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Permanent Committee Set Up On Water And Agriculture Resources |
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Under the directives of H.H President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, H.H. General Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Decree No. (87) was issued on December 24, 2009 to set up a Permanent Committee for Water and Agriculture Resources. The Committee is chaired by H.E. Mohammad Al Bowardi, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Executive Council with H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi as deputy chairman of the committee. Members include representatives from the relevant organizations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The decree was issued because it is in line with the aspirations of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to develop ambitious policies, strategies and plans in the water and agriculture sector. Moreover, it reflects the integration of efforts to preserve water resources, in addition to rationalizing and maximizing efficiency to serve the various development sectors and maintain the prosperity of the Emirate and its global leadership in this area. The Committee shall review the modern techniques of water production and treatment and adopt the development of these techniques and the use of renewable sources of energy in the production of water. The Committee is also responsible for evaluating, reviewing and adopting policies, strategies and action plans related to the treatment of waste water and reusing it. The Committee will also study the best techniques used in the agricultural field and how they could contribute in increasing the food self-efficiency, as well as reviewing and analyzing the criteria of the underground water for the provision of a strategic storage, in addition to developing a plan for providing water at emergency circumstances. Moreover, the committee will study ways of rationalizing water consumption and establishing water and treated waste water networks. During the meeting, H.E Mohammed Al Bowardi stressed the importance of water resources in the development process and the economic, environmental and social impact of the challenges facing the rationalization of water usage. He stated that the Government exerted efforts to build large-scale projects aimed at providing water sources despite the scarcity of water resources in the Emirate and the high cost of these projects. H.E also stated that the preservation of these resources and managing them properly is a strategic option that requires the efforts of all concerned bodies. H.E. stressed the need to develop a general framework for the development of water resources through giving attention to all available resources including treated waste water to be used for all purposes as done in Singapore, noting that the use of treated waste water for irrigation and the application of better irrigation systems and agricultural techniques is an integral part of the agriculture strategy and food security, which could bring precedence and leadership to the Emirate at the global level and provides a lot of investments. He stressed that this is one of the challenges facing the Committee to reach the global level of leadership in water resources management and the development of the agricultural sector in the emirate. During the meeting, H.E. Majid Al Mansouri stressed that there is no long term emergency plan and there is no usage of modern irrigation techniques. For further information, please contact: |
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