AUK Students Visit Kadhmah Bottled Water Facility

The Economics Department at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) organized a fieldtrip to Kadhmah water factory for students studying Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ECON 363) under the supervision of Dr. Ali Aljamal, Assistant Professor of Economics and Chair of the Economics Department at AUK. The main objective of this fieldtrip was to introduce students to the burgeoning bottled water market in Kuwait so that they can realize the potential of the market system in addressing water problems.

Chaperoned by Dr. Aljamal and Dr. Mark Speece, Associate Professor of Marketing at AUK, the fieldtrip included an on-site presentation and a tour of the facility, which is located in Doha and run by the Water Research Center (WRC) of Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR). The presentation summarized methods of production of potable and bottled water in Kuwait. Unlike most bottled water which relies on subsidized tap water, the facility bottles water produced from beach wells with minimal or no subsidy. "This is particularly important for Kuwait, given the fact that there is no perennial fresh water supply and groundwater is predominantly brackish, and the country is under pressure to develop viable sustainable water supplies to maintain economic growth," said Dr. Aljamal.

The fieldtrip displayed the various facets of Kuwait's water resources and allowed students to interact with Kuwaiti scientist in the field to improve their understanding of water problems Kuwait is facing. It allowed the students to reflect on what they had learned in the course, and bridge the perceived gap between theory and the real world.

"Although its per capita share of fresh water is among the world's lowest, Kuwait is a global leader in per capita water consumption (550-600 liters per capita per day)," said Dr. Aljamal. He explained that the "Emerging water markets around the world have been proved effective in improving efficiency and alleviating shortages. Policy makers can potentially use the Kadhmah model to ease off the heavy burden of water subsidy in Kuwait. By realizing the role of the market system in natural resourcesâ management we can appreciate this success story, which positions Kuwait on track for sustainable water use."

Dr. Aljamal expressed appreciation to Dr. Adnan Akbar, Director of Science & Technology at the Water Research Center, Eng. Ali Al-Odwani, Eng. Ahmad Al-Saffar, Eng. Mohammad Safar, and Eng. Ahmad Al-Sairafi for extending this valuable opportunity to AUK students.

ECON 363 is an introductory course to environmental and natural resource economics and is designed to help students recognize the role of economics in resource management. It incorporates principles of economics to develop a theoretical framework for understanding how and why resource problems arise. It also enables students to conduct critical evaluations of existing resource policies and utilize market and non-market approaches to formulate alternative policies.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 17th November 2013

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2013

Images from the Fieldtrip