To enhance water security, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is increasing the storage capacity of desalinated water in Dubai. To achieve this target, DEWA is building three water reservoirs in different parts of Dubai; one in the Nakhali area with a storage capacity of 120 MIG and investments totalling AED 287.8 million, one in the Lusaily area with a storage capacity of 60 MIG and investments totalling AED 175.4 million, and one in Hatta with a storage capacity of 30 MIG and investments totalling AED 86 million,

“Water security is a national priority for the UAE and is one of the seven strategic sectors of the National Innovation Strategy.  The UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 aims to ensure sustainable access to water during both normal and emergency conditions as well as address future water security challenges. The Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy 2030 focuses on enhancing water resources and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions. At DEWA, we work to provide state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure for electricity and water to provide our services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency and quality. The construction of the water reservoirs in Al Nakhali, Al Lusaily, and Hatta supports DEWA’s strategy to increase the efficiency and reliability of water networks, raise water flow and volume of water reserves to meet the growing demand and sustainable development in Dubai. We aim to increase the storage capacity of Dubai to 1002 MIG compared to the current capacity of 815 MIG,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Al Tayer noted that these reservoirs add to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project for desalinated water which DEWA has completed its first phase. The full scale of the ASR project can store up to 6,000 million imperial gallons of water once completed by 2025. This makes it the largest ASR of its kind in the world to store potable water and retrieve it in case of an emergency.

“Thanks to its advanced infrastructure, innovation, and sound scientific planning, DEWA keeps pace with the growing demand for water. In 1992, DEWA’s production capacity of desalinated water was 65 MIGD. Today it has increased to 490 MIGD. DEWA’s R&D efforts and the latest global technologies reduced losses in its water transmission and distribution networks from more than 42% in 1988 to 5.3% in 2021. This is one of the lowest worldwide,” added Al Tayer.

Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water and Civil at DEWA, said that DEWA follows the highest international standards in the reservoirs it’s building, noting that the reinforced concrete 60-million-gallon reservoir in Lusaily is being built alongside the existing one, which stores 120 million gallons of desalinated water.