According to Dr. Valid Fayyad, every inhabitant of the United Arab Emirates spends 550 liters of fresh water for his needs, and annually - 200,750 liters.
"Water scarcity is a reality for every Arab country," said Mr. Fayyad. "If the attitude towards their use does not change, then these countries will face very serious problems in the future." Fayyad also adds that "the abuse and excessive use of water can lead to negative effects on the economy and the environment, as the countries of this region" burn "a lot of money and resources for desalination." Recall that two-thirds of drinking water in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain is desalinated sea water.
“The authorities of these countries need to take measures to reduce the need for water and, at the same time, increase the supply of water resources,” Fayyad believes. “This can be achieved by increasing the payment for water use in the UAE, so people will realize there is a problem with water. At present, residents do not understand and do not suspect what the country's water shortage is in. There is a lack of knowledge about what is happening, mainly due to government subsidies that mask the real price of water, making it difficult to understand . The danger of the situation there is only one way to change this - people need to understand that the problem with fresh water there, and give it to involve itself in the decision. "
The only country where the water problem is more threatening than the UAE is Saudi Arabia, whose inhabitants use, on average, 91% more water per person than the rest of the world. And yet, the emirate’s authorities must understand that for the irrigation of numerous golf courses, parks, flower beds and other landscaped areas and territories should use recycled wastewater and no other.
