Water security a priority for Abu Dhabi, projects to ensure sustainability underway: DOE Under-Secretary

Water security is a priority for Abu Dhabi and the emirate is committed to determining the best ways to make optimal use of natural and desalinated water resources, an Abu Dhabi Department of Energy official has said.

In a statement marking World Water Day on 22nd March, Mohammed bin Jarsh Al Falasi, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, DoE, Under-Secretary, said that the emirate has ambitious plans to develop projects that ensure sustainable water supply for future generations.

"Abu Dhabi plays a leading local and regional role in the water sector, and the Department of Energy adheres to international standards in all projects and services to provide water in the emirate, most recent of which was the ‘Recycled Water Policy’, launched last June to support efforts to preserve water resources and provide sustainable supplies of recycled water in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi," he explained, citing several other leading projects, such as the strategic freshwater storage facility in Liwa - the largest manmade reservoir for desalinated water in the world.

Al Falasi noted that the rate of water consumption in Abu Dhabi is among the highest in the world due to its desert landscape and climate that features high temperatures and humidity, making the emirate highly dependent on desalination.

Currently, Abu Dhabi has nine desalination plants with a total production capacity of approximately 960 million imperial gallons per day.

The Under-Secretary underlined the importance of reverse osmosis technology as the preferred and most cost-effective approach to water desalination, drawing attention to the growing use of desalinated water following the announcement of the new desalination plant project in the Taweelah B Power and Desalination Complex with a production capacity of nearly 200 million imperial gallons, which is expected to be operational in 2022.

Al Falasi explained that there are concrete efforts and projects underway in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to enhance the utilisation of rainwater and groundwater for agricultural activities and other uses.

The DoE Under-Secretary asserted that the coming period compels the emirate to raise community awareness about water consumption to curb water waste.

"At the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, we have set clear goals to cut water waste to ten percent, as well as to curb indoor and outdoor consumption to 12 percent and increase usage of recycled water to 100 percent by 2030," he said.

The official went on to note that the DoE had also launched the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030, which includes nine programmes to reduce electricity consumption by 22 percent and water consumption by 32 percent by 2030.

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