Time to pull plug on water waste

"The Abu Dhabi Government is fitting Watersavers on all taps to save water," read a recent text message sent to thousands of consumers this week. "When an installer visits you please let him in. Visit Watersavers.ae for more info," it continued. For a country that relies on desalinated water for more than 90 per cent of its needs, this makes perfect sense. Despite its lack of water resources, the country's population is one of the heaviest users of water per capita in the world, consuming almost four times as much as their European counterparts.

According to Mohammed Daoud of the state-run Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, the key is education. "We need to convince [consumers] that water here isn't a free resource," Mr Daoud told Reuters last week. "It's not even a natural resource, it's man-made. It is costly and it has a big environmental impact." To ease groundwater use the UAE has invested heavily in desalination, producing 9 million cubic metres of water daily at a cost of about US$18 million (Dh66.1m).

But as well as educating the people and fitting taps that don't drip, a better solution might be to charge a realistic rate for water. For too many in the population water is either free or absurdly cheap. It has been proven throughout history that if you raise the price of a commodity, you can reduce its use. Even worse is the news that hotels are ripping out showers and installing bathtubs in a bid to gain five-star ratings. Why bother with folding up your towels and refusing to have your bed linen changed if your neighbour is bathing himself in a giant tub in the next-door room?

Hotel ratings should be amended to reflect the establishment's green credentials. People want five-star service, not mini swimming pools in the bathroom. At least, not once they reflect on the harm this is doing to the environment. Rupert Wright is the author of Take Me to the Source: In Search of Water published by Harvill Secker, a division of Random House [e-mail]