Abu Dhabi has announced that a scheme is underway to treat and reuse all wastewater across the emirate within a year, amid warnings that available water reserves may not last more than 50 years
Dr Mohammad Dawood, an expert on water resources at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) said, ?All wastewater resources in Abu Dhabi will be treated and reused as part of plans to enhance integrated water management.?
Dawood added that improving the efficiency of water use and reducing waste in distribution systems were the most affordable ways to address the problem of water scarcity, but improved wastewater treatment technologies and wastewater reuse were becoming essential, Gulf News reported.
At present, 45 per cent of wastewater was either discharged back into the sea or into the desert, according to the EAD?s estimates.
?Currently there are three sources of water in the emirate: groundwater which accounts for about 63.6 per cent, desalinated water accounts for about 29.2 per cent, and treated sewage water represents about 7.2 per cent of the total water resources used.?
Dr Mohamad Al Madfaei, executive director of EAD?s Integrated Environment Policy and Planning Sector, said groundwater conservation was a strategic priority for the EAD.
Al Madfaei remarked, ?As the government authority mandated with environmental regulation, policy advice and protection, EAD has consolidated its efforts to respond with a set of initiatives to address this strategic dwindling resource.?
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