UAE highlights plans, policies for water sector at Cairo meet

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Mohammed Bin Jarsh Al Falasi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), presented the emirate’s strategies, policies and plans related to water security at the second annual Cairo Water Week held under the theme ‘Responding to Water Scarcity’ from October 20 to 24, 2019.

With more than 10 international organisations and experts from 56 countries, the event brings the public and private sectors together to discuss and coordinate decision and policymaking in the water sector.

Al Falasi took part in the Plenary Session titled ‘Achieving SDGs under Water Scarcity’ where he outlined the water resources in Abu Dhabi, the various technologies used for water production, and the emirate’s strategic approach to achieving water and environmental sustainability.

He said: “Water intensity is high in Abu Dhabi due to the hot desert climate and limited rainfall. Our supply mix comprises 60% ground water, 30% desalinated water and 10% recycled water. However, with 79% of groundwater reserves being highly saline, we rely heavily on desalination to provide usable water.”

“Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s largest desalinated water producers - we have nine desalination plants with total capacity of up to 960 million imperial gallons per day, transported though a 3,500 km network and distributed across a 13,000 km pipe network,” the DoE Undersecretary added.

 The highest demand for water is driven by agriculture and irrigation - which account for 70% of water consumption - in addition to the climate, government commitment to large green spaces, residential buildings, commercial and industrial uses.

 Al Falasi said: “While our population grows and demand for water increases, our ground water supplies decrease. Currently, we have 200,000 wells producing 2 billion cubic meter of ground water per year, of which 87% is used for farms consumption.”

To counter these challenges and prepare for the future, the UAE has embarked on a Water Security Strategy 2036 to reduce total demand for water resources by 21%, increase the reuse of treated water to 95%, and increase national water storage capacity up to two days,” he added: “In Abu Dhabi, we have set targets to minimise water losses to 10%, reduce indoor and outdoor water use intensity to 12%, and increase use of recycled water to 100% by 2030.” He went on to note: “We continue to capitalise on Reverse Osmosis (RO) as the preferred and most cost-effective technology for water desalination. Today, 120 MIGD of our total desalinated water is produced through RO while 840 MIGD is produced using traditional thermal desalination methods.”

Al Falasi then explained how Abu Dhabi’s reliance on RO technology will increase when the mega water desalination project at Taweela Power and Water Complex is fully operational in 2022 as the new plant features a capacity of 200 MIGD.

He also highlighted the Liwa aquifer - the world’s largest reserve of 26 Mm3 of high-quality desalinated water, which Abu Dhabi completed in January 2018. This project is sufficient to store 5.6 billion gallons of water, or enough to provide 180 litres of drinking water to one million people for up to 90 days.

Another key highlight of the DoE Undersecretary’s presentation is the launch of Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Consumption Rationalisation Strategy 2030. through 9 core programs, including District Cooling, Efficient Water Use and Water Reuse, the strategy aims to reduce water consumption by 32% and energy consumption by 22% by 2030 based on a 2013 baseline.

 As part of the visit to Cairo, Mohamed Bin Jarsh Al Falasi has met with Dr Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, to discuss opportunities to expand knowledge-sharing and cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Egypt. The meeting also comprised representatives from the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Food Security Authority who are participating in Cairo Water Week.

Abu Dhabi Department of Energy The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) was established in February 2018 to drive the future direction and provisioning of the emirate’s energy sector in all its forms and to create an efficient system that enables economic growth, energy security and sustainable development. DoE’s mandate includes enacting policies and regulations and developing strategies to ensure an effective energy transition that underpins Abu Dhabi’s sustainable growth, all while protecting consumers and the environment.

Separately, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy - Diamond Sponsor of the 21st Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2019) - is  showcasing its initiatives for driving the transformation of Abu Dhabi’s energy sector as it takes part in the Green Week in Dubai.

Aside from WETEX, the weeklong event includes the Dubai Solar Show, which coincides with the World Green Economy Summit, WGES, said a DoE press release on Tuesday.