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University of Anbar at the Fourth Baghdad International Water Conference - A Reading of the University's Strategy on Water Management
2024-05-01
At the kind invitation of His Excellency the Minister of Water Resources, Eng. Aoun Diab Abdullah, in appreciation of the role of the University of Anbar and its researchers in the subject of water resources management, development and conservation, the university participated in the work of the Fourth Baghdad Water Conference, which was entitled (For a better water future.. Together we can), which was held in Baghdad under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Eng. Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, for the period 27-29 April 2024, and the participating delegation was headed by the President of the University of Anbar, Prof. Dr. Mushtak Taleb Al-Neda, and the membership of Prof. Dr. Ammar Hatem Kamel, Director of the Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre.
The high-level official and international presence, represented by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Ministers of Water Resources in Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, the Iranian Minister of Energy, in addition to representatives from water-related authorities in Turkey and ambassadors of many Arab countries and friendly countries in Iraq, reflected the great importance of the issue of water and its management and the problems related to its use and sharing, which are very important topics related to the future and development of the peoples of the region, which actually indicates that the current century is the century of water, as some call it.
During the discussions and research that were presented over three days, a set of recommendations were formulated as follows:
· Establish the unique value of water.
· Emphasize the sustainable use of groundwater and ensure that it is not depleted and that drinking water has priority in the use of this resource.
· Use water efficiently in arid and semi-arid areas.
· Raising the role of water guidance and awareness through educational institutions to rationalize water use.
· Expanding the use of water harvesting techniques, the use of solar energy in water desalination, and expanding the safe use of agricultural puncture water.
· Expanding the use of remote sensing techniques and artificial intelligence in the development of water resources monitoring and management and monitoring of abuses.
· Conduct comprehensive risk assessments to identify vulnerable areas and populations exposed to water-related hazards.
· Establishing an enabling environment for the formation of technology start-ups that will attract investment and create job opportunities in the fields of maximizing water resources.
· Create conditions for social innovation and community participation, including the involvement of local communities in the design and implementation of water resources optimization projects in order to promote sustainable solutions from within.
· Use effective irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation and high-efficiency sprinklers.
· Strengthen cooperation and partnership to address the challenges of energy, water, environment and food security interdependence.
· Continuing to follow up the implementation of the recommendations of the Third and Fourth Baghdad International Water Conference through the secretariat of the conference and coming up with a vision of the themes and objectives of the conference in its fifth edition.
A quick reading of these recommendations and their importance, especially as they emanate from this great international forum and this presence of experts, researchers and specialists, we can notice the great correspondence and consistency between these recommendations and the research programs and plans developed by the Upper Euphrates Basin Developing centre, the production and research lines of the centre’s researchers, and the university's strategic plan to achieve the goals of sustainable development within Vision 2030.
Water harvesting and the use of solar energy in water desalination were among the priorities of the centre's researchers, as many researches were published in reputable international journals indexed within the most important international research containers (Scopus and Clarivate), and the university adopted one of the most important research lines represented in the use of artificial intelligence techniques in water resources management, and the project of using artificial intelligence techniques to reduce evaporation from water bodies and with the participation of the Prime Minister's advisor for artificial intelligence techniques, Professor Diaa Al-Jumaili, and a model was created Simulation in the research station at the centre.
A research team at the centre was also able to compete and win funding from the Union of Arab Scientific Research Councils for research and study on the energy, water, environment and food security syndrome headed by Prof. Dr. Isam Mohammed Abdulhameed, and in cooperation with researchers from the Energy Research Centre and the Centre for Desert Studies at the university, in addition to research and studies on the development and importance of using modern irrigation methods, which clearly indicates the strategic dimension and farsightedness that characterizes the work of research centres at the university and the need to continue and develop support for these centres and its development.
Due to the importance of the subject of climate change and environmental pollution, and sensing from the university the importance of the subject and its impact on the future development in Iraq, the esteemed University Council approved the establishment of the Department of Meteorology and Climate and the Department of Environment and Pollution at the Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre, to support the university's strategy and research plans in this field. In the same context, and the importance of legal frameworks also in the subject of water resources management, the university and the Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre had a prominent role in focusing on this topic, through workshops and seminars held in cooperation with the College of Law and Political Science, and resulted in research, including a research published in a sober international journal on legal legislation and its importance in achieving sustainable development, including water resources management.
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