Doha: A symposium titled "Prospects and Challenges of Bottled Water in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries" commenced today in Saudi Arabia, addressing the rising consumption of bottled drinking water in the GCC region and exploring various aspects of this trend.
According to Qatar News Agency, the awareness-focused event aimed to promote more conscious and measured water consumption across the GCC countries. It covered topics such as the current state of the bottled water industry, its regulations in GCC countries, and the drivers behind the growing use of bottled water. The discussions are intended to help policymakers optimize the benefits of bottled water while minimizing costs and both visible and hidden impacts. The event also aimed to raise public awareness of the different facets of bottled water and its quality, including the tap water supplied to homes.
Sessions at the symposium included discussions on the legislative and regulatory framework for water sourcing in bottling plants, consumption patterns across GCC countries, and the bottled water industry in Oman. The role of private sector investment in bottling plants and the challenges faced by bottled water companies were also explored.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Water Sciences and Technology Association, Eng. Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, emphasized the growing global significance of the bottled water sector, noting that global bottled water consumption has reached hundreds of millions of cubic meters annually. He highlighted that bottled water is no longer a luxury but a necessity in many locations.
He explained that the rising consumption prompted the association to organize the first symposium in Kuwait, followed by subsequent events in Qatar, Oman, and now Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture in Al Qassim. This ongoing effort reflects the importance of the issue and the need for continued research into various aspects of bottled water, including sourcing, standards, and packaging.
Al Mahmoud also pointed out that the symposium is part of a long list of initiatives the association has organized since its establishment in 1987, in partnership with various water-related organizations across the GCC. These include biennial Gulf Water Conferences, training sessions, workshops, and scientific studies.
It is noteworthy that the bottled water phenomenon has grown significantly worldwide over the past two decades. Global bottled water sales now exceed $100 billion annually, with the industry growing at over 10% per year.
GCC countries are among the highest in the world for both the growth rate and per capita consumption of bottled water, with individual consumption levels more than double the global average of 45 liters per person annually.