Water Business Development Mission

  • EOMAP part of the German Water Business Delegation to Saudi Arabia
  • Mission focused on Water and Wastewater management

 

Riyadh, 13 November 2017 EOMAP GmbH & Co. KG, world leader in optical remote sensing in the aquatic sector, was part of a five-day business delegation trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to meet water treatment and desalination plant industry representatives. The business development trip was organized by the German Water Partnership (GWP) in cooperation with AHK Saudi Arabia, the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) and part of the German Chamber Network, and focused on water and wastewater management.

This project-related government initiative on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is mainly intended for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) offering, amongst others, impact assessment solutions in the fields of monitoring water quality and new  technologies to help companies enter new markets abroad.

Dr. Thomas Heege, CEO, EOMAP GmbH & Co. KG said, “Remote sensing is an efficient and cost-effective tool to assess a variety of physical and biological parameters in aquatic ecosystems over small-scaled and large areas. Utilities and other agencies need to respond to water challenges by effectively monitoring and responding to water quality threats. EOMAP products and expertise are well positioned to support those efforts.”

German Business Delegation in Riyadh, November 2017 © AHK Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a desert country which water supply and sanitation is characterized by significant investments in seawater desalination, water distribution, sewerage and wastewater treatment leading to a substantial increase in access to drinking water and sanitation over the past decades. About 50% of drinking water comes from desalination, 40% from the mining of non-renewable groundwater and 10% from surface water, especially in the mountainous southwest of the country.

Since 2000, the government has increasingly leaned towards the private sector to operate water and sanitation infrastructure, beginning with desalination and wastewater treatment plants.

The mission drew companies from all around Saudi Arabia, including the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), the largest desalinating sea water corporation in the world and a Saudi Government Corporation responsible for the desalination of seawater producing electric power and supplying various regions in the Kingdom with desalinated water.