8 November 2009
The Minister of Environment and Water, Dr Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, told Khaleej Times the ministry has been a proponent for the establishment of the task force, and that the conference would also be used to establish tougher regulations on the desalination industry in the country.
The IDA President, Lisa Henthorne, said the country and the region remained in a “formative” stage of regulation.
“This task force will help bring together experts, recommend guidelines, best environmental practices as well as any issues,” she said.
Henthorne said she would not pre-empt any expectations of the desalination and environmental issues, but said the UAE had been supportive of initiatives and regulating the industry.
The country has 30 desalination plants since the first was established in the early 1970s. Producing more than 1.3 billion cubic metres per year, they compensate for the country’s average rainfall of less than 100mm and support a population that has grown to an estimated six million, based on figures presented in the Federal National Council.
The region produces half of the world’s total desalinated water and infrastructure is already under way to increase capacity.
Dubai will treble its capacity in the next 10 years with a $20 billion investment announced in the middle of this year.
The minister said future projections indicated that demand could grow to 7 billion cubic metres in 2020.
“In the light of these forecasts, the Ministry of Environment and Water, in cooperation with its strategic partners, is currently working to develop strategies to maintain water resources and manage the demand to ensure sustainability,” he said.
Bin Fahad pointed out that while desalination plants were vital for the country, it was important their impact became “less harsh, more friendly, more green.”
“We will be setting regulations on the industry,” he said.
Fahad stated that workshops and the establishment of a committee during this week’s conference would be used to develop the regulations and did not elaborate on what they might entail.
“It’s not just the UAE, but the GCC that needs to look at making desalination plants more environmentally friendly,” he asserted.
Fahmi Al Jowder, Bahrain’s Minister of Electricity and Water, announced his country would host the task force’s meeting in the first quarter of 2010 to ensure the progress of work.
He also called for strict legislation to curb fluid emissions by desalination plants into the ocean.
Many speakers pointed to the importance of improving current desalination technology to become more environmentally friendly.
Salma Hareb, CEO of Economic Zones World, launched the Excellence Centre for Integrated Water Management, a research facility dedicated to discovering solutions for the sustainable use of water.
“Its objectives include research in qualitative and quantitative water management, adequacy of water for human use, and planning for water sustainability,” Hareb said.
The UAE’s Minister of Energy, Mohammed Bin Dha’en Al Hameli, said steps should be taken to encourage scientific experimentation to develop new designs for desalination plants that are cost effective, technologically advanced and environmentally friendly.
The congress, being attended by about 1,300 delegates from 50 countries, at Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, will run until Thursday
