Experts to focus on water regulation and sanitation

Salalah: Tasks of a two-day forum titled ‘Independent Regulation of Water’, began in Salalah on Tuesday.

A number of specialists and experts in the fields of water regulation and sanitation participate in the forum, which is organised by the Authority for Public Services Regulation (APSR) in cooperation with the GCC Secretariat General.

The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar.

APSR Chairman Dr. Mansour Talib Al Hinai said in a speech that the forum is in pursuance of a Gulf Cooperation Council approach to exchange experiences in the field of water sector regulation.
The forum seeks to raise the level of services provided to the consumer and to keep pace with future aspirations in member states, he added.

Expressing a similar view, Khalid Ali Al Sunaidi, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the GCC Secretariat General, underscored the significance of the forum’s objectives, visions and strategies designed to meet present and future needs of the GCC people.

The forum includes 13 working papers distributed about sustainable water management and relevant issues.

The forum also deals with innovative methods and technologies to reduce water loss, enhance common understanding of water regulation, improve policies and procedures and upgrade cooperation and exchange of knowledge between GCC states.

The opening programme introduced a group of working papers, titled as follows: “Technical Regulation of the Water Sector in Oman”, “Drinking Water Quality in Kuwait” and “Performance Indicators of Water Quality in Qatar”.