ABU DHABI: Ahmed Al Kaabi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Electricity, Water, and Future Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI), today inaugurated the Water Conference as part of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2024 that brings together industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and experts to explore the challenges and opportunities in the water sector.
In his speech, Al Kaabi noted that the Water Conference offers a real opportunity to highlight water-related challenges and ways to overcome them, given the importance of water as a basic human need and a major factor in driving the process of sustainable growth.
He said, ‘The UAE is committed to helping achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 that declares the importance of achieving ‘clean water and sanitation for all’. Water demand in the UAE is estimated to be 4.2 billion square metres annually. Given our geographical location in an arid area, groundwater is scarce. So, we rely mainly on non-t
raditional sources to produce fresh water for drinking purposes and various uses.’
Al Kaabi added, ‘The United Nations report issued on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda indicated that the UAE has achieved an average of 100 percent in providing safe drinking water and sanitation services. The country has also achieved a result of 79 percent in the field of integrated water resources management, which is one of the best results regionally. We seek to improve this result in the coming years, by ensuring alignment and integration between the country’s water, energy, environment, and food strategies.’
He noted that in 2017, the Ministry unveiled the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, which aims to ensure sustainable access to water during both normal and emergency conditions. The overall objectives of the strategy are to reduce total demand for water resources by 21 percent, increase the water productivity index to US$110 per cubic metre, reduce the water scarcity index by three degrees, and increase
the reuse of treated water to 95 percent.
He added, ‘The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition are shining examples of how the UAE is working to strengthen the global water security system. The UAE is dedicated to leveraging the latest technologies to address the challenges of the water sector and help ensure access to clean water for everyone globally.’
Source: Emirates News Agency