Preserving Abu Dhabi’s water resources is at the heart of a government strategy launched on Tuesday.
The plan aims to ensure that conventional water resources are utilised as efficiently as possible while encouraging the use of alternative sources, such as reclaimed water.
The strategy was unveiled at the International Water Summit, which is running alongside Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The initiative is a collaboration between eight government agencies working under the Permanent Committee for Setting and Implementing Water and Agricultural Strategies in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The group was founded in 2009 by the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi.
Majid Al Mansouri, chairman of the Department of Municipal Affairs and deputy chairman of the committee, said demand for water was set to rise significantly.
“The total consumption of water resources reached up to 3.3 billion cubic metres in 2011 and it is expected that the demand for water will increase to about five billion cubic metres by 2030,” Mr Al Mansouri said at a ceremony attended by senior government officials including Dr Rashid bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and chief executive of Masdar.
For the first time, the strategy will evaluate all three sources of water in the emirate. These are groundwater, which is tapped at a rate 15 times greater than the natural recharge rate; desalinated water, which is produced at significant economic and environmental costs; and treated sewage effluent, of which only 60 per cent is reused in Abu Dhabi.
“This is the first time we have a holistic strategy that looks at the three taps and looks at the various uses,” said Razan Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
The strategy has outlined 13 broad goals, which vary from adopting new, less energy-intensive technologies to desalinate water, to increasing the use of treated sewage effluent and ensuring efficient use.
“There is no doubt that every entity is taking this issue with utmost seriousness and is committing their institutions to follow through,” Ms Al Mubarak said.
“The Crown Prince [Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces] said that water is more important than oil and that message has really rung through to every single government official. We are working very hard to get this done.”
The agency will be given the task of safeguarding Abu Dhabi’s groundwater resources, which are facing significant pressure because of demand from agriculture.
Ms Al Mubarak said that one way to give aquifers the chance to recover would be to encourage the use of more recycled water in farming.
“This is a very important resource that can, and should, be used within other sectors such as agriculture,” she said.
The agency is also planning on increasing its network of groundwater monitoring stations. It has 1,100 stations and about 80,000 wells in the emirate.
It has also increased its enforcement activities to prevent the illegal selling of groundwater by well owners. In the past year, more than 50 breaches have been submitted to the courts with another 30 pending, according to Ms Al Mubarak.
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