Abu Dhabi achieves water security with 5.6 billion gallon water reserve

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The water is secured in a network of 315 recovery wells lying up to 80 metres below the Liwa Desert.

The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) has announced the completion of the world's largest reserve of high quality desalinated water with storage of more than 5.6 billion gallons, at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, on Monday.

The Dh1.6 billion high-tech desalinated water storage can provide sufficient drinking water to one million people for up to 90 days. The water is secured in a network of 315 recovery wells lying up to 80 metres below the Liwa Desert. The wells are fed by one of UAE longest water pipeline networks which runs the water from Shuweihat desalination plant at a rate of seven million imperial gallons (approx. 32,000m3) per day.

The project has addressed Abu Dhabi's water security and its resilience through the recharge of groundwater aquifers with high-quality desalinated water. The reserve, which has at its core an infiltration and recovery system sitting atop a natural freshwater underground aquifer, was first investigated in 2002 and has been extensively researched by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD).

The project was undertaken as a collaborative venture between EAD, delivering the vital scientific studies, feasibility, risk and mitigation scenarios; strategic planning by the ADWEA and its TRANSCO subsidiary, managing the construction and implementation.

Dr Saif Saleh Al Seairi, acting director-general of the ADWEA, said: "The reserve acts as a safety net for the provision of water and is now being regarded as an excellent regional model for foresight and planning.

"We applaud the efforts of the team that worked hard in some of the harshest desert conditions, in the undulating landscape environment. The project team overcame considerable challenges to complete this one-of-a-kind scheme and lessons learned have been shared with our regional partners."

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary-general of the EAD, said: "This is one of the greatest achievements for Abu Dhabi and the whole of the UAE in terms of water sustainability. It is the largest reserve of high-quality desalinated water to be stored in a natural aquifer anywhere in the world.

"The entire project is a testament to the power of multi-stakeholder collaboration, and an exemplary case study in inter-governmental cooperation driven by environmental pillars guiding sustainable economic imperatives," she added.

Established in one of the world's driest areas where rainfall rarely exceeds 10cm a year, the project has been completed to deliver a fallback pumping capacity of 100 million gallons of water per day to the emirate if required. The desalinated water percolates into the subsurface through basins with a system of semi-perforated underground pipes to recharge the aquifer using only gravity as a driving force. The project ensures continuous water supply for Abu Dhabi city and Al Dhafra region and secures the reserve for future generations.

The project will be operated, managed and maintained by TRANSCO with scientific support by EAD, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between EAD, represented by Razan Al Mubarak, and TRANSCO, represented by Mohammed bin Omair Al Shamsi, chairman of the board of TRANSCO.