Abu Dhabi, 8th Nov 2010 (WAM) -- A Symposium on " Prospects of scientific and technical cooperation between UAE and Switzerland in the field of water" was held today at the Higher Colleges of Technology - Abu Dhabi.
The symposium was held on the occasion of the launch of the "Emirati-Swiss Friendship Platform" in cooperation with the Higher Colleges of Technology, the St. Gallen (Switzerland) and the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Arab Emirates. The symposium discussed the Coming Water Challenge in the Region: Analysis, Solutions, Actions". Water has long been a key factor in the Emirates economic development from a string of pearl diving and fishing villages to a financial centre and logistic hub of global importance. Rapid urbanisation and a sharp increase in population have put water resources in the UAE under immense pressure. With water consumption among the highest in the world and almost all drinking water being produced through energy-intensive desalination processes, the ecological footprint per capita in the UAE is at a very high level. In addition to exporting gas and oil at a high price on the world market, a good share of this resource is being used for desalination plants. The water issue is increasingly evolving into one of the Emirates most pressing challenges, threatening not only its economic future, but also the fragile ecosystem of its beautiful and precious landscape. It is, in other words, a challenge that the young generation has to deal with sooner or later.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
