UAE facing 'water crunch'

by Peter Ward

The UAE is facing a water shortage and demand could outstrip supply by 2012, the Minister of Environment and Water has revealed.

Speaking exclusively to Utilities-ME.com at the launch of the UAE’s water conservation campaign, H.E Dr Rashid Bin Fahad revealed: “The UAE is also facing a water crunch, where there is risk that demand for water could outstrip supply by 2012, due to gas shortages. Increasing supply is only part of the solution and managing demand through water conservation also has a crucial role to play.”

The Minister also stated desalination will be the main source of household water in the UAE for the long term future, despite an integrated approach being taken for water resources.

“Desalination is our main source for water for the household. So it is a main source. We are looking at integrated water management. We have ground water and we have the reuse of wastewater which has been high in the last year. We are looking at all of the sources and not just desalination.”

In order to tackle this growing problem, the EAD and ADWEA have announced a scheme to install water saving devices in buildings in the Emirate. “EAD and Adwea will also be installing water saving devices for free in mosques, schools, commercial and government buildings, and households throughout 2010 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These devices will reduce the water consumption of the Emirate by 30%, and will have a significant positive impact on the environment,” said Bin Fahad.