A water expert has called on the UAE to stop over relying on desalination, fearing it could eventually lead to health problems.
Gulf Research Centre chairman Abdulaziz Sager reported that in countries that are totally dependent on desalination, the population can suffer from mineral deficiencies.
Sager also revealed the cost of desalinated water is one that the average consumer does not realise.
“If the government charged people the actual cost of desalinated water, then people could not afford it. A metric tonne costs $1.50 in desalination and you buy it for less than $0.5. So when you look at the difference, it is huge.”
Sager was speaking at a conference on water scarcity, organised by the Gulf Research Centre and held on World Water Day. He also revealed that while it was important to look at the policy makers to make improvements, the practicalities can be complex.
“I think it is easier sometimes to start at the political part of the research because you can think outside the box. When you move into implementation stage, and this is where the government enters into it, there is the budget allocation, finance involvement, all these sort of practical points. There has been a lot of good work done in the UAE here,” commented Sager.
“We have crucial issues in water, one is a total dependency on desalination. We have a growing population. We understand the growth in demand of electricity – which is 7% per annum – but at the same time we have huge demand on water. Still we are going through the trial and error of [deciding] to go through government companies, or do we privatise the companies,” concluded Sager.
