The Ministry of Environment and Water has concluded the conference it organized in Dubai from January 14 to 16, 2014, under the theme of “The Use of Treated Wastewater in the Arab World: the Current Reality and Future Prospects.” The conference was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, in collaboration with the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture

The first session of the last day of the conference discussed the socioeconomic aspects of the use of treated wastewater. Dr. Javier Mateo-Sagasta from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) discussed the economic framework for wastewater irrigation and assessed the cost, benefit, and financial elements.

Dr. Hacib El Amami from the National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry in Tunisia presented a Tunisian case study on the social acceptability and economic analysis of the use of treated wastewater in agriculture.

Amer Salman from the University of Jordan, on the other hand, spoke on the socioeconomic impact of farmers’ use of treated wastewater and fresh water in the Jordan Valley.

In the concluding session, Dr. Slim Zekri, Associate Professor at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, discussed the socioeconomic aspects of the use of treated wastewater as revealed by a case study from Oman.