The UAE's water consumption is among the highest in the world.
The UAE's water consumption is among the highest in the world.
The UAE's water consumption is among the highest in the world.
The UAE's water consumption is among the highest in the world.

Abu Dhabi wasting water 'that could be used to grow food'


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DUBAI // Abu Dhabi is wasting a huge amount of water that could be used to grow food, experts say.

A total of 600 million cubic metres of treated wastewater is produced a year, but only 352 million cu metres is reused for landscaping, district cooling and golf courses. The rest is dumped into the sea.

“Crops during the winter months in the UAE require less water but human consumption remains the same,” said Dr Nurul Akhand, an irrigation-management scientist at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai.

“There needs to be a storage system set up in the winter months.”

And Abu Dhabi is not alone. Half of Al Ain’s treated wastewater is allowed to evaporate from lagoons and wadis, while Sharjah discharges 35 per cent of its into the sea.

“The population is increasing and consequently, so is the water consumption,” said Dr Akhand. “It’s a great resource and we need to utilise it.”

He was speaking at a training workshop on water use this week.

The UAE’s water consumption is among the highest in the world, at 350 litres a person a day.

“This is not just because of [residents] consuming water, it’s used on irrigating their gardens and washing their cars,” said Dr Akhand. “Other countries in Asia, for instance, use much less.”

Treated wastewater is far cheaper to generate than desalinated water.

“The aim is to be able to produce 1,400 million cu metres of treated wastewater by 2030,” said Dr Akhand.

Wastewater goes through several stages before it is fit for use, removing large solid lumps, then smaller and suspended solids.

The UAE treats it to a third level, removing nutrients and heavy metals. This can be used to irrigate inedible crops.

“The fourth level, which is a higher quality, was reached by Kuwait, where they are producing lettuce, and Bahrain,” said Dr Akhand. “It is economically justifiable to use treated wastewater in agriculture, so why not use it?”

Treated wastewater is far cheaper than desalinated water – Dh5.5 a cu metre compared with Dh9 – so to avoid wasting it, Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services has invested Dh1 billion in pumping stations and pipes.

“It is 95 per cent complete,” said Alan Thomson, the managing director. “Once finished, we will be able to take water to different areas where there is none at the moment and that will enable us to ensure the maximum amount is used.”

Mr Thomson said projections showed demand for the water exceeded the supply, “so we should be able to utilise very close to 100 per cent of it”.

Although the infrastructure is expected to complete by the end of the year, other companies that deal with wastewater must build their own to ensure no more water is dumped. Even then, there is a problem with perception.

“It is considered acceptable to use treated wastewater for amenities and landscaping,” said Dr Akhand. “But we found from a recent survey by ICBA that all farmers had a negative response. A very limited number of farmers use reclaimed water.”

And although authorities realise they have a way to go before the public is happy with the idea, the water savings will be worth it.

“It is difficult for the public to accept but it is [crucial] for us to save water here,” said Dr Mohamed Dawoud, the manager of water resources at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.

“We should consider treated wastewater of good quality as an important resource.”

The agency is launching a pilot project next month to start using treated wastewater on edible crops.

“If it proves successful, we will extend it to other farms in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr Dawoud.

And Dubai is following closely as ICBA has planned to meet with the municipality’s irrigation department this month to introduce the concept.

“Policymakers visited Singapore in the past to find out how they are using treated wastewater, and people are becoming more cautious so I’m expecting the situation to improve ,” said Dr Akhand.

War and the virus
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Fanney Khan

Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora

Director: Atul Manjrekar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand

Rating: 2/5 

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

Brief scoreline:

Crystal Palace 2

Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'

Huddersfield Town 0

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
Fixtures

Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11

August 9

Liverpool v Norwich 11pm

August 10

West Ham v Man City 3.30pm

Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm

Burnley v Southampton 6pm

C Palace v Everton 6pm

Leicester v Wolves 6pm

Watford v Brighton 6pm

Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm

August 11

Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm

Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm