Almar Water Solutions, Platinum Sponsor of the IDA World Congress 2019
The search for innovative technologies to fight against water scarcity and pollution has become a priority for the large and medium-sized companies in the sector, as well as for governments and official organizations. According to the World Economic Forum, the water crisis was the fifth greatest global risk in 2018, behind weapons of mass destruction and mitigation of climate change. Among the different technologies that are capable of alleviating this crisis, desalination and reuse stand out.
The most widely-recognized event in the sector, the IDA World Congress, was born to promote these technologies and other advances in water treatment solutions. Almar Water Solutions, committed to the development of innovative, non-conventional water solutions that guarantee the progress of the world’s current and future population, strongly supports this initiative and this year was a platinum sponsor of the congress. Some of the many activities that it has sponsored include a scholarship for young engineers and scientists to expand their postgraduate training on issues related to desalination, membranes and water reuse, and the sponsorship of a panel at the Water Leaders Summit titled “Expanding the Public Private Partnership Model to New and Existing Markets”. This panel was moderated by Arantxa Mencía, Global Business Development Manager at Almar Water Solutions, and included panelists with in-depth knowledge of the main projects structured under the PPP model and the markets in which they are developed.
Carlos Cosín, the company’s CEO, also participated as moderator of the IDA World Congress 2019 Leaders Summit in the panel “Trends in the EPC market: Is Competing on Cost vs Quality Sustainable?”. This panel analyzed the highly competitive changes in the market, the high risks and reduction in costs of this type of project.
With regard to the Technical Program of the Congress, Rodrigo Segovia, Executive Director of Almar Water Solutions, chaired Monday’s session “From Mineral Recovery to Remineralization”, together with Mike Dixon, CEO of Synauta, and Rama Jagwani, General Manager of PROJECX.
Lastly, Almar Water Solutions held a very special dinner set in the spectacular backdrop of the Jameel Art Centre in Dubai. Leaders from the water sector came together to share opinions and enjoy a delicious local meal. Almar Water Solutions also presented its initiative to put an end to plastic bottles in all of its offices around the world, and presented its iconic bottles to all those present.
The Jameel Arts Centre is an innovative contemporary institution in Dubai that opened its doors on 11 November 2018. Its initiatives include heritage management and restoration programs, as well as a wide range of artistic and educational initiatives for all ages. At the local level, the organization works with individuals and organizations to develop innovative programming that embraces both old and new technologies, and encourages entrepreneurship and the development of cultural networks.
With all these activities and sponsorships, Almar Water Solutions recognizes the value of the IDA World Congress as a turning point to help the world become more aware of the great challenge that we face in terms of water. Both present and future generations must learn and realize that water is not an infinite resource that magically comes out of the tap, and that we have to care for it, save it and invest in new technologies and infrastructures so that this privilege can be sustained in developed countries and become a reality in those countries that are still unable to enjoy water for their daily lives.
To round off this successful congress that was attended by more than 800 people, Carlos Cosín, CEO of Almar Water Solutions, was appointed the new president of the International Desalination Association (IDA) for the next period of 2019-2021. Carlos, who has been a member of the board for the last six years, was chosen for his experience in the field of desalination and reuse, and for his great strategic contributions to the association.