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UAE Water Aid campaign donations cross Dh60 million

Big donors included Emirates Airlines, Dubai Customs, DP World, Dewa, Jafza, Nakheel, Wasl Properties and Dubailand, each pledging Dh5million for the cause.

The UAE Water Aid Campaign began on a high with more than Dh60 million already pledged on the first two days. With a goal to raise Dh125 million during the first 18 days of Ramadan, the campaign is already following in the footsteps of earlier successful campaigns like Noor Dubai and Cloth-a-million children.

Celebrating the onset of Ramadan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the campaign on Twitter asking companies and individuals to contribute in the cause of providing clean water.

Big donors included Emirates Airlines, Dubai Customs, DP World, Dewa, Jafza, Nakheel, Wasl Properties and Dubailand, each pledging Dh5million for the cause, hoping to impact five million people in countries lacking water resources.

Speaking with Khaleej Times, Mohammed Al Zarooni from UAE Red Crescent said: “We have held meetings to finalise how the funds raised from the campaign will be used to provide free water in different parts of the world.”

The UAE Red Crescent will oversee the digging of 600 shallow wells in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Ghana, Togo, Chad and Niger. The authority is also planning on the creation of four large water wells and tanks in Kurdistan and Erbil to help people displaced by conflict and war.

The UAE Red Crescent has already identified water-scarce areas and the first beneficiaries will receive water in 15 days, with work on water wells in Erbil already getting underway. From digging the well to creating storage tanks and creating a supply network to provide clean water, the project hopes to provide a new lease of life for people affected by water shortage.

In places without electricity and adequate power resources to filter and purify water, plans are being devised to deploy solar powered purifiers.

“Water is essential for life — be it humans, animals or the existence of earth itself. Shaikh Mohammed always surprises us with his visionary ideas and every Ramadan, our goodness campaigns have reached millions of people. Dubai Cares, Noor Dubai and clothe a million children have all been very successful in their reach.

Providing clean water to one person costs Dh25 and that has been set as the minimum pledge amount from individuals willing to contribute to the cause.

The campaign aims to provide clean drinking water for 5 million people around the world. Having started on the first day of Ramadan in collaboration with the UAE Red Crescent Society, the water project is expecting bigger participation from private entities and helping it raise awareness about the government-led initiative. — muaz@khaleejtimes.com