Investments in new desalination plants in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain are worth $2.08 billion, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei said. The desalination industry is growing at an annual rate of 3% and the UAE has launched various national strategic projects in the sector. These projects will help the country achieve water security by providing supplies and ensuring national sustainability.
The UAE relies on desalination, the process of turning seawater into drinking water, and regularly uses cloud seeding to boost rainfall, as it receives only about 100mm per year. Therefore, the UAE's water resources reserves are under great pressure. In 2019, the UAE was listed as one of more than a dozen countries facing extreme resource stress, with groundwater reserves depleted from overuse. Authorities launched the Water Security Strategy 2036 in 2017 to address the issue.
It sets out how the UAE will reduce total water requirements by 21%; increase the reuse of treated water to 95%; cut per capita consumption in half; and develop storage capacity for more than 45 days in extreme emergencies. The UAE has prioritized the sixth Sustainable Development Goal to improve the sustainability of water resources and make them available in natural conditions and emergencies. The ministry plans to upgrade the water supply sector and complete a new desalination plant using reverse osmosis technology.
According to the approved water security strategy indicators, treated wastewater must be used at 95 per cent, while demand management and rationalisation programmes will also help reduce total water use by 21 per cent by 2036, Mr Al Mazrouei said. Reverse osmosis is a low-energy method of purifying water using membrane technology. The plants also use renewable energy systems, which increase the efficiency of freshwater production.Editor/XingWentao
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