The Eighth Environmental Symposium of German-Arab Scientific Forum For Environmental Studies, organized by the Department of Geology at the University of Jordan, was held on Monday, October 8, 2018 and will continue tomorrow.

The conference aims at experience and information exchange among participants from European and Arab countries on the latest developments and challenges facing the Arab world, in issues related to water scarcity, salinity and environmental pollution.

During the two-day conference, 36 specialized papers will be discussed covering different aspects of environmental sciences, such as integrated water resources, management, ground water protection, wastewater treatments and re-use, water governance, pollution and protection, climatic changes and global warming, erosion, sediment transport and dams siltation and sustainability.

The conference is attended by experts, specialists and academics from Europe, the United States and Arab countries, as well as researchers and post-graduate students of various academic disciplines at the Jordan University, along with employees of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and from other various institutions.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Eng. Ali Suboh, delivered a speech on behalf of Water and Irrigation Minister, Munir Oweis, stating that the water situation in Jordan faces great challenges that need to addressed by everyone.

The Ministry is implementing projects to reduce the water deficit by digging for deep water sources, purifying briny water, expanding the sewage networks and developing the water treatment stations, Suboh said.

He added that Jordan is considered to be the third poorest country in regards of water resources. The Kingdom suffers from several challenges, the most important of which are the limited groundwater and surface water resources, the gap between supply and demand, drought and the impact of climate change, the reoccurring refugee crises, and the high costs of water treatment.