The final exams for the tenth batch of the Integrated Water Resources Management programme began today at the College of Graduate Studies at Arabian Gulf University (AGU). The programme is implemented by the United Nations Educational Centre for Water Resources Management in the Arab Region. The tenth batch for the academic year 2024/2025 comprises 19 male and female students, who are young Arab professionals working in the water sector, representing ten Arab countries, namely: the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Palestine, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Sudan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Yemen.

This week is dedicated to the discussion of the students' specialised research projects, which focus on addressing realistic and pressing issues in the water resources sector. These projects are characterised by providing integrated solutions that consider the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of water resources management.  Professor Waleed Al Zubari, the programme coordinator and Professor of Water Resources, explained that this batch's researches covered a wide range of topics important to the region, including but not limited to: developing a drinking water safety plan in Sudan; characterisation and performance evaluation of the Sulaibiya wastewater treatment plant in the State of Kuwait; evaluation of household water auditing techniques to enhance water and energy efficiency in Jordan; integrated environmental assessment of a water basin in Syria; evaluating the effectiveness of programmes to reduce water loss in the Sultanate of Oman; using solar energy to extract groundwater for displaced people in Yemen; optimal design for the disposal of desalination brine in Bahrain; developing key performance indicators related to the reuse of renewable water in Saudi Arabia; analysing the agricultural characteristics of palm cultivation using treated water; assessing the economic and environmental impact of water-saving devices in Bahrain; evaluating the potentials and obstacles for reusing treated wastewater in firefighting in Bahrain; integrated emergency planning for the water sector in Gaza; assessing drinking water quality using the water quality index in the West Bank; and water modeling in Salman City, Bahrain, among other projects.

The exams and research discussions will continue until Wednesday, October 9, under the supervision of a group of elite professors from AGU and collaborating specialists from outside the university in the fields of water, environment, and social and economic sciences. 

A graduation ceremony for the tenth batch will be held next Thursday, under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, and in the presence of a representative from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.