DUBAI:
Dubai is to use a natural fissure as a long-term water reservoir, Dewa boss Saeed Al Tayer said in an interview at Wetex 2017.
A similar project at Liwa, by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD), holds 5 billion gallons of water — a strategic reserve that would provide 180 litres of water per person in Abu Dhabi every day for 90 days.
Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said the Dubai project was not merely a strategic reserve to ensure water security, but made economic sense.
He said man-made reservoirs cost around Dh2 per imperial gallon of storage, but a reservoir built into a natural fissure would be far cheaper — as little as Dh0.30 per imperial gallon.
“Abu Dhabi government is looking in Western Region, and they have a project there. For Dubai we are looking within Dubai,” Al Tayer said, without revealing which location had been identified.
He made it clear that the aquifer would not supply water, but would store fresh water from other sources.
“We are going to store the water there. We can draw the water when required. We have already identified, we are planning during the next three years to complete the infrastructure, to put the pipeline, to connect it to the well, to do the drilling. It’s finalised.”
The Liwa project, which became operational in 2015, will keep fresh water for up to 100 years, EAD believe. A second project is underway in Al Ain.
