ABU DHABI // Water supplies from the ground are at risk of running out within the next 55 years if the same amount is extracted each year, authorities say.
And a forecast lack of rain this year further threatens the supply.
"Rainfall has a lot of benefits because it recharges the aquifer system," said Dr Mohamed Dawoud, manager of water resources at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
"So if we continue abstracting the same amount of water from the ground and it doesn't rain, this can be very detrimental."
Water consumption for irrigation in farms is about 1.5 billion cubic metres per year, or 50 per cent of total consumption in the emirate.
The aquifer system, a layer in the soil that stores water in its pores, is recharged with 90 billion cubic metres a year from the country's 114 dams and the Hajar Mountains on the east coast.
But with Abu Dhabi alone taking out 2.1 billion cubic metres a year, it will take only 55 years before the groundwater is exhausted.
Dr Dawoud said cutting the amount of water wasted by limiting the number of new wells, reducing the amount taken out and using new irrigation technologies could extend the aquifer reserve to 100 years.
One of the solutions the agency is working on is improving the quality of treated wastewater so it can be used more for agriculture.
"After treating it to a quality which allows us to use it safely, with no harm and health risks, we can use it instead of groundwater," said Dr Dawoud.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority will soon start irrigating 216 farms with wastewater that has been filtered and treated with ultraviolet light.
For now, treated wastewater is not suitable for edible crops, which limits its use to landscaping and recreational areas. They are looking at a process called reverse osmosis, a filter that removes particles, to produce potable water.
Others have expressed interest in the technique. Alan Thomson, manager of the Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, which owns 38 wastewater-treatment plants, believes it could have potential.
"If it [the Abu Dhabi Government] takes that decision, it will be a good one," Mr Thomson said.
Metito, a Dubai water-treatment company, is also considering reverse osmosis. It already uses treated sewage for district cooling, said Samer Yousef, its senior operations and maintenance manager.
Empower is already using some polishing plants, which treat sewage enough for district cooling - and the plan is for all district cooling to use treated wastewater within a few years. "Usually, it's used from potable water which is a big waste," said Mr Yousef.
Metito built a sewage polishing plant on the Palm Jumeirah in 2009 but it has not been used yet because so much water is used for irrigation and there is no excess.
The longer-term aim is to generate drinking water. That, though, remains a way off. "The culture is changing little by little and later on, it will be accepted for human consumption, for agricultural human purposes and drinking," said Mr Yousef. "But it could take a decade or more."
He expects some resistance. In the UAE, he said, the idea of drinking, showering and cooking with sewage "is not acceptable."
For now, the UAE will have to consider other sources. Desalinated water could be mixed with groundwater to reduce the pressure on its aquifer system.
"It can be done and there are plans in the future to minimise its wastage," said Dr Dawoud.
Next May, the agency will begin using treated wastewater from its 32 plants in agriculture - effectively giving the UAE an extra 100 million cubic metres of water a year. That, insists Dr Dawoud, "will not have any [negative] health impacts."
In an effort to conserve dwindling supplies, the Cabinet last month banned the export of bottled groundwater.
It followed a recommendation from the Federal National Council, and a plea to the minister to help the UAE's drought-hit farms.
"Thank God, this is a great step - all this only from a small question," Musabah Al Kitbi, an FNC member from Sharjah, said after the ban. He believes media coverage of the debate also pushed the problem to the Cabinet's attention.
But with only 16 billion cubic metres of freshwater left in the UAE - much of the available water is brackish - the situation is pressing. "We are now recommended not to use freshwater for man-made activities in the future," said Dr Dawoud. "We have to keep it as a strategic reserve."
cmalek@thenational.ae
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Always use only regulated platforms
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Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
The%20specs
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Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE%20SPECS
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SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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SHAITTAN
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Results:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Company%20Profile
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'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
