UAE steps up conservation effort

Abu Dhabi has put water at the top of its agenda ahead of the International Water Summit, a new initiative launched yesterday, which will be held alongside the World Future Energy Summit in January 2013. The initiative was launched by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It comes as the scarcity of pure drinking water and water for irrigation and agriculture threatens the ecological balance in some parts of the world, including the Gulf. Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, said at a press conference that the motivating factor behind holding the International Water Summit was the importance the UAE government gives to water. Article continues below "Shaikh Mohammad underlined in a lecture last month that water is much more important than oil for the UAE and its people," Bin Fahd said. "As a result of the increased pressure on this valuable resource due to various factors including overpopulation, agricultural and economic growth and unsustainable consumption patterns, various countries around the world are currently facing real problems with water resources." Bin Fahd said climate change had put pressure on water, which is quite scarce in the region. "Climate change has increased the pressure on this resource as well. Therefore, this launch — as a result of our visionary leadership's drive towards achieving water security [and] helmed by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan — will shed a real light on the subject." Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said: "The launch of the International Water Summit and the most pressing challenges facing the world today [are] a testament to the UAE's role in shedding light on today's relevant subjects." Al Jaber said that the Crown Prince's statement on water last month was "a bold and clear signal that an economy based on oil is placing water at the topmost of its agenda." He added that the UAE made a clear call to enhance research, create strategic action plans and find solutions to preserving this invaluable resource for future generations. Al Jaber reiterated the close interconnection between energy and water, and said more than 70 per cent of water costs result from the energy required to desalinate, transport, store, forward and distribute it. "With the clear link between energy and water — alongside the success of the World Future Energy Summit and the continued progress of Masdar — the UAE leadership saw [it] fit that we create a platform for engagement dedicated solely to water and addressing its scarcity," Al Jaber said. Glen Daigger, President of the International Water Association (IWA), told Gulf News that the association of both summits in Abu Dhabi is a clear sign of the importance and interconnection between both resources which are quite important for generations to come.