening ceremony was held on Monday at SQU under the patronage of Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, the Vice-Chancellor of SQU in the presence of Hans-Christian von Reibnitz, Ambassador of Germany to the Sultanate of Oman, and other dignitaries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prof Dr Fathi Zereini, Chairman of the German Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies, said that environmental protection is not the privilege of the rich countries.
"It is our common duty. For example, the climate change does not stop at the borders. It threatens to exacerbate current problems regarding water availability. The effects of climate change are already perceptible in all parts of the world. Water scarcity combined with high rates of population growth in this region is already a political issue. Conflicts regarding ownership of entitlement to available water resources has led to strain relationships between various populations of this region. If water resources become even more limited, this could of course destabilise the region and obstruct attempts to establish peace," Dr Fathi Zereini noted.
As many as 130 scientists and experts from various institutions in Oman and abroad are attending the two-day symposium being held at Sultan Qaboos University.
The symposium sessions address topics such as water resources: protection and management, wastewater treatment and reuse, climate change, and, air and soil pollution and protection.
The German-Arab Scientific Forum for Environmental Studies is an association of scientists of different scientific fields as well as of individuals and institutions sharing a common interest in the development of the German-Arabian relations in the field of environmental questions.
© Oman Daily Observer 2015
