Lack of sufficient quantities of water in the UAE is one of the major problems facing sustainable development. The arid climate of the country plays a significant role in the water resources availability. Rainfall, which is a main source of recharge for different water resources, such as surface water and groundwater, is scanty and extremely irregular in time and space. Evaporation, which reduces the amount of surface water, is high. Heavy pumping of groundwater has deteriorated groundwater levels. Desalination plants have been launched in different parts of the country to meet increasing water demands due to increasing population and economical development in the country. The continued reduction of water storage will hinder the development in the country. To avoid this problem, integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategy should be implemented. Searching for new non-conventional resources is also essential. This paper aims to assess the conventional and non-conventional water resources in the UAE and estimates the past and future water demands. In addition, this article focuses on future water strategy scenarios and plans.
a b s t r a c tThe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are situated in one of the most arid regions in the world, with extremely poor endowment of freshwater resources. Despite the water scarcity, the GCC countries have done well in providing water for their ever-increasing population and rapidly expanding economic base. However, this has been achieved only by resorting to relatively very expensive and costly investments in water supply sources and infrastructures manifested by desalination, water treatment, dam constructions, as well as groundwater overdrafting. Being an important vector for socioeconomic development, there is a need for the establishment of an efficient and sustainable water management system to ensure that the water sector can continue to serve the countries' development needs. However, currently the GCC countries are facing several major challenges that are threatening the water sector sustainability. These include increasing water scarcity, increasing costs for infrastructure and service delivery, resources deterioration, increasing environmental and economic externalities, and many others. The main driving forces of these challenges are population growth and changing consumption patterns, low supply efficiencies, lower rates of water reuse and recycling, and low energy efficiency in the water sector. The intensity of these challenges is expected to increase in the future due to the additional driving force of the impacts of climate change. Realizing these challenges, the GCC Supreme Council has issued in its 31st summit (2010) the directive of "serious and speedy steps should be taken and endorsed by the GCC Supreme Council toward a long-term comprehensive Gulf water strategy". In 2016, a GCC Unified Water Strategy, 2016-2035 (GCC UWS) has been finalized by the GCC Secretariat General and approved by the GCC Supreme Council. This paper presents the main challenges facing the sustainability of the water sector in the GCC countries, the formulated GCC UWS (main themes and strategic objectives and their policies, key performance indicators and targets), the potential financial, economic, and environmental benefits from its implementation, and its expected overall contribution to the water sector sustainability in the GCC countries.
The aridity, population growth, agriculture and industrial activities threaten the water resources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In UAE, groundwater quantity is reduced and its quality is also deteriorated due to the scanty of rainfall and over pumping for different uses. The deficit of groundwater is met by desalinated water and reused of treated wastewater. Agricultural activities have negative impacts on water resources and this causes reduction of groundwater quality as the agriculture the main land use in the UAE and it accounts for more than 70% of groundwater use. The treated wastewater is an alternative source for agricultural activities. To improve the current water situation, a national water resources strategy has been prepared and imple-mented to assist in achieve this target and maintain the country’s water security. This paper intends to give an overview of water resources in the UAE with emphasis on challenges facing the management of these resources
Abstract:Increasing groundwater salinity and depletion of the aquifers are major concerns in the UAE. Isotopes of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon concentrations in groundwater were used to estimate evaporation loss using the isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, and using a carbon isotope to trace inorganic carbon cycling in two main aquifers in the eastern part of the United Arab Emirates.The υD-υ 18 O of groundwater samples plotted on a line given by:In comparison, the local meteoric water line (LMWL) has been defined by the line: υD D 8 υ 18 O C 15. In order to better understand the system investigated, samples were separated into two groups based on the υD-υ 18 O relationship. These are (1) samples that plot above the LMWL (υD D 6Ð1 υ 18 O C 12Ð4, r 2 D 0Ð8) and which are located predominantly in the north of the study area, and (2) samples that plot below the LMWL (υD D 5Ð6 υ 18 O C 6Ð2, r 2 D 0Ð8) and which are mostly distributed in the south. Slopes for both the groups are similar and lower than that for LMWL indicating potential evaporation of recharging water. However, the y-intercept, which differs between the two groups, suggests evaporation of return flow and evapotranspiration in the unsaturated zone to be more significant in the south. This is attributed to intense agricultural activities in the region.Samples from the eastern Gravel Plain aquifer have υ 13 C and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) values in the range from 10 to 17‰, and 12-100 mg C/l, respectively, while the range for those from the Ophiolite aquifer is from 11 to 16.4‰, and 16-114 mg C/l respectively. This suggests the control of C-3 and C-4 plants on DIC formation, an observation supported by the range υ 13 C of soil organic matter (from 18Ð5 to 22Ð1‰.)
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