Water Wisdom

Despite the huge costs of delivering drinkable water to end users, water conservation in the GCC is still a long way from making a real impact.

Despite the huge costs of delivering drinkable water to end users, water conservation in the GCC is still a long way from making a real impact.

If water is a precious resource in this region, you would not be able to tell it. Extravagant urban landscaping, water displays and generously private lawns are a common sight in GCC cities.

They are the most visible signs of a propensity to waste that greatly exacerbates high water needs arising from cooling, cleaning and drinking requirements in a hot and arid environment.

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Potable water is expensive, as it is mainly derived from seawater, and has to go through an elaborate desalination process. The cost of desalinating a cubic litre of water in the UAE is 3.76 dirham, according to alternative energy and water treatment company EnviTech.

The costs experienced by end users, however, are negligible, thanks to extensive subsidisation across the region.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, per capita water consumption in the GCC is the highest in the world. Abu Dhabi has the dubious honour of topping the list, an average resident consuming an astonishing 550 litres a day.

In comparison, the average person in India only needs 25 litres to satisfy his daily water needs.

This extraordinary waste is a headache to utilities. Already stretched by the energy demands of a growing, increasingly urbanised and industrialising population, they could do without the energy costs associated with desalinating water for superfluous use.

Together with a developing environmental awareness, these concerns have pushed some governments in the region
to take action.