UAE | Environment
Water reserves may 'deplete in 50 years'
Water resources in the capital may face depletion in 50 years if no action is taken now, warned the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:06 March 21, 2009
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- Water resources in the capital may face depletion in 50 years if no action is taken now, warned the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Abu Dhabi: Water resources in the capital may face depletion in 50 years if no action is taken now, warned the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Reiterating the need to conserve water on World Water Day today (March 22), EAD said that at abstraction rates, it anticipates depletion of both fresh and brackish reserves, in five decades.
UAE residents have one of the highest per capita water consumption rates in the world at 550 litres per day.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of EAD said, in a statement, that future will be very challenging unless action is taken to reduce the rate of water consumption.
The Emirate's groundwater supply has been reduced by 18 per cent since 2003, according to EAD's Annual Abu Dhabi Emirate Water Resources Statistics Report. This reduction in groundwater supply points to the increasing use of unconventional water resources, such as desalination and re-use of treated wastewater.
Currently, 641 m³ groundwater resources are still available, but less than 3 per cent of this is fresh water. EAD's report also reveals that groundwater contributes 71.2 per cent to the total water demand, followed by desalinated water (24%) and treated wastewater (4.8%),
Shaikh Hamdan noted that today, the total consumption of water resources in the Emirate exceeds 24 times its natural recharge capacity. He added that this has arisen from the rapid social and economic development that the Emirate has witnessed in the past four decades and that this has placed considerable stress on sectoral water use.
He said that the Emirate has one of the highest per capita water consumptions in the world, despite having an arid/hyper arid climate with less than 100mm/yr rainfall, a low groundwater recharge rate (c.10% of total annual water used) and no reliable, perennial surface water resources.
The government has already made tremendous efforts in water conservation, through large investments and building of desalination plants as well as infrastructure for water distribution networks, he said.
The EAD has recently developed an Abu Dhabi Water Master Plan, which describes the current status of water sources and demand, uses and future needs of water in all sectors of development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi until 2030.
Majid Al Mansouri, EAD's Secretary General, said that studies have shown a significant deficit in water supply in the coming years, adding that the projected population of 3.5 million by 2030 besides the huge economic development projects is a major challenge.
"The study recommended the need for the adoption of options and means that suit the environment for increasing water production, such as to increase the efficiency of the use of treated sewage effluent to irrigate forests and use of desalinated water in excess of need in the recharge of underground reservoirs for use in times of emergency. It is expected that the demand for treated sewage effluent will exceed its supply in the near future. The study also recommended the need to use appropriate local drought tolerant plants in landscape agriculture, parks and various places of entertainment to reduce water consumption", he added.
The high per capita water consumption rate in the domestic sector points to the need to focus on public awareness, he noted.
Dr Mohammad Dawood, Manager of Natural Resources Policy department at EAD said in a recent interview that the new codes and regulations in the plan are expected to play a significant role in cutting down water usage.
Govt measures to conserve water
Law No. 6 was passed in 2006 authorizing Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) to regulate the licensing and drilling of water wells and to monitor usage.
A Strategic Water Master Plan for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has recently been developed by EAD and its partners.
Development: Daunting challenge
Dubai: The problem of water resources management and insufficient of water constitute the most daunting challenges to development plans, according to Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water.
"Water today is a severe headache to makers of economic, political and environmental decisions across the world and it has topped the agenda of international organisations and conferences. Countries place water on the top of their politics and strategy,'' the minister said in an address marking the World Water Day.
Citing international reports, the minister said half of the world population would face acute shortage in water by 2025 while about one billion people has no access to fresh drinking water.
Citing the Arab World as an example for the water woes, the minister admitted that more than 15 Arab countries are now facing water shortage and the more countries might join the list.
According to the minister, the Arab World, which is home to 5 per cent of the world population, controls only 1 per cent of the world water resources.
Locally, he said the UAE has adopted a national strategy for sustainable development of water resources, which has led to spread of greenery, fighting desertification and introducing modern farming techniques.
"More than 100 dams at a total storage capacity of 118 million cubic metres have been constructed under the directives by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,, ,' ‘he said.
‘'Desalinated water produced by government stations reach more than one billion cubic metres a year. Plants for treating sewerage water were set up across the emirates which produce over 300 million cubic metres of treated water mainly use for irrigation purposes."
- WAM
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