Al Ain: The National Water and Energy Center at the United Arab Emirates University has organized a webinar "Journey to Sustainable Water Management", with participation of the Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology at the National University of Malaysia, and in the presence of Dr. Dalal Matar Al Shamsi - Director of the National Water and Energy Center - and several professors and students from the College of Science.

The webinar addressed many issues including clean water, latest technologies, and applications to reach sustainability in water supply and discussed the three main objectives related to clean water: technical feasibility, social responsibility, and environmental safety.

Dr. Teo Yee Han, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Pioneer of Water Solutions and Technology at the National University of Malaysia Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology, gave a presentation on wastewater treatment technologies, and explained the “dominant membranes” in water purification and reuse. Dr. Han presented a life cycle assessment case study to assess membrane technology on the environment. Dr. Teo Yit Han leads a research group specializing in water technology.

Dr. Bobby Mathew, a researcher at the National Water and Energy Center, said: “The search for clean water is a crisis in many countries. Millions of people are dying for lack of water and uncleanliness, most of them are children. The scarcity of clean water is a growing problem with rapid population growth, climate change, pollution and many more challenges. It raises concerns, which we as researchers must work together to contribute to water sustainability and to meet current needs for adequate quantity and quality of water without compromising the resources of future generations.

Dr. Dalal Al Shamsi, Director of the National Water and Energy Center, said that "it is important to work on exchanging experiences through these scientific seminars, and it is an opportunity to create research partnerships for sustainable solutions in vital areas such as water and energy. The water crisis is a problem that is exacerbating with the rapid changes that created international conflicts and crises. We as researchers must work on using technological sciences to accelerate the opportunity to obtain clean water for humanity.”

Dr. Ahmed Murad added, "The UAE University organizes such scientific seminars that would support national strategies and efforts in the field of health and environment, by hosting a selection of international specialists."

The National Water and Energy Center is a research center in the United Arab Emirates University and provides a mixture of applied scientific research, environmental impact assessment studies and consultancy in the areas of sustainability of water and energy resources. It also aims to evaluate and support information related to water and energy in the country in partnership with government institutions and national and local bodies, through information, statistics, and scientific research to enhance the decision-making process and to achieve the sustainability of water and energy sources.