Save that drop: Tackling water crisis

Dubai The UAE's unquenchable thirst for fresh water may be reduced by selecting farm crops that require less water to produce, said an Abu Dhabi-based green-design architect.

Australian expatriate Carolyn McLean, of global architectural firm Woods Bagot, cited UAE government figures that show 80 per cent of freshwater is used for agriculture in a country where aquifers are under threat of severe depletion despite the existence of 20 or more desalination plants on the coast.

Latest UN water figures place the UAE as the third highest user of water in the world behind the US and Canada. "Water is the new oil," said McLean, noting that "the situation is now a crisis. In the UAE, water and energy are inextricably linked due to the desalination process. Every drop of water saved is an energy saving".

To save water, farmers can grow crops that are less demanding on water resources. "Rice uses twice as much water as wheat," she said. One of the most damaging crops for water resources is cotton, she said. It's estimated that it takes 2,000 litres of water to produce a single cotton T-shirt.

Like crops, some farm animals use much higher quantities of water than others, she said. For example, it takes 3,900 cubic metres of water to produce one tonne of chicken, but it takes 15,000 cubic metres of water to produce one tonne of beef.

A report by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water said: "Water demands are dominated by agriculture, which accounts for the large majority of total water use."