People 'reluctant to use recycled waste water'

Abu Dhabi: People in the region have a psychological barrier to using treated waste water, a senior official told Gulf News.

This could derail efforts to implement advanced technology to produce potable water from waste water in a region suffering from water scarcity.

"It is potable technically but not psychologically," said Mohammad Abdul Aziz Najem Al Awadi, Director of Waste Water Treatment, at Dubai Municipality.

Al Awadi spoke to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Middle East Economic Digest's Waste Water Treatment and Reuse Conference 2008, recently held in the capital.

"The people who go to space use recycled waste water while staying there for several months," Al Awadi.

"In Germany, recycled water is sent to the River Rhine. The Netherlands takes water from the same river for potable use. A senior Singaporean official drank the recycled potable water publicly to create awareness," he said.

Al Awadi said 100 per cent of the waste water generated in Dubai is recycled and used for several other purposes like beautification, water parks, golf courses, cooling, except for drinking.

Support to efforts

Meanwhile, Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Water and Environment, said the government will extend all support and cooperation to waste water treatment and reuse industry as the country demands more contribution from that sector for sustainable water availability.

"Water scarcity is a major problem in the world and the country is well equipped to meet that challenge", said Bin Fahad.

Water and politics have become inextricably linked in the Middle East and potable water scarcity is a topic that has been keenly discussed for many years. Water has been described as being the new oil in terms of its future importance in the region.

Do you recycle water? How? Would you drink recycled water? Why? Fill in the form bellow to send your comments.

Using recycled water in places such as parks and gardens is acceptable and also a right move. However, drinking recycled water does not sound right. Somehow the mind refuses to accept that the recycled water is as pure as drinking water. Personally, I would not like to drink such water but using it for other purposes is a good idea. Water wastage must be prevented and an awareness campaign should be started to teach people on how to conserve water as well as how to recycle water within their houses and use it for things like gardening.
Naina Nair
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 13:40

Recycling wastewater requires a big investment though it would save potable water for future generations. The authorities should make strict rules for constructing wastewater treatment systems in every building during the design and construction phase itself so that the recycled water could be used for toilet flushing. For drinking purposes, wastewater has to be treated to tertiary standards, which costs a lot. The use of potable water for watering plants, which is a common practice in many villas, should be prevented.
Resmi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 09:11

I think countries that desalinate water should turn to using new effective and environmentally friendly technologies. I do not think there is a city in the world that deliberately drinks its processed sewage because scientists are divided regarding its safety. Engineers who want to install these plants should give us a good reason to drink recycled water.
Rosemary Morley
Toowoomba,Australia
Posted: December 10, 2008, 07:50