As the summer temperatures push the mercury ever higher, Kuwait's water network is coming under increasing pressure, focusing attention on the search for new water resources.
The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) reported that Kuwait has the lowest per capita natural water availability in the world. With a yearly rainfall averaging only 110mm and limited groundwater access, Kuwait relies heavily on the desalination industry for fresh water needs. However, with population growth pushing 4.5% annually and a surge in industrial and residential water usage, the existing water network is beginning to strain under the demand.
According to Mutaz Jafar, CEO of Kuwait-based National Water Technologies, an estimated 90% of Kuwait's water resources come from seawater and desalination, with the majority of the remainder extracted from groundwater wells. However, he told OBG that in an arid climate like Kuwait, there is a need to find alternative resources, as limited water supply impacts the expansion and development of the economy.
One of the ways in which Kuwait is looking to boost its water network capacity is through recycled water and water treatment. Renovated wastewater, which can provide a renewable source of water, currently accounts for less than 5% of the total water supply. As water consumption and treatment costs are both extremely high, any attempt to lower them offers the potential to reduce pollution and increase water supply. Properly treated wastewater not only reduces the pressure on fresh and brackish water supplies but also provides a renewable high-quality effluent that, in some cases, can meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for potable water.
Perhaps the biggest step Kuwait has taken in this direction has been the construction of a $390m water reclamation facility in Sulaibiya. Designed and managed by a consortium led by Kuwait-based Kharafi group and GE Water and Process Technologies, the 30-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) project has treated around 100m gallons per day of municipal wastewater from Kuwait City and the surrounding areas since it opened. The water, which meets the standards for drinking purposes, is used primarily for agricultural and industrial use. The plant, the largest of its kind in the world, has been so successful that the government is in the process of enlarging its capacity to 159m gallons daily, at which point it is predicted to contribute up to 26% of Kuwait's overall water demand.
With assistance from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Kuwait has also been working to boost the usage of treated wastewater in the country for non-potable uses in the agricultural sectors. Brackish water is no longer sufficient to meet the demand for non-potable usage. As a result, a research centre was established with the FAO to provide data and technical expertise on ways in which Kuwait could increase its non-potable water supply without straining the existing capacity.
According to Pasquale Steduto, the chief of water resources at the FAO, "Kuwait is the first country in the region to have introduced the treatment of wastewater for agricultural purposes," which makes their research into recycled water essential for the whole Gulf region.
Carwash stations have also come under scrutiny. An estimated 2.5m gallons worth of freshwater are used daily in Kuwait's over 140 carwash stations. The effluent from the car washes often contains high levels of petroleum-based pollutants and hazardous materials, which, if left untreated, can be damaging to the marine environment. In a pilot project conducted by the KISR at the Doha research plant in Kuwait, tests showed that up to 75% of the water can be reclaimed and treated for additional usage at the car wash and in other industrial settings. Such industrial water reclamation offers a lot of opportunities for boosting Kuwait's renewable water supply, said Jafar.
Although wastewater treatment is of growing interest, the government is also looking to bulk up its desalination capacity. The majority of Kuwait's desalination plants, which date back to the 1950s, use the multi-stage flash (MSF) procedure, whereby seawater is converted into steam before being distilled. The simple layout of MSF plants increases their attractiveness, despite the high energy costs associated with thermal processes. Last year, the government awarded South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries with a $250m contract to construct the final phase of an additional eight MSF desalination plants, with a capacity of 12.5m gallons per day, in the Subiya desalination complex. When those plants come online, expectedly by the end of the year, the total MSF desalination capacity will grow to 500m gallons per day. Furthermore, the ongoing refurbishment of existing plants should extend their lifespan for an additional 10 years.
© Oxford Business Group 2007
