Immediate steps must be taken to cope with the increasing demand for water in the country, an official said.
The problem is acute because the requirement for desalinated water in the UAE will double in five years.
"It's time to work hard on the options of reusing the waste water in the region by adopting the latest technologies available in the world," said Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Techno Park, and Ports, Customs and Free Zones Corporation.
Water is the most precious and limited natural resource in the country, he said.
"In the Gulf region, more than 80 per cent of surface ground water from subterranean aquifers is used for agricultural purposes.
"More than 50 per cent of the world's desalination projects are being set up in the Gulf," he said.
"The Arab world is expected to invest more than $30 billion in desalination projects by 2025."
He was speaking at International Water Forum: Water Reuse in the 21st century, organised by Dubai Techno Park and the International Desalination Association (IDA). The event was held at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The two-day conference, which started yesterday, is the first in a series of international forums to provide leadership in water technologies and management.
About 300 scientists, engineers and key decision makers from around the world gathered to assess water-reuse technology and examine why this needs to be a major part of all regional water-management programmes.
Dr Farouk Al Baz, Director for Remote Sensing at Boston University, said one of the major challenges in desalination projects is the cost.
"We have to take measures to reduce the cost by using the latest technology and alternate means of energy."
Abdul Hamid Al Mansoor, President IDA, said as pressure mounts on water authorities in the arid and semi-arid regions, water reuse is the best option available.
Conservation
- "Use of solar energy is also a good option to run desalination plants," said Dr Farouk Al Baz, Director for Remote Sensing at Boston University.
- Treatment of waste water for reuse, he said, costs much less than desalination.
- "We must start reusing waste water to save our strategic ground-water reserves for future generations," he said.
- An official at the conference said the UAE Government is also considering nuclear energy to desalinate water. He said it would be a cost-effective process because it will help reduce pressure on the depleting ground water resources in the country.
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