Suhail Al Mazrouei on World Water Day: Achieving Water Security is a national priority
Abu Dhabi, March 21/ WAM/ The UAE celebrates tomorrow the “World Water Day”, which falls on March 22 of each year and is moving forward in promoting the sustainability of its water resources by adopting ambitious strategies to conserve water and ensure a safe and sustainable water future for future generations.
The UAE pays great attention to the sustainability of water resources, realizing the importance of water as a basic resource for life and sustainable development.
The state’s efforts in this regard are highlighted in adopting integrated strategies to conserve water, achieve water security through desalination, reuse treated water in irrigation, construction of dams, water harvesting projects, and groundwater management.
The UAE launched many initiatives such as the National Water Security Strategy 2036, which aims to ensure the sustainability of water resources and enhance the efficiency of their use and at the same time work to spread awareness of the importance of water rationalization through advanced awareness campaigns and research programs, which reflects its commitment to achieving water security for future generations and enhancing environmental sustainability.
His Excellency Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, confirmed in statements to the Emirates News Agency on this occasion – that the ministry plays a pivotal role in managing water resources in the country by working to develop effective strategies that guarantee the sustainability of water in line with population growth and urban and economic expansion.
He pointed out that the International Water Day is an opportunity to renew the commitment to preserve this vital resource, explaining that achieving water security depends on joint cooperation between the government, society and individuals by adopting water rationalization methods and enhancing awareness of the importance of preserving it.
He noted that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is working to enhance innovation and use with modern technology solutions to ensure optimal benefit from water resources, which contributes to achieving the sustainable development goals that the state seeks.
His Excellency said that the UAE has achieved qualitative achievements in the field of preserving water resources through the implementation of innovative projects such as high efficiency water desalination plants and low carbon fingerprint, developing smart water networks, enhancing the use of unconventional sources to produce fresh water, indicating that the percentage of unconventional resources contribution to the country’s water supply reached 53% and includes desalinated water and the re -use of treated wastewater.
He added that achieving water security is a national priority due to the Emirates site in the dry area and the scarcity of natural resources, so we continue to work on implementing sustainable projects to ensure the continuity of water access and enhance the efficiency of its use and we target through the water security strategy 2036 and the national program for managing the energy and water demand that is compatible with the targets of the vision of the UAE 2031 reduce the total demand for water resources by 21% and reduce the water scarcity index by 3 degrees in addition to Increasing the proportion of processing water to 95% by 2036.
His Excellency pointed out that the ministry launched, in cooperation with its partners, the first hydrogen map of the Emirates and the geot of the possibility database, which represent a qualitative achievement in documenting and managing natural water resources in addition to the national program for energy and water demand management 2050, which aims to enhance efforts to rationalize consumption and improve the environmental performance of water and energy stations.
He stressed that the UAE is investing in modern technologies to enhance water security such as rain water harvesting and the reuse of wastewater in the irrigation of crops and clean energy desalination techniques in a way that contributes to facing the challenges of climate change and reducing the depletion of natural resources, pointing to the state’s endeavor to enhance the operational efficiency of water desalination facilities through the use of renewable energy to reduce the carbon footprint resulting from desalination operations.
With regard to the reuse of water, Al Mazrouei explained that the UAE depends on wastewater treatment stations spread throughout the country, which number more than 160 stations, and the design capacity of these stations exceeds 3 million cubic meters per day, and 73% of the treated water is reused to irrigate green surfaces.
His Excellency the UAE has stressed in enhancing the sustainability of its water resources through innovation and international cooperation and the adoption of ambitious strategies to conserve water and ensure a safe and sustainable water future for future generations.
It is worth noting that, according to the United Nations Report on Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the UAE achieved 100% in providing safe drinking water services and sanitation services and 82% in the integrated water resources management, which puts it among the best regional countries in this field.
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