11 Feb 2007
Dubai/Abu Dhabi/Fujairah: When you look at an immaculate park with neat lawns and trees, do you ever wonder where the water comes from to keep the plants growing? Or when you take a bath, do you use more water than you need to?
Questions like these are likely to be on the minds of UAE residents at the moment following stark warnings from environmental experts about the use of water.
At the renewable energy conference, Renergex, held in Dubai, Gustav Grob, Executive Secretary of the International Sustainable Energy Organisation (ISEO) said we must all be more careful with water.
As reported in Gulf News, he said the price of water should be raised to discourage wastage, warning that supplies were "running out because it is being given away for free".
City Talk spoke to residents of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah to see if they thought we were all wasting precious H2O.
Personal assistant Venus Borlongan, 37, from the Philippines, said people were not careful enough with water supplies.
"That's how it is. People live extravagantly," she said.
Sharih Giasuddin, 42, from Bangladesh, who works for a petroleum company, said 'too much' water was wasted. "You see it in the street - pipes are blasting out water," he said.
Gaith Al Bitar, 25, an assistant surgeon from Syria, said water was being wasted but not as much as other countries.
"I don't think it's that serious here. Much more water is being wasted in other parts of the world," he said. "The problem is the lack of awareness. Increasing prices of water won't stop the wastage. Making people aware will," he said.
Al Sayed Rezq Al Eshri, 29, a driver from Egypt, was another to take the view that raising awareness was more important than raising prices. "People overuse water. In terms of raising the price of water, the authorities must take into consideration people on low income.
"Raising the charge on running water could limit its use a little but, at the same time, we should raise people's awareness on this issue and that would be a more productive move," he said.
Galina Vladimir, 27, from Russia, said: "I think people are not aware enough of little things like turning the water off while you brush your teeth or shave.
"If prices went up a bit people might use it less, but I think it's more a matter of awareness."
Vera Ayoub, an accountant from Lebanon, who lives in Abu Dhabi said a lot of people are used to having water "so they don't care how much they are using".
"The water is cheap here and it's never cut off. There should be more control on the amount of water being used and wasted," she said.
Filipino health club supervisor Mamerto Cerdono, 43, said: "The tap-water is not good for drinking, so for me any increase in water cost is only valid if it goes into improving its quality."
He said that children should be taught at school to preserve water, adding that parents too must encourage youngsters not to waste it.
He added: "We live in an area of limited water resources and if we don't start looking after this precious resource it will be very difficult to survive in the long run."
Operations assistant M. Aslam Khan, 56, from India, said putting up prices would not stop people from wasting water.
"People will get used to paying a little extra money but they will carry on using it just as much. If a person is used to having a five-minute shower, the extra cost is not going to make him take a shorter one.
"The only way is to change people's mindset is through education and raising awareness," he opined.
Indian sales manager Jaya Gopal, 46, said he thought people tended to be careful with water because it was 'expensive', adding that as a result prices should not be put up further.
"People do not waste water because they know the bill will come and so they think before switching on the tap," he said.
Sheraz Khan, 30, a currency exchange worker from Pakistan, shared Gopal's view that people here were careful with water.
He said parks and other green areas were watered with 'a very good system' that ensured that water came out at night when it was less likely to evaporate and be wasted.
"I don't think it's wasted. They have specific timings. The authorities are taking care of these things. They are very strict and they are educating people," he said.
By Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
