The UAE will build 68 dams in the coming five years, according to Dr Mohammed Mustafa Al Mulla, Deputy Minister of Water and Soil Affairs. The move aims at protecting the UAE’s natural water resources as well as meeting the increasing water requirements in the emirates.
Dr Mulla also revealed that the ministry was preparing a new federal law draft to protect the country’s water resources in a bid to meet the future water demand. ’We are currently working on the draft law. The details will be announced later. All I can say now is the law will have certain guidelines and regulations on water usage,’ said Mulla.
Speaking to the media at the Emirates Towers to announce ’Water Tech 2008’, a strategic water management event to be held at Crown Plaza in Dubai on October 13-14, Dr Mulla said all the new dams would be rechargeable and would help the country save more water. He, however, did not reveal the cost to be incurred in building the dams. He said it was too early to disclose the cost.
’The UAE already has 140 dams. By building more dams, we want to ensure the maximum usage of our water resources,’ said Dr Mulla. But for two dams in Fujairah, all the other dams in the country are rechargeable. ’Recently, the dams were full because of the rainfall. We are building rechargeable dams to avoid any possibility of wasting water,’ he explained.
’Currently we are working to build a better waste water management system. The major consumers of the UAE’s water resources are the agricultural and industrial sectors. Our aim is to use desalinated water only for domestic purpose,’ said Dr Mulla. It’s the government’s strategy to meet the needs of the industrial and agricultural sectors by treated waste water. Ruling out the chances of water shortage in the UAE because of the rapid development and increasing population, Dr Mulla said, ’We have a strategic plan to meet the water requirement of the country. The plan is in line with the future developments.’
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