Water price should go up, says scientist

The UAE should charge more for water to reduce its usage, among the highest in the world, a scientist says.

The UAE should consider charging more for water to reduce its usage, which is among the highest in the world, a scientist said yesterday. "In all markets for goods and services, scarce resources are allocated through prices," said Dr Ahmed Murad, head of Al Ain University's geology department. "Water pricing is an important policy tool... and a main mechanism for cost recovery and demand management." Managing the country's scarce water resources is becoming increasingly difficult. The rapidly growing population and rising incomes have increased demand. Climate change could add to the challenge as it is expected to lead to less rain and more drought. The UAE has traditionally responded to water scarcity by boosting desalination capacity. It produces 22 per cent of all the desalinated water in the Gulf region. Most of the potable water in the country is produced through desalination, a process by which dissolved salts are removed from seawater. Desalination requires large amounts of energy and is responsible for chemical or thermal pollution that damages fragile marine ecosystems. Dr Murad said more emirates should consider the system used by the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA), under which customers pay higher rates for water according to how much they use. He said everyone should be made to pay for water. "Now some people do not pay for water." He did not say whom he meant. Emiratis are exempt from water charges. A source at DEWA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the authority considered charging Emiratis but decided not to at the last minute. In Abu Dhabi, price increases have been discussed but are not planned, said Dr Hassan al Hosani, director of projects at the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority. However, changes in how the emirate manages its water are expected after a master plan, examining water needs until 2025, is released this year. The plan, prepared by scientists at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and the Dubai-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, is expected to make important policy suggestions on such subjects as agriculture, which consumes the most water of any sector. Dr Murad spoke to industry experts at WaterTech 2008, a conference and exhibition in Dubai. UAE per capita water consumption is about 550 litres a day, which makes it the world's largest user. Data from other developed emirates show similar trends. The number takes into account only water used for domestic purposes, and agriculture and forestry accounted for 68 per cent of all demand in 2006. Second and third in per capita water consumption are the United States (485 litres) and Canada (425 litres). But while those countries have significant water resources, the UAE does not and yet consumes much more water than other countries with similar climate. For example, Jordan's per capita daily water consumption is 85 litres. [e-mail]