The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority launched a plan to deliver recycled water to more than 1,600 farms in the emirate, in cooperation with its strategic partners, the Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Taqa Company, the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Distribution Companies, and the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Water Solutions Company.
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s plan to expand the use of recycled water in agriculture is consistent with comprehensive sustainability goals. Recycled water is one of the necessary solutions to reduce the depletion of groundwater resources, and it can be exploited in various development fields, including agriculture, to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production and reduce depletion. Natural water resources.
Within the framework of this plan, TAQA and its subsidiaries established water transmission lines to transport and distribute about 150,000 cubic meters per day to farms located in the Al-Khatm, Al-Khazna, and Al-Nahda areas, with the aim of securing their needs for recycled water, by providing about 73 cubic meters per day for each farm, and this Equivalent to 16,500 gallons of water.
The plan to use recycled water in agriculture eliminates the need for consuming large quantities of groundwater, and therefore it is expected that groundwater withdrawal from about 4,850 wells in the Al-Khatm and Al-Khazna areas will stop, which will contribute to preserving non-renewable water resources, achieving optimal exploitation of water resources, and supporting the sustainability of the sector. Agriculture in Abu Dhabi.
The project is in line with the objectives of the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, which aims to reduce the total demand for water resources by 21%, reduce the water scarcity index by three degrees, and increase the rate of reuse of treated water to 95%, to ensure the sustainability of secure water supplies for all residential and commercial uses. Governmental, industrial and agricultural.
The project also falls within the framework of implementing the recycled water policy in Abu Dhabi, which aims to achieve the maximum benefit from recycled water, in addition to its contribution to rationalizing the use of groundwater in agriculture, and achieving integrated management and sustainable development of available water resources.
The Executive Director of the Agricultural Affairs Sector at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Engineer Mubarak Ali Al Qasili Al Mansouri, said: “Recycled water is one of the non-traditional renewable water sources, and the Authority seeks to expand its use on farms out of its keenness to achieve the strategic goal, by promoting the adoption of practices and systems.” Sustainable agriculture.
He explained that the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, in cooperation with its partners since 2012, has succeeded in implementing a project to irrigate 143 farms in the Al Nahda area with recycled water instead of groundwater.
The Undersecretary of the Department of Energy in Abu Dhabi, Engineer Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi, said: “The water file is one of the strategic priorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in light of the great interest in providing reliable water services and enhancing the security of supplies in the future.”
Al-Rumaithi confirmed that the amount of recycled water produced in 2022 amounted to about 323.6 million cubic meters, and the Department of Energy seeks to optimally exploit this type of water by expanding the scope of its use, undertaking several initiatives, and following up on infrastructure projects that aim to exploit the surplus of recycled water. . He is currently studying the expansion of supplying farms in order to achieve optimal exploitation of water resources in Abu Dhabi.
Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Quality Sector at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Engineer Faisal Al Hammadi, said: “The project of transporting, distributing and reusing treated wastewater will have positive environmental and economic impacts, the most important of which is stopping the discharge of treated water into the Musaffah Canal, allowing it to be cleaned.” It was cleaned and approximately three million cubic meters of sediment were removed.
• The plan to use recycled water in agriculture eliminates the consumption of large amounts of groundwater.
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