The Head of the Water Authority, Eng. Mazen Ghunaim, affirmed that the stability of the region today depends more on water issues than before, specifically Palestine, which always faces the challenges resulting from the occupation.

Speaking at the 13th session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water, held Thursday in Cairo, Ghunaim pointed to the occupation's expansionist policies, which include its control over underground and surface water sources, and the continuation of plunder schemes and annexation of more Palestinian lands and capabilities, which puts exceptional pressures on the Palestinian water sector and makes achieving water security impossible.

Ghunaim touched on the difficult political and economic conditions the Arab region is going through, which have an impact on the daily lives of Arab citizens, and which requires working on innovative solutions to confront them. He explained that the most important of these solutions is finding effective solutions to provide safe water for the people, in a way that does not affect the share of future generations.

Ghunaim added that these conditions have cast a shadow on the water situation in the Arab countries, to the point that many of them are facing water scarcity in light of the current population increase. He called on his Arab counterparts to work together to face these challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the Arab regions, especially in the management and development of non-traditional water resources to achieve a tangible development on the Arab water reality.

Ghunaim stressed the importance of working to raise awareness of the need to work together to confront water challenges and to adopt a comprehensive approach based on the relationship between water on the one hand and all vital sectors on the other to achieve optimal use of water. He also stressed the importance of providing greater support to this vital sector by focusing on joint programs and projects within strategic directions and unified efforts.

Ghunaim thanked the technical secretariat of the Arab Ministerial Council for organizing this important meeting and the technical committee for their efforts in reviewing all the issues raised, making recommendations, and proposing future projects to develop the Arab water security strategy.