NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE : THE NATIONAL
Abu Dhabi faces crisis if water use not cut
Abu Dhab - MARCH 22: Abu Dhabi will face a serious shortage of water if nothing is done to use it more efficiently, the Government said yesterday.
A strategic water plan for the emirate stressed that groundwater supplies are so over-tapped they would not be able to sustain current levels of use for more than 50 years.
The document outlined a series of reforms necessary across all sectors if the Government is to reverse the trend of dwindling supplies.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and the chairman of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), said that the future would be very challenging unless action was taken to reduce water consumption, which is among the highest per capita in the world.
Majid al Mansouri, EAD’s secretary general, expressed a similar opinion. “Water is life, it is the most precious resource we have here in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “Water is misused here.”
According to the master plan, inefficiency and misuse have contributed to depletion of supplies.
Measures recommended in the study include ways to increase efficient use of treated effluent for irrigating forests.
It also recommends that excess desalinated water be used to recharge underground reservoirs for use in times of emergency.
The need to use drought-tolerant plants in landscaping is highlighted, while a new plumbing code, expected to be introduced in new buildings later this year, will emphasise the need for water-saving technologies.
The study also recommends a campaign to educate the public on the need to be prudent with water.
Prepared in collaboration with experts from government departments and from the Dubai-based, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, the master plan calls for institutional reform..
“We developed this master plan to help us achieve sustainable utilisation of water resources in an economically and environmentally friendly way that would enhance the sustainable development of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE,” Mr al Mansouri said.
Groundwater contributes 71.2 per cent of total water demand, yet it is being over-exploited at a rapid rate.
Sheikh Hamdan said the emirate’s groundwater supply had fallen by 18 per cent since 2003, while the consumption of water resources in the emirate exceeded their natural recharging capacity by 24 times.
Abu Dhabi’s groundwater reserves stand at 641 million cubic metres. However, more than 97 per cent is brackish, containing high amounts of dissolved salts known to cause deterioration in the quality of soil when used for agricultural purposes.
While the country’s overall brackish groundwater supplies can last no longer than 50 years, its reserves of sweet or moderately brackish water that can be easily tapped can last only 20 to 40 years, the study says.
Besides inefficiency in the agricultural sector, the report also focuses on residents’ misuse. On average each Abu Dhabi resident uses 550 litres of water per day. While flat residents consume on average from 170 to 200 litres of water per day – a figure comparable to statistics in developed countries – villa dwellers’ water footprint is 270 to 1,760 litres per person per day.
Most of the potable water is provided through desalination, a process which removes the dissolved solids in seawater. Desalinated water accounts for 24 per cent of total demand and is costly: a cubic metre of desalinated water costs between Dh3 and Dh4 to produce, with consumers paying a fraction of the price.
Mr al Mansouri said the projected population of the emirate in 2030 is 3.5 million people. This growth is a major challenge in the next decade, he said. Previous studies by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority have clearly shown a significant deficit in water supply in the coming years.
Last year, a survey of 2,363 people in the emirate showed that water conservation was the area of least concern. Only 42.8 per cent of respondents were aware that water scarcity should be a concern in the UAE
Brain and brawn project in parks
ABU DHABI - MARCH 22: Visitors to the capital’s parks will be able to tone their muscles and challenge their brains under a plan to improve people’s health and fitness.
Abu Dhabi Municipality yesterday announced a pilot project under which equipment similar to that used in fitness centres will be introduced at public parks. Games equipment for children that will challenge their puzzle-solving abilities and maths skills will also be installed. There will be no charge for using the equipment.
The initiatives are part of the municipality’s drive to encourage an active lifestyle among residents, particularly among young people.
Abdel al Jarizi, an engineer with the municipality, said the equipment would strengthen the role of public parks as locations for exercising and training for various sports.
In addition, the equipment and games would make the parks more attractive for all segments of society, Mr al Jarizi said.
