Rolf, Thanks for your post.  Having been based in Dubai for seven years in the water industry, I have seen the issues of water usage in the Middle East first hand.  Indeed, my company is currently installing a temporary SWRO plant in Saudi Arabia to provide 350m3 / hr of water to an industrial client.  Notwithstanding the sheer cost of such an endeavor, the amount of diesel that will be consumed to power a unit of this size and the discharge of brine into the environment are significant considerations.   However, the economic drivers for the huge water use that we see here are massive and “fueled” (literally) by abundant energy in the form of fossil fuels.  The drive for diversification and subsequent industrialization in the region leads to greater energy and water demand.  Certainly improvements in efficiencies, new technologies and recycling of waste water will assist in the reduction of raw potable water demand, but I believe that this is not the whole story in Middle East water management.  Recycling of TSE which currently returns to the sea will impact further the salinization of the Gulf and Red Sea.  The growth in population in the region demands more water on all levels; for drinking water, food production and leisure, as well as industry.   How sustainable is this in the future?  This is the question that local governments are beginning to address and I fully support their initiatives.  Happy to discuss further if you wish.

Published by

Rolf,

Thanks for your post.  Having been based in Dubai for seven years in the water industry, I have seen the issues of water usage in the Middle East first hand.  Indeed, my company is currently installing a temporary SWRO plant in Saudi Arabia to provide 350m3 / hr of water to an industrial client.  Notwithstanding the sheer cost of such an endeavor, the amount of diesel that will be consumed to power a unit of this size and the discharge of brine into the environment are significant considerations.

 

However, the economic drivers for the huge water use that we see here are massive and “fueled” (literally) by abundant energy in the form of fossil fuels.  The drive for diversification and subsequent industrialization in the region leads to greater energy and water demand.  Certainly improvements in efficiencies, new technologies and recycling of waste water will assist in the reduction of raw potable water demand, but I believe that this is not the whole story in Middle East water management.  Recycling of TSE which currently returns to the sea will impact further the salinization of the Gulf and Red Sea.  The growth in population in the region demands more water on all levels; for drinking water, food production and leisure, as well as industry.

 

How sustainable is this in the future?  This is the question that local governments are beginning to address and I fully support their initiatives.  Happy to discuss further if you wish.