Kuala Lumpur: Kuwait has contributed immensely towards the improvement of water security around the world, its ambassador to Malaysia said on Monday, citing $1.6 billion worth of water-related projects his country had funded. A number of Kuwait-based institutions had financed some 100 development projects aiming to remedy the problem of water scarcity plaguing many impoverished countries, Dr Hamad Burahma told a university seminar in the Malaysian capital.

The wider Gulf Arab region is not exempt from water shortages given the global depth of the dilemma, the Kuwaiti diplomat warned, saying the matter has legal and political dimensions as well. "Some countries are in dire need of proper funding to address water scarcity problems," he underlined, pointing out that Kuwait has emerged as a major guarantor of water security to these countries.