SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation is a critical global goal aimed at ensuring access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation facilities for all. In the context of Kuwait, which faces unique challenges due to its arid climate and limited freshwater resources, addressing SDG6 is of paramount importance. The American University of the Middle East (AUM) recognizes the significance of this goal and has undertaken various initiatives to contribute to clean water and sanitation efforts in Kuwait.
Sustainable Water Use and Management
Kuwait is highly dependent on desalination plants to meet its freshwater needs. AUM raises awareness about the importance of sustainable water management, including the responsible use of freshwater resources. The university promotes water conservation practices within its campus operations, such as use of efficient irrigation systems and reducing water wastage.
Sustainable Sanitation Practices
AUM emphasizes the importance of sustainable sanitation practices. The university maintains clean and efficient sanitation facilities on its campus, ensuring the responsible use of water resources. AUM encourages students and staff to adopt eco-friendly sanitation practices both on and off-campus.
Water Quality Monitoring
Ensuring the quality of drinking water is crucial for public health. AUM provides access to free drinking water and engages in water quality monitoring initiatives, collaborating with relevant authorities to test and ensure the safety of local water sources. This supports Kuwait's efforts to provide clean and safe drinking water to its citizens.
Community Outreach
AUM engages with the local community to promote clean water and sanitation. The university collaborates with governmental bodies and NGOs on projects related to water conservation, water quality monitoring, and public awareness campaigns. These efforts aim to educate and involve the wider community in addressing SDG6.
Research and Education
AUM offers educational programs and research opportunities related to water management and sanitation. Students have the chance to study topics such as water quality, water treatment, and sustainable sanitation practices. Through research projects, students and faculty contribute to finding innovative solutions to Kuwait's water challenges.
Innovation in Water Treatment
Kuwait faces challenges related to water scarcity and increasing demand. AUM may explore research and innovation projects related to water treatment technologies, such as advanced desalination techniques or wastewater recycling. These innovations can help address Kuwait's water resource constraints sustainably.
Advocacy for Sustainable Policies
AUM encourages its students and faculty to advocate for sustainable water and sanitation policies at both local and national levels. By participating in dialogues, conferences, and awareness campaigns, the university community can influence policy decisions that promote clean water and sanitation in Kuwait.
In conclusion, the American University of the Middle East (AUM) in Kuwait plays a significant role in addressing SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation through its sustainable practices, educational programs, research initiatives, community engagement, and advocacy efforts. By doing so, AUM contributes to Kuwait's goals of ensuring access to clean water and sanitation facilities, particularly in the face of challenges posed by its arid climate and limited freshwater resources.
Clean Water and Sanitation Practices on Campus
AUM uses sustainable sanitation practices including water efficient appliances available in buildings.
Two lakes and campus landscape with forest and planted vegetation use the few seasonal rainfall, with techniques that conserve the limited rainfall for irrigation. Moreover, techniques are adopted to reuse water for various purposes.
Reducing the sale of plastic bottles on AUM campus and encouraging the use of reusable materials, such as glass, and the installation of free and clean drinking water dispensers in all university facilities. This is one of the measures implemented within AUM in collaborations with local institutions, in addition to treating wastewater.
The University is committed to coordinating actions such as doubling the number of drinking fountains that can be used by all members of the university as well as by visitors to the university facilities. In addition, AUM has generated campaigns to reduce the use of plastics at the local level in its goal to achieve more sustainability throughout the region.
Within the chemical engineering process is the study of water, the professional opportunities to become more involved in this process and of course the research that the university maintains on clean water.
During Fall semester 2022, AUM Young Inventors Students Club organized a full day of academic activities focused on the theme of Sustainability with competitions and prizes. This event tackled Water in Kuwait: Sources, Quality, Treatment and the Technology Behind.
The American University of the Middle East (AUM) celebrated World Water Day on March 22 by organizing an online event for students that included various activities and competitions.
The event started by giving an overview about World Water Day (WWD), the challenges the planet is facing regarding water, this year’s theme, which is Valuing Water, and by discussing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG6 - Clean Water and Sanitation.
Dr. Suat Kasap, Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the College of Engineering and Technology, talked during the event about the types of water on our planet and about responsible consumption; what each person can do as an individual to help combat the crisis the planet is facing concerning water.
Water and SDG-related topics are widely reflected in the graduation projects of AUM students and graduates and this was touched upon during the event as well. Some of the graduation projects related to water include a smart irrigation system, a clean water quality monitoring system using IOT, an automated plant watering system using Arduino, a water leak detection system, and a smart cooling system for water tanks in Kuwait.
Students who attended the event via Zoom participated in a trivia quiz competition at the end of the session that included questions about the challenges the world is facing regarding Water.
A week prior to the event, AUM asked students to submit a piece of art related to this year’s WWD theme. A jury shortlisted the artwork and displayed them during the event where students voted for the best digital art and best painting and prizes were distributed to the winners in the arts competition and the trivia quiz.
AUM Valuing Water Arts Competition
On the occasion of World Water Day, AUM launched an arts competition on “Valuing Water” to allow students to show their creative and artistic side by describing what water means to them through a drawing, a painting or a photograph.
A jury shortlisted the artwork and displayed them during the event where students voted for the best digital art and best painting and prizes were distributed to the winners in the arts competition and the trivia quiz.
The possibility of oil spill accidents at sea can have devastating effects on the marine and coastal environment. For monitoring and mitigation purposes, timely detection and continuously updated information on contaminated areas is required. One proposal to determine when even the smallest failure occurs is to use devices that determine when these leaks occur.
This in turn will help in the government process to generate drinking water for all inhabitants as there are no contaminating agents in the water for proper treatment.
In response to this problem, AUM students developed a project to present during the event, a Remote Operated Vehicle for Monitoring Oil Leaks and Spills in Deep Water. This project is being carried out by our Electrical and Mechanical Engineering AUM'ers: Fatmeh Al Qasem , Eiman Al Zamel, Abdurahman Al Qasem, Zainab Al-Arbas and Naeemah Al-Jassim.
Water is one of the research themes at AUM:
Journal articles