Dubai: Dewa builds 3 new reservoirs worth Dh550 million to enhance water security

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is increasing the storage capacity of desalinated water in Dubai to enhance water security. Dewa is building three water reservoirs in different parts of Dubai.

The water reservoirs will include one in the Nakhali area with a storage capacity of 120 MIG and investments totalling Dh287.8 million, one in the Lusaily area with a storage capacity of 60 MIG and investments totalling Dh175.4 million, and one in Hatta with a storage capacity of 30 MIG and investments totalling Dh86 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 and 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," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa.

He added that 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," Al Tayer noted.

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.

Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water and Civil at Dewa, said 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.