Water shortage in the UAE

The world suffers from many problems because of a lack of resources. One of the most common problems is water shortage. Water is the most important resource in the world. It is an essential and vital resource and it is impossible to live without it. Water shortage will be the biggest challenge facing the world during the next fifty years because more than a billion people have no access to fresh water and most of them live in the developing countries. There are plenty of reasons that are behind the lack of water and we must find ways and follow procedures to minimize this problem. There are a lot of factors, whether by environment or by human activities that caused lack of wate: drought, including high temperatures, some types of pollution and over pumping. Therefore there is a lot of damage which could occur, whether in the environment or between countries, In addition political disputes and other problems could develop.

There are a lot of countries which suffer from water shortages and there are many reasons behind this. One country is the UAE, which faces this crisis. The main reason behind water shortage in the UAE is the large consumption of water, many economic development projects, water pollution and not enough groundwater. The UAE is one of the countries that use the most water in West Asia. On the other hand it's one of the most arid areas so it needs water. People who live in the UAE, are  the highest water user per capita in the world too; we consume an average of 550 liters per day. The UAE is the third largest consumer after the US and Canada in the world.

Another problem is that global warming has started to increase. The United Arab Emirates is located in the desert and there is not a lot of rain in this area, so this causes a shortage of water resources which threatens population living here.(Wardam,B  2010)

Another cause of water shortages in the UAE is lack of groundwater. It is the one of the water resources in the UAE. Recently, the amount of groundwater decreased by 18%. Now, 641 m³ groundwater resources are available, but a smaller amount of this is fresh water, 3%. And the rest of the groundwater, 97%, has a high salt content which is not good for agricultural purposes. In 1990 the rate of groundwater in the United Arab Emirates was 285 million m3/year. In Ras Al Khaima and the eastern region, groundwater and coastal water fell below sea level, because of the intensive development. Also, growth in the population in the UAE affects the amount of water. The UAE is population is increasing a lot.(Morris, M 2009)

There are many solutions for water shortages in the UAE. At the moment the UAE desalinates sea water. This is connected to the oil and the government can afford to pay for it because it is very expensive. However there are other methods that could be used. We can re-use it so water must be treated and purified and cleaned. One example is the conference that happened in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which was supported by Global Water Intelligence. The conference covered many sides of water shortages problem, and suggested the best solution for this problem. It is also showed the two biggest water projects in the Middle East, Fujairah F2 and Marafiq. The Fujairah project was about several  distillation methods using Alstom's GT26 gas turbines, which produce 591,500 cubic meters of water per day. The Marafiq project has the capacity to produce more 800,000 cubic meters per day of desalinated water.( Mesbah, R 2009).

Another example is MASDAR city which is located in Abu Dhabi. This city is one of the best examples for every other city in the world. It relies only on solar energy and alternate energy resources and there is no wastage of water  and energy in this city. Also, it is an example for individual solutions too. It reduces the amount of wastage of water and it avoids using air conditioners at low temperatures, because this helps to save a lot of energy and water. Also, people can have a quick shower and close the tap while shaving, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. This way will save more water. Also, creating awareness for young people and children to promote water and reduce waste is important. (Hamza, K 2009).

In conclusion, there are many causes of water shortage like pollution and over pumping and waste. In the UAE the reason behind water shortages is many economic projects and consumption of water and less  groundwater. Also, the UAE is located in the desert. The best solutions for water shortages problems in UAE are distillation and cleaning the water resources. Also, there are many conferences and projects that have many solutions to reduce the amount of water waste and to re-use the water. The government can put many rules and laws to reduce the waste of water. Also, there are a lot of campaigns, which raise awareness, which aims to conserve water and reduce the consumption. In my opinion, water is the most valuable gift that God gave to us, so we all have to reduce water consumption. Every drop of water is precious and each person in any place has to learn to conserve water.

Bibliography

K, Hamza. "http://www.dubaiforums.com/dubai-politics-talk/wastage-energy-and-water-uae-t41324.html." http://www.dubaiforums.com/dubai-politics-talk/wastage-energy-and-water-uae-t41324.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. <://www.dubaiforums.com/dubai-politics-talk/wastage-energy-and-water-uae-t41324.html>.

R, Mesbah. "Water Solutions Middle East to bring global expertise to the region | IIR Middle East | AMEinfo.com." Middle East business & financial news | business directory & current events | AME Info. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://www.ameinfo.com/208468.html>.

M, Morris. "Abu Dhabi warns of potential water shortage - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com." Middle East Business News, Gulf Financial & Industry Events & Information - ArabianBusiness.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://www.arabianbusiness.com/abu-dhabi-warns-of-potential-water-shortage-64835.html>.

B, Wardam. " UAE Worries about Water Scarcity - Arab Environment Watch ." Arab Environment Watch - Jeeran Blogs. N.p., N.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. . Web.