Q&A: UAE Minister for Water and Environment

H.E. Dr Rashid Bin Fahad, UAE Minister for Water and Environment



How big a part does desalination play in that strategy?

Increasing supply of water via desalination is only one part of the strategy and an equally important part is managing demand. Improving water efficiency via behavior change is an essential first step, and we can all play our part by joining heroesoftheuae.ae

How can the message of water conservation be best put across to the public?

Changing the behaviour of a nation is not easy. The region and the UAE have low levels of environmental awareness. This campaign is helping to address this awareness gap.

It is important to raise public awareness of the problem by presenting facts and figures about where their water comes from, how much they are consuming, the environmental implications of this overconsumption and educate them about how they can save water at home. More information is available online at www.heroesoftheuae.aeEngaging people via outreach activities and events is also important. So far the heroes campaign has already reached out to people across the UAE via over 30 events – big and small. There will be more such events so I would encourage people to participate in these and start to organise their own awareness activities in their local communities.

Track how our household consumption changes as a result of implementing behavioural and technical changes and use this evidence to communicate to other households to do the same.

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What are the major challenges facing the water sector of the UAE currently?

One of the major challenges we face is getting the message of water conservation out to the millions of people that live in the UAE. We need all the help we can get from the media and the public to promote our message. We need to educate the public on why we can’t just salienate more water. We need to educate the public on why there is a finite amount and how our actions affect our planet.

What are your hopes and expectations for 2010?

To see an increase in awareness throughout the UAE of how much water we are wasting. To see the majority of our citizens realise the impact of our water wastage and make an effort to conserve water and pass these habits onto their children. We hope that by making small changes to one’s everyday life we will see a united UAE come together and make a difference for future generations.
 

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