Obesity among children is a major concern in the country, with the most recent statistics from the World Health Organisation, published in 2005, indicating that 13 per cent of boys and 11 per cent of girls were overweight, while 20 per cent were at risk of being overweight.
Nearly one in five people in the country has diabetes, the second-highest rate in the world after the South Pacific island of Nauru.
Details on the types of games to stimulate children’s minds were not spelt out, but the municipality said the games would be fun and, at the same time, would encourage learning.
Instructions for how to use the equipment will be provided in Arabic and English.
Emirates Airline jet’s tail hits runway
DUBAI - MARCH 22: A team of Emirates Airline safety experts is heading to Australia to investigate Friday evening’s incident at Melbourne airport in which one of the company’s Airbus A340s, carrying 225 passengers, made an emergency landing soon after take-off.
It is believed that the tail of flight EK407 struck the runway on take-off around 10.30pm local time (3.30pm UAE time). No one was injured, but the jet circled for more than 30 minutes to dump fuel before returning safely to Melbourne airport, which had closed one runway to other traffic.
A statement by the airline said: “EK407 from Melbourne to Dubai had to return to Melbourne shortly after take-off when a flight deck indication alerted the captain to the possibility of the tail contacting the runway on departure. The aircraft climbed safely to an intermediate altitude and contacted Air Traffic Control to arrange the return to Melbourne.”
Catherine Edmunds, a passenger, told an Australian television channel: “It was terrifying, it really was scary. I’d hate to go through it again.”
Another passenger, Andrea Law, said: “We were floating around there for about 45 minutes dumping fuel and it was very quiet on board, a bit scary.”
A spokesman for Melbourne airport said the incident was what is known as a “tail hit at take-off”.
“It took off very steeply, the tail touched the end of the runway and the plane went up, stabilised and came back.”
Ian Brikenshire, of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said several factors could have caused this, including weather, loading issues and handling.
“It is a hazard, particularly on the longer aircraft,” he said.
Four inspectors were sent by the ATSB to Melbourne to carry out the investigation, which begins today.
They will look at the flight data records, interview crew and company representatives and inspect both the runway and aircraft.
Passengers and crew were provided with hotel accommodation on Friday evening with many leaving on the next flight to Dubai early yesterday morning. The remaining passengers flew back to Dubai during the day on Saturday.
The airline said it regretted any inconvenience but emphasised: “The safety of our passengers and crew is top priority.”
Emirates has a good safety record compared with other airlines, although problems with its fleet of Airbus A380 planes were reported this week.
Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qantas all reported technical difficulties with the giant aircraft, with Emirates presenting a document outlining the problems to Airbus at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Toulouse, France.
The Dubai airline claimed that faults had led to more than 500 hours of delays since the A380’s inception last year, although a spokeswoman said confidence in the fleet remained strong.
Fire wrecks warehouse full of paper
ABU DHABI - MARCH 22: A warehouse full of paper products was destroyed by fire on Saturday.
Firemen took more than eight hours to put out the fire in Al Meena area, near Port Zayed.
There were about 15 workmen inside the building at the time, but all escaped unhurt.
Salem Mohammed, 63, the owner of the warehouse and the Gift Palace stationery showroom on Muroor Road, said he fears for his business.
“It looks like it’s finished now,” he said. “My business could have ended here. There may be no more business for me.”
The fire started at 8.30am, witnesses said, and by 11am seven fire engines and a helicopter had arrived to help douse the flames.
“I am angry,” Mr Mohammed said. “But what can I do? It’s nobody’s fault. I’m not angry with the people, just the situation.” The business, which is insured, is worth about Dh10million (US$2.7m), he said.
The warehouse manager, Jalal Mohammed, who was on site at the time, said: “Sure, it will affect us in the future, we don’t know what will happen. I am not feeling good.”
Hassan Yousseff, a fireman, said the blaze was difficult to control because of the warehouse’s contents. “There is so much paper inside, it’s a big obstacle,” he said.
The cause of the fire was unknown on Saturday.