IDA World Congress delegates visit facilities of Palm Water

Preparations for the visit were personally spearheaded by the CEO of Palm Utilities, Mr. Yousuf Kazim, who commented:

"We are pleased that Palm Water has been specifically selected by the IDA to showcase our water treatment and desalination facilities as our solutions resemble a unique model of sustainable solutions with highest degree of environmental responsibility."

The delegates will visit the Palm Water facility in batches spread over three days beginning November 9, 2009.

The prominent Arab scientist and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, Dr. Farouk Al Baz, also visited the Palm Water facilities in Palm Jumeirah. The renowned scientist, who was awarded with the IDA World Water Masters' Award, showed keen interest in the technologies deployed by Palm Water and was very happy to see innovation solutions implemented in water treatment that ensures eco-systems protection.

Commenting on the site visits, Dr. Imad Haffar, Managing Director, Palm Water said, "We are delighted to be associated with the prestigious IDA World Congress 2009 and to have our facility selected for the technical site visits. We welcome the esteemed delegates and guests to our premises to showcase our state-of-the-art technologies that focus on sustainable water solutions in iconic mega projects such as the Palm Jumeirah."

"The visits will offer delegates a first hand experience of the latest technologies implemented by Palm Utilities to serve such sophisticated projects, with highest quality sustainable utility solutions. Projects like these require a high level of complexity and have to maintain the highest level of quality in the solutions provided, while ensuring that an ecological balance is maintained," said Mr. Yousuf Kazim.

The technical plant site tours have proven to be very popular with over 200 participating delegates signed up for the visits. The three hour tour of the sites at Palm Jumeirah include exploring the advanced facility at the sea water desalination plants, sewage treatment plants, treated sewage effluent polishing plants, odor control plants and district cooling plants. Visitors had opportunity to understand the environmental and financial benefits of the synergy between water treatment and district cooling.

They also explored one of the world's largest reverse osmosis energy recovery systems (ERS) that Palm Water implements to reduce energy consumption in its water facility and thus reduce the carbon footprint. The delegates observed the Dolphin chemical free water treatment system in the chiller plant of Palm District Cooling, a sister subsidiary of Palm Utilities. They also had a firsthand experience of the membrane bio reactor system in sewage treatment.

Palm Water also participated in the 'Environment and Water' workshop which was held under the theme 'Contributing to the 'World's Future Research Trends'. The workshop was organized by the Dubai Institute of Technology as part of the opening ceremony of the Congress, to address key issues pertaining to desalination in the UAE.

Mr. Yousuf Kazim, CEO of Palm Utilities, actively participated in the workshop, sharing valuable information on the concepts and visions of Palm Utilities to provide integrated quality solutions that are environmentally and financially feasible. Palm Water presented a paper during the workshop focusing on the impact of regulatory policies on the future of private water projects in the region. It shared its experience on the Private Public Partnership (PPP) model advising on essential policies that need to be addressed for the PPP's success.

Palm Water provides water utility services to many projects in Dubai, including some of Dubai's landmark developments such as The Palm Jumeirah and Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA).

The IDA World Congress 2009 has witnessed participation from over 1800 experts in the water desalination field, including end-users, manufacturers and suppliers, government officials, consultants, researchers, financiers and members of academia.

The Congress themed 'Desalination for a Better World' will address global issues on water management, latest desalination technologies, environmental and energy impacts of desalination and will focus on promoting sustainability in the sector. The Congress will include technical sessions, lectures, roundtable discussions, interactive sessions, exhibitions, workshops and technical tours. Palm Water will be a taking part in a major portion of these activities throughout the congress.