Abu Dhabi: Ways to prepare the Gulf for future water shortages and also to protect the environment were recommended on the final day of a three-day seminar yesterday.
Adopting stricter regulations on drilling wells to prevent the depletion of groundwater and rationalisation of agricultural use were among the recommendations made by delegates.
A group of local, regional and international environmentalists, scientists and other experts attended the Sustainable GCC Environment and Water Resources (EWR 2006) seminar.
The seminar, inaugurated on Saturday by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education and Chancellor of UAE University, mainly focused on soil and water management and its challenges.
The experts suggested a reduction in the quality of groundwater through over-abstraction had resulted in the salinisation of land, a reduction in crop yields and farms being abandoned.
They also said a lack of farm management was another reason leading to over-irrigation and drainage problems.
They called for planned development in the farming and forestry sectors and proper management for water demand in the agriculture sector.
They also called for the control and regulation of well drilling to prevent depletion of ground water.
Speakers called for a UAE-wide database to analyse water resources data and information. Another key recommendation by the experts was the use of solar distillation.
"Solar distillation is the simplest desalination technique," the experts said in their recommendations.
They also suggested groundwater recharge projects were necessary to meet present and future demands on limited water resources.
"Continued growth in arid regions will require the development of a sustainable water supply, which will no doubt include improvement of our ability to store and utilise reclaimed wastewater."
According to them, groundwater recharge using either relatively clean water or treated wastewater involves the infiltration of surplus or impaired quality water from the ground surface to underground water storage aquifers.
Water is captured and stored underground in times of surplus for use in times of deficit.
Underground storage avoids some of the disadvantages of conventional surface water reservoirs, such as evaporation and potential exposure to contaminants, and large capital investment also becomes apparent, they said.
The event was jointly organised by the Research Affairs Department at UAE University and the Japan Cooperation Centre for Petroleum (JCCP).
Water should not be 'thrown away'
Experts at the EWR seminar suggested water which is produced during oil production could be used to water crops.
"During oil production, large quantities of water are also produced. The volume of this water has been steadily increasing and was predicted to have risen to about 650,000 cubic metres per day by last year. Approximately 37 per cent of the water is utilised for reservoir pressure maintenance by injection mainly into northern Oman fields. About 140,000 cubic metres per day is disposed of into shallow sub-surface formation at oilfield sites.
"According to the new environmental regulations in GCC countries, this practice should be stopped. One of the possible alternatives to the underground disposal of water is to use it as irrigation water for salt-tolerant crops. Special treatments are needed to clean the water. More studies are needed to assess the effect of treated oil production water on soil as well as on crop production and toxicity. Above all, risk assessment to human health and the environment is a must."
