Solar-powered desalination is the key to Bahrain’s water and climate security, the kingdom’s Oil and Environment Minister and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs said at a leading conference yesterday.
Dr Mohammed Bin Daina was speaking at the Global Water, Energy and Climate Change Congress (GWECCC) at Exhibition World Bahrain, a gathering continuing until tomorrow.
The conference was opened yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
Shaikh Khalid underscored Bahrain’s commitment to placing the sustainability of vital resources and a systematic approach to climate change at the forefront of its national priorities, in line with the visions of His Majesty King Hamad, and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He emphasised the kingdom’s efforts to enhance water and energy security and support sustainable development.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the government has established an integrated institutional framework to strengthen co-ordination among agencies concerned with water, energy, and climate change, through unified governance structures and regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to support decision-making.
Shaikh Khalid also highlighted Bahrain’s balanced approach, which safeguards both economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
Shaikh Khalid praised the progress of the Water Resources Council (WRC) in implementing the National Water Strategy (2021-2030), with 67 per cent of its initiatives completed since its launch.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that these efforts are designed to establish robust legal and regulatory frameworks for the water sector, safeguard the sustainability of strategic reserves, advance the digitalisation of water data and management, improve efficiency, conserve resources across all sectors, and build national technical and administrative capacities.
Shaikh Khalid also inaugurated an accompanying exhibition, which features leading local and international companies showcasing advanced technologies in water and energy.
He reviewed the latest innovations and solutions aimed at enhancing resource efficiency and supporting sustainability objectives.
The Deputy Prime Minister also visited the Creative Corner dedicated to startups, which serves as a platform for young entrepreneurs and innovators to present their projects and research in water and energy.
During his remarks in the ministerial panel titled ‘Reimagining Water-Energy-Climate Nexus for a Sustainable Future’, Dr Bin Daina noted that water desalination using renewable energy sources would be of strategic importance to the region to meet water requirements while minimising the use of fossil fuels.
He also acknowledged that rising sea levels due to climate change have led to an increase in the salinity of ground water, due to a process known as saltwater intrusion.
This, combined with excessive groundwater use in previous years, have made much of Bahrain’s reserves unusable for agriculture or drinking.
According to open source data published by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), groundwater production in Bahrain has dropped from 10,568.62 million gallons in 2006 to zero in 2020 and onwards.
Dr Bin Daina noted in his remarks that strategies were being discussed to replenish groundwater and reduce its salinity to adapt to rising sea levels.
He added that as Bahrain scaled up its plans for food security, securing a consistent water supply for agricultural use was of paramount importance, highlighting that groundwater would be strategically important in case of any geopolitical conflict in the region causing water pollution.
Meanwhile, according to Dr Bin Daina, sustainable methods for desalinating sea water are being researched, including the use of renewable sources like solar energy.
Last month, the GDN had reported that Applied Science University PhD researcher Salem Alrowaili also highlighted this as a strategy for better water management in his paper titled ‘Analytical Study to Achieve Water Resource Sustainability in Bahrain: Strategic Challenges and Opportunities’
Desalinated seawater currently supplies more than 60 per cent of the kingdom’s total water needs.
One of the criticisms of desalination is the disposal of hyper-saline brine, which, if released back into sea water, can pollute water and harm marine ecosystems.
However, according to the Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Dr Hani Sewilam, who also spoke during the ministerial panel, two novel solutions are being proposed to reuse this brine.
“The first one is very close to becoming reality as we are registering a patent now for using brine for producing Artemia, an aquatic crustacean that can be used as fish food or shrimp food,” he told the GDN.
“Think of it as peanuts for the fish – high in protein.
“Historically, it’s been very difficult to grow and has been found mainly in the Great Salt Lake in the US.
“It lives in very saline water, so we have been experimenting on growing it in brine for the last six years, and now we are registering it as a patent to start commercialisation of this.
“The second idea is growing algae in the brine. And there are some algae species in the Middle East that can tolerate such salt concentration and could also be economically viable, but this is still in the research and development phase.”
UAE Climate Change and Environment Minister Dr Amna Al Dahak highlighted how the UAE was utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand and manage its energy needs.
The panel was moderated by UAE green development and climate change under-secretary Dr Al Anoud Al Ali.
The second edition of the three-day GWECCC is being held under the theme ‘Sustainable Water and Energy Transformation: Innovation for a Secure Future.’
More than 3,000 participants from 30 countries and 150 speakers from nearly 250 local, regional and international companies are taking part in the conference to discuss the interconnected challenges of water, energy and climate change, highlighting innovative solutions and successful initiatives that balance development with environmental protection.
A highlight of the event is a hackathon where GCC university students are competing to present creative ideas for tackling these critical issues.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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