​Mohammad Mohammad Saleh, Director General of Etihad Water and Electricity, stated that a new consumption tariff has been approved for the farms in the areas it serves, with the aim of providing services to farmers at reasonable prices and preserving water stocks.
Saleh said that more than 7,000 farms out of 9,000 do not have water services, pointing out that the goal of the new tariff is to stop the traditional methods of providing water to farms, reduce groundwater depletion, rationalize water consumption and encourage farmers to use desalinated water.
He pointed out that in the past, water services were provided for housing inside farms in small quantities that did not exceed 10,000 gallons per month at of a tariff of 2 fils, or 3 fils if the quantity exceeds that. After operating the new desalination plant Umm Al Quwain, water became available to meet the needs of all farms, and this will contribute to reducing previous prices by 15 to 25%.
He said that the fees for providing water service to farms were also reduced by 50% with the possibility of installments, pointing out that the insurance amount for the water service has been canceled and the amount will be returned to those who previously paid the insurance through consumption invoices.