United Arab Emirates: Alarm on water supplies

Worried Federal National Council (FNC) members sounded alarmed when questioning on the 9th November 2010 Rashid bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water over potential threats to the nation’s water supply.

“In the event of a catastrophe, like the red tide or natural and unnatural disasters, can you tell us how long the water we have will quench the thirst of citizens?” Mohammed al Zaabi, a member from Sharjah, asked.

“Water is a challenge and is considered the primary challenge in the UAE,” the minister said. “We are not in a comfortable position. On the contrary, we are under a lot of pressure and challenges.”

According to the interviewer Mr bin Fahad avoided answering questions on the exact size of desalinated water reserves and how long they would last in the event of an environmental disaster such as a large oil spill or red tide. Some desalination plants were closed by algal bloom contamination two years ago, FNC members said. Residents of the Northern Emirates needed to travel to Dubai and Sharjah to buy water.

“What is the emergency plan for these plants if they are harmed intentionally or unintentionally, or if the sea is polluted?” said Amal al Qubaisi, a member from Abu Dhabi. A contingency plan is necessary “particularly because of the security situation in the Middle East region and the Gulf in particular”, she said.

Mr bin Fahad also confirmed that his ministry’s plans to increase water reserves. “Conservation is no longer a choice,” he said. Each United Arab Emirates UAE resident uses 550 litres of water a day, the highest rate in the world. The global average is 250 litres.

The location of desalination plants near the sea has also contributed to “the pollution of the sea environment”, the FNC report said. “The desalination plants dump their waste in the sea and use the sea as a burial ground for this waste.” A draft law has been prepared by the ministry regulating water use, punishing waste and pollution, and strengthening the ministry’s oversight of water resources.

The legislation would also create a water committee that includes federal and local authorities.

--

Related Articles

• Water and the United Arab Emirates (soulfood101.wordpress.com)