Water Scarcity in the United Arab Emirates

Water Scarcity in the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s top water-scarce nations. In 2013, the total water consumption was around 4,200 Mm^3, and the demand was met by supplied desalinated (42%), groundwater (44%), treated wastewater (14%), and surface-impounded water at 1%.  The UAE has one of the highest water consumption per capita worldwide of 550 liters per day. This is high compared with the average use in households in the United Kingdom, which is at 334 liters per day, Spain (198 LPD), Asia (95 LPD), and Africa (47 LPD) (Yagoub et al., 2019). Compared with other countries in the Arabian Peninsula, it has a lower domestic consumption than Bahrain’s 670 liters per day, Qatar’s (500 LPD), and Kuwait’s (400 LPD) (Paleologos et al., 2018).

Around 9 percent of the water produced is used in the industrial and commercial sectors. This is about 400 Mm³ of water and is mainly used to clean and cooling machines. Wastewater usually is recycled and used for irrigation. Compared with most European countries, 50% of fresh water is used in the industries and also for the generation of electricity. Sweden and the Netherlands were the top countries that used also recycled water in the manufacturing industry. For construction purposes, high water use was registered in the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary. Estimates for water use in the UAE can be derived from data that exist from several European countries (Paleologos et al., 2018).

The agricultural sector consumes almost two-third of water produced in the UAE, and its rate is lower compared to the nation’s average domestic and industrial consumption. The national consumption level of water in agricultural areas is estimated to be around 1,344 Mm³ in an area of about 26,090 acres. The irrigation system, through the use of drip, sprinklers, and fountains, has led to the utilization of water, which mainly uses groundwater. In the United States, irrigated lands consume about 2,553 m³ of water per acre annually. Despite the different climatic and geomorphologic conditions, UAE exhibits reasonable water application rates compared with the states in the US.

Water sources in the UAE consist of traditional origins and non-traditional sources. The conventional sources include surface water and groundwater, while the non-traditional consists of desalinated water and treated water (Fanack, 2017). Surface water consists of springs and pond water, dams that retain water, small streams, and even floodwaters. These are either free-flowing or reserved water and replenished by rainfall or groundwater. With UAE located in the Arabian Peninsula, mainly a dry region, rainfall is low and erratic. Floodwaters also leak to the ground, especially in rocky areas. Dams are built to harvest rain and surface water and also conserve water and preserve aquifers. One challenge occurs is that a lot of water retained mostly evaporates (Fanack, 2017).

Groundwater is one of the primary water resources in UAEcontributing to about 44%, but only 3% is fresh. There are mainly two groundwater sources. The shallow and deep aquifers are renewable and non- renewable sources, respectively. The rainfall pattern and surface water primarily determine the recharge of shallow aquifers, and thus it may be inconsistent. Excess irrigation water causes salt to accumulate in the aquifer, thus aggravating the problem of groundwater. Also, high evaporation rates during the summer lead to an increase in salts in the deep zone. In recent years, measures are taken to ensure sustainability has led to improved aquifer conditions. For instance, monitoring and regulatory policies have been implemented in conserving traditional water systems such as aflaj (Fanack, 2017).

Desalinated water is used for domestic and drinking purposes, and after Saudi Arabia, UAE is the second-largest producer. As of 2015, there were 33 major desalination plants in the region. The two technological innovations used by most plants is the co-generation multi-stage flash technology and multiple effect distillation where freshwater is evaporated from the sample and then re-condense it when it has separated. Two of the plants use reverse osmosis technology where feed water is pushed through a semi-permeable membrane that blocks various particles and dissolves ions while allowing freshwater to pass through. One of the most significant plants that use reverse osmosis technology is in Fujairah (Maxwell, 2016). This method helps in meeting water demand in the industrial sector, and it’s available due to its relatively low costs (Fanack, 2017). However, their process has got its negative impact, which can lead to its viability as a water supply option. This because of the addition of waste salt back to the Gulf, which already has high salinity. The other negative impact is on environmental issues such as temperature due to the kind of energy used to power the plants. Mostly natural gas and other fossil fuels are used (Maxwell, 2016).

Treated wastewater is another non- conventional water source. Wastewater treatment facilities have been constructed, and urban sewage networks also have been expanded, thus ensuring large volumes of water are treated. There are about 79 medium and large wastewater treatment plants in the country. Most of them are located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (Fanack, 2017). The process of water treatment is conducted in three stages; primary, secondary, and tertiary. The collection of water and odor control is mainly done before the three processes, and domestic wastewater is drained through a sewage treatment plant. Then odor emanating from the collected wastewater is treated. In the primary stage, floating materials are usually removed, and in the second stage, suspended and dissolved biological matters are removed through the use of microorganisms. The final step is where excellent colloidal issues are removed, and then the water is disinfected. The bio-solids pieces of stuff removed in the second stage are usually treated as sludge and then are disposed of (Imdaad, 2019).

The issue of water in the UAE has always been affected by the scarcity of water resources in the region. Integrating different policies that will help managing water resources is essential as it will ensure its security. There should be systems and infrastructures that will help in the protection of these water resources from hazards such as drought and floods. Quantifying the number of households that share a unit of a water resource will also help as it will ensure sufficient water supply. Furthermore, providing a sustainable natural environment will help in preserving these resources and ensure water security (Shaikha, 2018).

In conclusion, despite the UAE having scarce water resources, it still has one of the largest per capita water consumers worldwide. Ground, desalinated, and treated water is the most common source in the country as it is used for domestic purposes, agricultural, landscaping, forests, industrial, and commercial use. With the high consumption of water, management policies are vital in ensuring water security. There is also an imminent need to reduce water demand and mitigate water losses.

References

Imdaad. (2019, May 27). Waste Water Treatment in the UAE. Retrieved April 11, 2020, from https://resources.imdaad.ae/insights/waste-water-treatment-in-the-uae

Maxwell, J. (2016, August 24). Purifying a Solution for Water Supply in the United Arab Emirates. Retrieved April 11, 2020, from http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/purifying-solution-water-supply-united-arab-emirates/

Paleologos, E. K., Farouk, S., & Al Nahyan, M. T. (2018, October). Water resource management towards a sustainable water budget in the United Arab Emirates. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 191, No. 1, p. 012007). IOP Publishing.

Water Resources in the UAE. (2017, October 17). Retrieved April 12, 2020, from https://water.fanack.com/uae/water-resources/