Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
With climate change introducing new risks to water systems, advanced technologies have become instrumental in safeguarding water quality and ensuring sustainable resource management, according to experts at the second edition of the Water Quality Forum.
Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Deputy CEO of the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), highlighted Abu Dhabi as a leading example in this field, noting that many countries can look to its model to transition from reactive to preventive water management systems.
“Water is life, and the safety of people comes first,” she told Aletihad in an interview on the sidelines of the event. Dr. Al Hosani spoke in a session about water safety and readiness, and how important it is to link health systems, surveillance, and other systems like water infrastructure.
One key strategy for adapting to evolving challenges, she noted, is the use of advanced AI technologies and proactive planning to better anticipate and manage emergency scenarios.
Prof. Haroun Shah, University of West London and the UK Health Security Agency, emphasised the critical role of rapid and accurate pathogen detection in ensuring water safety.
During his keynote, Prof. Shah spoke about the evolution of proteomics in environmental health, and the challenge of changing microbial pathogens and antibiotic resistance.
“Over the last 20 years, mass spectrometry has reduced diagnostic time from weeks and days down to minutes, so it’s having a big impact on human health.”
This technology, he added, can be used across various clinical samples, from food to environment - with water being one important area.
“We are working in collaboration with Dr. Wael Elamin from M42, and we hope that some of these new technologies can be implemented here in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Prof. Shah also emphasised the need for continuous updates to technology, noting that innovations can quickly become outdated.
