68 new dams to capture water

The five-year project will add 68 dams to the existing 114. They will renew aquifers and prevent flash floods.

Over the next five years the Ministry of Environment and Water is to build 68 dams to capture flood water in wadis that would otherwise be lost in run off, according to a senior government official. Dr Mohammed Mustafa al Mulla, the deputy minister of water and soil affairs, said the new so-called "recharge" dams would be in addition to 114 already in operation.

The dams, which will be small to medium in size and built mostly in mountainous areas, will slow down the flow of wadis created by rainfall, allowing more water to seep through the ground and reach underground aquifers. The project is important as many aquifers in the country have been affected by the over-extraction of water. In areas close to the coastline, salt water from the sea can infiltrate and damage aquifers where the water table has dropped significantly.

Agriculture accounts for 68 per cent of all water consumption, which is used to irrigate the country's 250,000 hectares of fruit trees, date palms and vegetables. Most of the country's agricultural activity is in Abu Dhabi emirate, which in 2006 pumped out 2.53 million cubic metres of groundwater a day. Producing food locally helps to reduce the country's dependence on food imports, but the fast proliferation of farms has led to the depletion of groundwater resources, which in turn has affected soil quality.

Depleted groundwater causes soil to become saline and unable to support growth. One of the worst affected areas is Al Khazna, 40km from Al Ain, where the water table has dropped 80 metres in 25 years. Besides replenishing the aquifers, the new dams would help to prevent flash floods, which were common in some mountainous areas in winter, said Mr Mulla. The ministry is also drafting a new law, which Mr Mulla said would help authorities better protect the country's water resources.

The draft will be finished within a year, and will then be reviewed by other government departments and the Cabinet. The UAE, which is one of the highest per-capita water users in the world, has limited resources. This summer, water experts warned the UAE and the rest of the Middle East that the amount of fresh water available for each person in the region could fall by half by 2050. "All of the water resources are pretty much tapped out and the question is how you deal with this in the future," said Prof Peter Rogers, the professor of environmental engineering and city planning at Harvard University in the US.

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