Saudi Gazette Water is no doubt very important for it is needed for the survival of not only human race, but all living beings. In an effort to save and preserve this simple life thriving element, Dar Al Hekma College in Jeddah hosted “Our Water, Our Life” event on Feb.25. More than 10,000 university students from various nationalities participated in the event to raise awareness of the importance of water preservation in the Gulf countries and shed light on the pressing problem of water scarcity in our region. BMG Foundation is the sponsor of the “Our Water, Our Life” campaign which has invited students to compete in submitting projects designed to educate the public on different ways to conserve water. The deadline for submitting the projects is April, 30; all submissions will be reviewed and studied by an international panel of judges. Winners will be announced four months from now based on the projects creativity, feasibility, and attractiveness to the general public. Loulwah Al Sudairy, coordinator at BMG Foundation said, “We are looking forward to unearthing new talents in the crucial cause of water conservation. The end result, we hope, will have a positive effect on the well-being of future generations. The competition is not over yet, as Jeddah was the third city on BMG Foundation's university tour list. The tour is expected to include ten different GCC cities; Riyadh, Khobar, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Manama, Doha, and Muscat. The competition aims to rally the talents and creativity of youth that are mindful of our environment and its safekeeping.” The Chairman of BMG Foundation, Basil Al Ghalayini, added, “Our goal is to create a lasting and sustainable impact on the mind sets of people at large to preserve water for our future generations. The winning idea will be supported, funded, and implemented by BMG in real life for six months all across the GCC from July to December 2012.” The event was attended by academicians, environmentalists, and the popular Bader Saleh, a talented upbeat Saudi you-tube comedian who also believes in the “Our Water, Our Life” initiative,too. He also spoke about the campaign, and participates in various other projects as well like Naqa Environmental group and the Media Club from King Abdul Aziz University The Vice-Dean of Student Affairs at Dar Al Hekma College, Dr. Lamya Gazzaz, said, “One of the most important elements of life is water. Although 70 percent of the Earth is made up of water, only 3 percent of it is fresh water and naturally suitable for drinking. A clean, safe, and stable source of useable water is not readily available to a large portion of the world's population, 1.5 billion people to be more specific. “Many people have difficulty finding access to safe drinking water and because Saudi Arabia consumes 25 percent of the world's desalinated water, we all share a common interest and we have come together today to discuss the issue of water scarcity and to develop ways that will ensure a better future for our children.” A group of children from Jeddah Preparatory school recited a poem “Save Our Water” in ten different languages. Such entertaining events and activities engage the younger generation who are the ones who may be faced with the brunt of this water issue if each and every one of us do not take action now. “As part of Dar Al Hekma's corporate social responsibility, we were keen on participating in the “Our Water, Our Life” campaign and we have encouraged our students to enter the competition. To promote more active volunteer work in our society, the college requires students to complete 100 hours of community service before they graduate,” said Gazzaz. Dar Al Hekma officials were presented with a memento for their generosity in hosting the event. Other supporters of this initiative who believe in the importance of raising awareness on water conservation were Veolia Waters Saudi Arabia, Nestle Waters, Tamer Group, CPC, Shaker Group, LG, Saatchi & Saatchi, Marina Printers, Samia Photography, Al Turki Group, Crystal Arc, and Saudi Research and Marketing Group. __
