GCC states must address water shortage issues as populations soar (page 1 of 2)

It has been another red-hot summer in the Gulf, with temperatures hitting 50 degrees and air-conditioning units struggling to keep pace with the demands of an ever-expanding population. The six Gulf nations are expected to post robust population growth over the next decade; by 2020 the GCC population is forecast to reach 53.5m, a 30% increase over the level in 2000. And although the economic forecast is positive, it carries a risk that unmanaged growth will lead to water shortages across the region.

Gulf residents are already guzzling water at unsustainable levels, and in a region favoured with an average annual rainfall of just 96mm, a historical culture of conservation has turned to one of rampant consumption. It's a paradigm shift that could see the Gulf run dry unless attitudes change, and significant investment follows.

Scarcity of resources

"In the past we didn't have much water but it was sustainable because of lower demand," says Dr Mohamed Dawoud, head of Water Resources Management at the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), a governmental group established to help protect the environment and promote conservation practices.

"Now and for future generations, however, the standard of living will be very high, and so their requirements will be very high," he continues. "Swimming pools, showers, kitchens, bathrooms, district cooling - most of these things did not exist in the past, in the time of our grandfathers. But now there is a lot of pressure on scarce resources."

Per capita water consumption in the GCC is already the highest in the world, with Abu Dhabi leading the charge with the average resident consuming 550 litres each day. What's more, the average usage figure accounts for only 40% of the emirate's total water consumption, and does not include water used for agriculture and landscaping. By comparison, the average person in Jordan uses 85 litres a day, while in India the figure is just 25 litres. Over the last decade demand for water in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar has increased an average of 58%, and is projected to increase a further 69% by 2020.

What's worse is that so much of the water produced in the Gulf is wasted. Throughout the region, government subsidies reduce, or negate completely, the cost of water to consumers; oil wealth has allowed some governments to cover the entire cost of utility bills for nationals, and the practice is fostering a dangerous culture of wastage among indigenous populations.

"Now we have to educate people that the water is not free," says Dawoud. "If you get water for free or don't pay a lot of money for it, you will waste it, and we can't let that happen in the future."

Cost-cutting and conservation measures

It's not just consumers who are responsible for wasting water: the authorities that supply the water are also paying the price for decades of underinvestment. It has been estimated that leaking pipes account for up to 50% of the water loss in some parts of the region - an alarming statistic when you consider that a great deal of the Gulf's infrastructure is just a few decades old.

In Abu Dhabi, the government has recognised the problem and has contracted Dubai-based alternative energy company Rubenius to install a series of 'smart grid' systems across its water network. The firm is in the process of placing sensors throughout the water and sewage systems, to allow the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) to monitor water from desalination through to distribution, and sewage from the city's sewer facilities to the treatment plant.

"An important element is to significantly reduce the amount of water lost from the distribution network," says Claus Rubenius, the firm's founder and chairman.