UAE consumes 3.2b cubic metres of water annually

Al Ain: UAE consumes more than 3.2 billion cubic metres of water every year, a senior officer from the environment agency has warned.

Mohammad A. Dawoud, said given the declining water levels and a general deterioration in groundwater quality, the protection and conservation of fresh groundwater is of vital importance.

Mohammad S. Al Asam, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Environment and Water, also said 115 dams have been built to artificially recharge the depleting groundwater resources. They were speaking at a conference which was held here recently.

The dams are constructed in the northern emirates and have significantly enhanced the groundwater recharge, said Al Asam.

"Enhanced groundwater recharge represents a feasible solution to avoid the depletion of aquifers in UAE," he said.

He said excessive pumping and the lack of rainfall and natural resources have been depleting groundwater levels and quality in many aquifers in the country.

"A large number of monitoring wells have [also] been installed within the vicinity of recharge dams to assess their efficiency," he said, adding that groundwater level is measured monthly.