The Dead Sea hosted the first and biggest event of its kind in water management, the International Water Demand Management (WDM) Conference that took place from May 30 – June 3.

Under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Jordan in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized the WDM Conference, which tackled a broad range of water management issues including new water policies, methodologies and technologies.

More than 1000 participants from across the world including first class experts in their fields attended the conference, which focused on demand reduction and management in the domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors. Guest speakers from 30 countries reflected their diverse experiences, best management practices and technologies. Presenters were drawn from among the top international academics, private and government sector experts, NGOs, and practitioners.

The Conference started off on Monday with two significant plenary sessions. The first, “Water Demand Management, Challenges and Opportunities,” was presented by Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, minister of water resources and irrigation in Egypt. The second, “Water Demand Management: Building on the IDRC Forums,” was presented by Dr. David Brooks, Friends of the Earth Canada.

Dr. Abu-Zeid talked about some major challenges that the world and the Middle East region in particular face in satisfying current and future water demand. Those include: Meeting the basic water needs, securing food supply, protecting ecosystems, sharing water resources, managing risks such floods and droughts, valuing water, governing water wisely and the impact of climatic change on water resources. These challenges were not ignored. They were debated at many conferences and the water issue moved up in the global agenda.

Dr. Brooks touched on many of the same issues. He talked about the main results of the four International Development Research Center (IDRC) Forums for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which focused on wastewater reuse, water valuation, public/private partnerships, as well as decentralization.

The next day started off with another two crucial plenary sessions. The first was on “Bridging the Gap in Water Demand and Supply in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” presented by Eng. Loay Al Musallam, Deputy Minister for Planning & Development, Ministry of Water and Electricity, Saudi Arabia. The second, “Responding to Water Demands: Local Problems and Global Solutions” was presented by Professor Tony Allan, King’s College London/SOAS Water Research Group.

Al-Musallam said Saudi Arabia is working very hard at water efficiency and demand management. He talked about the key steps that were taken to restructure the water sector. The Ministry of Water and Electricity was created as the first step towards change. The electricity and water sectors are also undergoing major restructuring, and the government approved 20 sectors to be privatized.

Prof. Allan had a unique view about water demand management. He said that the global water security problem should be solved outside the water sector as well as in local watersheds. A hydro centric approach—focusing solely on the water sector-- is dangerous. He introduced three important yet invisible hydro-economic processes that enable water scarce economies such as those of the MENA region to be secure. They include: soil water, international trade in staple food commodities: virtual water, and socio-economic development, which enables politically feasible water re-allocation.

The third day opened up with two more educational plenary sessions. The first, “Water Demand Management: Some Policy Lessons of Managing Groundwater Resources in Japan,” presented by Professor Masahiro Murakami, Kochi University of Technology in Japan. The second, “Humanity at the Tipping Point,” was presented by Professor Ervin Laszlo, President of the Club of Budapest.

Murakami is a credible expert on water management. Using his expertise from Japan, Murakami believes the most appropriate tool for saving water in the Middle East is water recycling. Treating waste water is another important tool that should be implemented, according to Murakami.

Laszlo’s approach to water was extremely unique. He discussed water demand management in terms of an evolutionary systems theory focusing mainly on “tipping points.” The presentation outlined two alternative scenarios of global development with special reference to the problem of water. One scenario leads to a breakdown and the other leads to a breakthrough.

On the final day of the conference the Minister of Water and Irrigation and Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Hazim El Naser reiterated the 10 principles of water demand management to be adopted by MENA and countries worldwide by the year 2025.

The day continued on as usual with plenary sessions on two essential topics: “Natural Synergy of Water and Energy,” by Dr. Munthir Hadaddin, Visiting Professor at Oregon State University; and “The Need for Water Culture to Manage Water Demand,” by Mr. Walter Mazzitti, Chairman of the European Task Force on Water for the Peace Process, European Commission.

The theme Dr. Hadaddin chose for his morning address is the natural synergy of water and energy and the link it has with demand management. In the process, he introduced a new term, ‘shadow water.’ This new term signifies the indigenous water demand for the production of imported goods. The term is similar to ‘virtual water’ yet it is more definitive in quantity. ‘Virtual water’ carries a duality of quantification of water demand—one in the exporting country and another in the importing county. ‘Shadow water’ is also most inclusive. It is calculated analytically as the original water needed to produce the imported goods domestically.

Mr. Mazzitti said a culture of water demand management should be diffused among decision makers in order for all subjects involved such as institutions, public/private companies, farmers and customers to become more aware of the value of water and its use. He said that’s why it is imperative to agree on launching a strong initiative to create an authentic ‘water culture’ and move from a formal declaration to implementation and an action phase.

The conference also hosted various technical sessions focusing on demand management and reduction. Some of those sessions included “Potential for Water Demand Management in the Arab Region,” “Irrigation Optimization in the Jordan Valley,” and “A National Water Demand Management Policy in Jordan,”

The professional development workshops were yet another effective and interactive tool for water demand management. Some of them included ‘Cost-Benefit Analysis of Water Efficiency Projects,’ ‘Recycled Water Management,’ ‘Urban Demand Management Programs,’ and ‘Strategic Planning for Demand Management.’

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