Planning Ministry Holds Int'l Conference On Seawater Desalination

Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms Thursday held an international conference on seawater desalination here to discuss ways and means to utilize the seawater in agriculture and human use purposes and other water treatment related issues.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms Thursday held an international conference on seawater desalination here to discuss ways and means to utilize the seawater in agriculture and human use purposes and other water treatment related issues.

The speakers talked in detail about various topics relating to water treatment including seawater desalination, integrated water resource management paradigm, sewerage water treatment, drinking water treatment, recycling of municipal waste-water, and treatment of industrial waste-water.

On the occasion Professor of Bio Science, King Abdullah University, Saudi Arabia, Mark Tester gave a detailed presentation via video conferencing on unlocking the potential of seawater.

He said at present, one third of food comes from irrigated water and two third of water is used for agriculture purposes.

He said groundwater is depleting globally and around 70 percent of wells are pumping brackish water. He stressed the need to grow salt-tolerant plants using brackish water of partially desalinized seawater bring innovation in agriculture sector so as to grow plants by using the seawater or brackish water.

Chief of Water, Planning Commission, Dr Naseer said keeping in view the expansion of seawater intrusion along coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan, the government had approved Rs 650 million for ministry of science and technology to monitor the seawater intrusion in those areas.