Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE) has said that about 90% of work on 29 vital projects worth $820 million has been completed, following a visit by Mohammad Mohammad Saleh, Director General of Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), Ahmad Berhama, executive director of water directorate and a group of officials, to the new Water Distribution Centre in Ras Al Khaimah.
In a statement, EtihadWE said that the combined projects will form a new water transmission network across the emirates of Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. These Emirates are experiencing a rapid growth in population and several new commercial and industrial megaprojects have been planned, which will require significant water infrastructure.
Therefore, in response EtihadWE is building the water production and water transmission infrastructure necessary to meet their short, medium, and long-term needs, the statement said.
The 29 projects, which are almost 90% complete, will provide the required pumping, pipeline and network storage facilities to deliver 682,000 cubic meters (150 million gallons) per day of water to EtihadWE customers produced by the new desalination plant at Umm Al Quwain.
The projects represent a capital investment of $820 million dirhams and comprise 336 kilometres of pipeline, four pumping stations and 22 storage reservoirs.
Mohammad Mohammad Saleh confirmed that Etihad Water and Electricity is currently working, in cooperation with its strategic partners, to implement a number of projects that are in line with the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and aimed to ensuring the sustainability and continuity of access to water during all conditions.
He added: “This strategic water scheme will support water security for residents and business in the northern emirates providing water for residential, industrial and agricultural sectors, bringing both environmental and economic benefits. It is also allowing EtihadWE to halt the operation of older thermal desalination plants thus reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide, associated with water desalination process.”
The scheme will also link all the areas supervised by the company together for the first time, ensuring greater efficiency in controlling and distributing water through Al-Khurijah Distribution Centre. Furthermore, it will provide a digital platform to monitor and reduce water losses and prioritise maintenance work and replace old networks, he said.
During the visit Mohammad Saleh was accompanied by Anas Al Kassem, representing Stantec, the consultant responsible for the design, and supervision of the system.