Global reports on water scarcity highlight the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach, following well-thought-out strategies to mitigate its effects and ensure a sustainable future that guarantees the cessation of water wastage, achievable through a formula that prioritises the individual.
With global official statistics confirming that up to one third of the world’s freshwater supplies are wasted annually, and projections indicating that global demand for freshwater will exceed supply levels by up to 40% by 2030, it becomes essential to intensify efforts and adopt effective policies for managing water resources more sustainably and efficiently.
The UAE was among the first countries to adopt joint governmental efforts to enhance water resource sustainability, launching the Water Security Strategy 2036. All relevant entities, including Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), began working according to well-thought methodologies and innovative practices to establish sustainability concepts, aiming to reduce individual water consumption rates, increase productivity, and achieve sustainability.
With the launch of the Water Initiative by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the country's visionary leadership is committed to securing a better life for its residents, while preserving resources and ensuring their sustainability for future generations.
In their efforts to turn this sector's leadership vision into tangible reality, relevant entities in the UAE play a pivotal role through supporting strategic initiatives and accelerating technological innovation to reduce water wastage, using advanced systems for remote monitoring and control of operational processes such as SCADA systems for water, in addition to adopting smart metering devices and advanced technological solutions for leak detection and repair, ensuring that these projects and initiatives are implemented according to the highest international standards.
Continuing these efforts, the UAE has sought to enhance the use of modern technologies through the Smart Meters, which enables monitoring of water wastage and helps individuals effectively monitor their water consumption. The country also enhances the use of reverse osmosis technology for water desalination, increasing the production capacity of this technology through projects like NAQA'A, one of the largest water desalination projects in the world. Other similar stations relying on the same technology, such as "Ghalila" and "Al Zawrah", establish this pioneering approach and contribute to the sustainability of freshwater supplies for the northern regions of the country in all conditions and times.
These efforts have undoubtedly facilitated water provision, but the challenge remains, and it is essential for everyone to work together to find practical and effective solutions to overcome it. Real change often starts with the individual, moving from them to their immediate surroundings and then spreading more broadly at a community level. Governments oversee and regulate this expansion through launching strategies, plans, policies, awareness campaigns, and innovative initiatives directed at the consumer themselves, aimed at changing their lifestyle patterns. All of this ensures that we are on the right path towards achieving sustainable development and guaranteeing a healthy, secure, and prosperous future for the coming generations.