When this year’s charitable Ramadan initiative was launched, UAE Water Aid’s goal was to raise sufficient money to dig wells that would provide clean water for five million people.
By the time the fund-raising effort had finished, however, an unexpected Dh180 million had been donated, enough to provide assistance for a projected seven million people in 10 countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iraq.
As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said at the time, the cause had a particular resonance for Emirati donors. “In our country, water is a great blessing. Our ancestors had been deprived of water, thus they knew its value.”
As the list of countries assisted by the initiative suggests, water shortages may happen elsewhere, but in the UAE they are increasingly the stuff of memory and, for younger generations, of a past defined by almost inconceivable scarcity and hardship.
In one Abu Dhabi neighbourhood, however, an improbable survivor of those older generations still stands, a memorial to scarcity amid a modern landscape of abundance. In 1965, the old Abu Dhabi water tank was one of the most vital pieces of the capital’s strategic infrastructure, the reservoir for a lifeline without which the city as we know it could not have developed.
Built on the crest of the ridge that now defines the southern edge of Khalidiya, the tank stood at the head of the pipelines that provided Abu Dhabi with its first continuous supply of fresh water.
Both the tank and the 130-kilometre-long pipeline that led to it were constructed under the orders of Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, then the ruler of Abu Dhabi, as were the seven new wells, dug in Al Saad on the outskirts of Al Ain, that fed them. At their peak, they supplied Abu Dhabi with 400,000 gallons – 1,818 cubic metres – of water a day.
George Bell, now 73 and living in the UK, watched the tank being built and can remember what life was like before it was constructed. He arrived in Abu Dhabi in December 1964. “It took a long time to build. At the end of the pipeline they had to bulldoze a big pile of sand and then they constructed the tank on top of it. I used to watch them building it through my binoculars.”
Bell was working as an electrical engineer for the Decca Navigator Company and was responsible for operating and maintaining what was then Abu Dhabi’s tallest landmark – a 90-metre radio communications mast.
At the time of the water tank’s construction, the mast and its compound sheds, a workshop and a four-bedroom bungalow, were the only habitation on the whole north-west corner of the island.
“We were right on the beach,” Bell remembers. “We used to get crabs coming through the front door.”
As well as operating and maintaining the mast, which provided aircraft and shipping with a positioning and navigation service that was the predecessor to GPS, Bell’s other main tasks were the collection of water and fuel.
“We were never on the mains supply so I always had to go and collect the water. Before the pipeline arrived from the Buraimi oasis, there was a central desalination plant. I used to go there with an old Dodge truck and a big 400-gallon [1,818 litre] tank. We would park the lorry, a chap put a tube in and we filled the tank up and transferred the water to the house.”
As Bell remembers, however, the quality of the water from the new wells in Al Saad was often variable. “It wasn’t always the cleanest. You could buy bottled water from the supermarkets, but I used to prefer to drink the water that dripped off the air conditioning.”
A second pipeline was added and then a third, much larger one was inaugurated on the second anniversary of Sheikh Zayed’s accession in August 1968, at which time an additional eight wells were dug, all of which increased Abu Dhabi’s daily water supply to more than 9,100 cubic metres. All of this water flowed into the Khalidiya tank.
A year short of its 50th anniversary, the tank still sits on top of its artificial mound, but thanks to the lie of the land, surrounding trees and the growth of the local neighbourhood, it stands forgotten and largely invisible to all but the most inquisitive passers-by.
The fact that the tank has effectively “disappeared” says something interesting about the nature of Abu Dhabi’s urban fabric and about the forces of forgetting, decay and entropy that exert themselves in the heart of even the youngest cities.
Ever since the late 1960s, when the artist Robert Smithson made his Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey and Gordon Matta-Clark started buying inaccessible and unwanted plots of property, there has been growing interest in the role of apparently abandoned, obsolete or peripheral urban spaces. Thanks to the Catalan academic, historian and philosopher Ignasi de Solà-Morales, they even have a name: "terrain vague".
Downtown Abu Dhabi is full of such spaces: derelict structures used as junk yards, car parks used as cricket pitches, patches of shade or grass that act as informal gathering places and elderly shopping malls now deemed out-of-date.
The Italian architect Francesco Careri admires these “spontaneous public spaces” for their unplanned potential and uses the image of a leopard skin to describe the mottled and uneven nature of contemporary urban development, their extraneous beauty and their alternate utility.
Loved by inquisitive artists, playful children, skateboarders, dog-walkers and explorers of all types, they are not controlled, contrived or consumer-focused in any way; instead they become amnesiac spaces where time seems to operate differently, a form of urban unconscious that allows the city and its inhabitants to play, to dream and to forget.
Forty-nine years and counting, the Khalidiya water tank is just such a place.
Nick Leech is a freatures writer for The National.
nleech@thenational.ae
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
THREE
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20profile
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The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5