In a statement on this occasion, H.E. Dr. Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, emphasized that aside from being the most important natural resource, it is also the most precious one, as it is the mainstay of life and the basis for development. However, using this premium resource irrationally will cause serious economic, health and environmental consequences, especially due to the increasing pressures and challenges faced by the water resources such as expanding population and changes in climate and consumption patterns.

 With the fact that water is not distributed equally according to geographical areas or census across the continent, the majority of developing countries, whose economies mainly depend on agriculture, will be exposed to frequent economic, social and food crises because of the continuing pressures on water resources. This, in turn, will be reflected on the state of global food security. Although the water-stressed countries are the most affected by these pressures, the water-abundant countries are not completely immune to the challenges particularly that of climate change, as freshwater resources in many of these countries have become vulnerable to degradation and pollution.

 Talking about the UAE, H.E. Bin Fahad pointed out that it is a country with scarce water because of the lack of natural freshwater streams, little rainfall, and high temperatures. However, the UAE’s vital sectors in need of the water resources did not suffer, at any stage, from a lack of it. This is mainly due to the visionary policy pursued by our wise leadership led by H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, under which water desalination was adopted as a strategic choice. Under his directives, more investment is being made to develop desalination plants and increase their production capacity to raise the contribution of desalinated water to about 42 per cent in water balance, and thus becoming the second major supplier after the groundwater.

 In addition, desalinated water also provides 98 per cent of the UAE’s municipal sector's water needs. For the past two years, the country has worked, through relevant meetings and international conferences, on pushing for the adoption of the desalination industry in achieving the objectives of sustainable development beyond 2015. This is being done by emphasizing on the development of desalination techniques, the use of renewable and alternative energies, and proper management of water returned from desalination plants.

 H.E. Bin Fahad said: “The population and economic growth and the expansion of the cultivated area in the UAE lead to the emergence of two phenomena. The first is the over pumping of groundwater to meet the needs of the agricultural sector, which, in turn, has led to a clear drain of this resource. The second is the excessive consumption of water in the municipal sector, where the daily utilization of fresh water per capita has increased to more than 360 liters, surpassing the estimated global average of 200 liters per capita.”

 To face of these phenomena, the UAE has taken an important set of measures as a part of an integrated water management, including strengthening the institutional and legislative frameworks and developing a national strategy to preserve water resources. H.E. Bin Fahad pointed to a series of measures taken in the context of maintaining the underground water storage and its sustainability that mainly focus on managing demands for groundwater, especially in the agricultural sector. This is done by developing coherent strategies and policies for water, agriculture and food security, adopting best agricultural practices, and encouraging the use of water-efficient sophisticated agricultural systems in farms.

 These measures also included the phasing out of heavy water consumption crops, using modern and advanced irrigation systems such as under surface irrigation systems, adopting new agricultural patterns such as agriculture without soil (Hydroponics), and expanding the re-use of treated wastewater in agriculture. Export of groundwater has been directly banned by prohibiting the export of water bottled from the groundwater source, and indirectly, through a ban on the export of green and dry fodder produced in the UAE.

 To address the issue of excessive water utilization in the municipal sector, the UAE has implemented three parallel tracks aimed at bringing the country’s per capita consumption at par with global averages. The first is intensive educational and awareness campaigns on the importance of cutting down the consumption. The second is the use of modern techniques to reduce it, where the UAE Cabinet has implemented Resolution No. 43 of 2014 for the adoption of the UAE Control System on guiding tools for water consumption. The third is the adoption of the economic mechanism through an upward tariff on water consumption. H.E. Dr. Bin Fahad stated that the UAE has adopted strategies and measures that will contribute, directly and indirectly, in rationalizing water consumption, such as the green economy approach through the UAE Green Development Strategy and standards of green architecture.

 The UAE has continued with its commitments, as part of the global fabric, to participate in developing and implementing its innovative solutions to protect the environment and ensure its sustainability in line with the UAE Vision 2021. The country has worked towards the mobilization of global efforts to find sustainable solutions for water scarcity, especially in water-stressed countries with the launch of the International Water Summit, which hosted its third edition in January 2015.

 As part of its humanitarian responsibilities, the UAE has undertaken efforts beyond its borders in accordance with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to increase its development aids and establish vital water projects in developing countries. This trend has been reinforced by the launch of the ‘UAE Water Aid’ campaign by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, last year. The initiative aims to provide clean drinking water to 5 million people in countries with scarce water resources.

 H.H. Sheikh Mohammed has issued a law for the establishment of the UAE Water Aid Foundation at the beginning of this month, making it a permanent institution. It will work towards providing safe drinking water to the needy, distressed and disadvantaged people around the world, which is the basic of a decent life. In addition, the foundation will contribute in finding lasting and radical solutions to the global water scarcity problem through modern technical means, providing innovative technological solutions for communities that face acute shortage and contamination of drinking water.

 At the end of his statement, H.E. Bin Fahad emphasized the importance of continuity in strengthening the cooperation between all stakeholders in the UAE at the federal and local levels, to preserve water resources and their sustainability. He also underscored the importance of the role played by community, groups and individuals in the rationalization of water consumption to maintain water resources for the future generations, calling for the need to adopt all of the options available to achieve this goal.