EXPERTS in water and wastewater management will help chart out plans for sustainable water supply in the Middle East at the WaterWorld Middle East Conference and Exhibition (WWME) to be held this month (October 12 to 14) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC), which is currently undertaking an extensive expansion of its collection network including the strategic tunnel engineering project (Step), will be put in the spotlight at the event by Alan Thomson, managing director of ADSSC. He will be providing a keynote address and an update on the progress of the Step.

“A cheaper alternative that helps bridge the gap between demand and supply is water reuse. One of the goals of our conference is to introduce decision makers in the region to leading water reuse-related technologies that will not only save investment dollars but will directly contribute towards the protection of the local environment,” said Tom Freyberg, conference director for WaterWorld Middle East.

Among the top local, regional and international water management experts participating at the event will be: John Woodhouse of the Woodhouse partnership, David Harris from the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) of Oman, and Tim Kay from Black & Veatch.

One of the highlights of the conference is the newly introduced Asset Management session, where the three panellists will talk on the growing importance of asset management in any corporate water strategy, and the priority that needs to be given towards the implementation of sustainable practices.

Woodhouse will elaborate on his experience in working with power and water utilities from around the world, through his presentation entitled Asset Management in Utility Networks: Case Studies of Moving from Good Intentions to Good Practices.

Harris will present a paper on Utility Asset Improvement for Water Supply: Practical Experience from Oman.

Kay, an asset management consultant with Black & Vetch, the organisation that is leading a large-scale transformation programme for a government utility entity in Abu Dhabi, will present a paper on asset management improvements within the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC).

The WWME, which will run in tandem with Power-Gen Middle East at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), will bring together the region’s leading plant owners and operators, consultants, utilities, investors and academics, with representatives from 80 companies from across 30 countries.

The conference will host a session on wastewater reuse technologies that will focus on case studies associated with moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), ultraviolet (UV) treatment and reed bed technology.