Dubai Electricity and Water Authority | Conservation Campaign and Water Saving

On World Water Day, which is observed on the 22nd of March every year, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched an awareness campaign on the importance of sustaining groundwater, preserving natural resources and water conservation. This year’s World Water Day is held under the theme ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible, Visible.’ DEWA’s campaign included virtual lectures with a number of educational institutions in the UAE, spreading conservation tips through its internal and external channels and social media, to encourage a sustainable lifestyle.

The campaign focused on the need to reduce very high surface water stress and groundwater depletion,  practice environmentally-friendly agricultural activities such as using organic fertilisers, choosing plants that consume less water, reducing pesticides, and disposing of industrial and chemical waste safely.

“The world in general, and the Middle East and North Africa region in particular, is facing urgent challenges related to water scarcity and fresh, natural water. The wise leadership of the UAE supports global efforts to find proactive solutions to the water crisis worldwide by enhancing water resources, conservation, and using innovative technologies and solutions. Dubai relies on three pillars to sustain water production based on: making use of clean solar energy to desalinate seawater using the latest Reverse Osmosis technologies, which consumes less energy. At DEWA, we are working on a project to store and retrieve desalinated water in groundwater basins, which is the largest of its kind in the world, to store potable water for emergencies. We are also working on a water reservoir project in the Nakhali area with a capacity of 120 million gallons, and another project in the Al-Lusaily area with a capacity of 60 million gallons. The total water production capacity of DEWA is 490 MIGD. We aim to produce 100% of desalinated water using a mix of clean energy that combines renewable energy sources and waste heat by 2030,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“We strive to engage society members in protecting the environment by providing smart systems to reduce waste. DEWA has installed more than two million electricity and water smart meters to help customers monitor, manage and control consumption, proactively and digitally,” added Al Tayer.

“DEWA plays a leading role in protecting the environment by launching several programmes and initiatives to conserve electricity and water and raise awareness on sustainability and preserving valuable resources. This is achieved within the framework of the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy, and Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which ensures clean water and sanitation for all. Our efforts in this field have resulted in achieving cumulative savings between 2012 and 2021 up to 2.2 TWh of electricity and 5.6 billion gallons of water, equivalent to AED 1.2 billion, and a reduction of 1.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions,” said Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Government Communications at DEWA.