Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Tajikistan to Kuwait Dr Zubaidullah Zubaidov has confirmed support for Kuwait’s initiatives, especially those related to water resources; stressing that the Kuwaiti side is keen on obtaining clean water from Tajikistan, reports Al-Qabas daily. Zubaidov made the announcement in a recent press conference with the participation of Ambassador of the Netherlands to Kuwait Laurens Westhoff and acting Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) Dr Asaad Hafeez on the water conference – Tajik-Dutch initiative – that the UN will host at the end of this month. He revealed that a Kuwaiti company unveiled its plan to import water estimated at thousands of gallons from Tajikistan to Kuwait through the sea via Pakistan due to the close distance between the marine ports of the two countries. He said his country’s relations with Kuwait in all fields are developing significantly.
On the other hand, Westhoff disclosed that he is proud of the Netherlands’ participation in the first UN conference on water in almost 46 years, which will be jointly organized by Tajikistan and the Netherlands to assess the progress made in the International Decade of Action for Water in 2023. He pointed out that the Netherlands pays special attention to water and climate issues, emphasizing the importance of taking bold measures to restore balance in the global water cycle to ensure universal access to safe drinking water, and for water to support economic development and sustainable growth.
Meanwhile, Hafeez stated that the Arab region faces unique challenges due to the climate related to water scarcity; which exacerbates climate change, population growth and political instability. He added the availability of fresh water in the region is limited, while many countries depend heavily on non-renewable and rapidly depleting groundwater resources. He also talked about the main water challenges that Kuwait is facing; such as the growing scarcity of water and increasing financial, economic and environmental impacts associated with meeting the demand for water in various sectors. He explained these challenges are expected to increase due to rapid population growth and urbanization, rising demand for food, effects of climate change, unsustainable consumption, water losses, insufficient water, and continuous degradation and depletion of groundwater resources.
