The Middle East in general and the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates,
are among the areas facing serious challenges concerning water scarcity. For example,
the average calculated water scarcity index for 2018 in arid areas is 12.4, which
means that the rate of freshwater exploitation is more than 12 times its renewability
rate. This situation has created many problems, such as groundwater depletion, aquifers
dewatering, and salt-water intrusion into coastal aquifers. Over the last few decades,
water demand has increased rapidly due to population growth, remarkable expansion
in the urban areas, economic development, and changes in lifestyle, which effectively
have led to the increase in water demands for irrigation, domestic uses, touristic
activities, and industrial processes. In addition, due to climate change variability,
sustainable long-term supply of fresh water is becoming more challenging than ever
before. Irrigation is the largest water consumer in the UAE with three main sectors:
agriculture, forests, parks and landscaping, whose needs are met by groundwater, treated
wastewater, and desalinated water. Freshwater scarcity has driven the country to desalinate
large volumes of seawater to meet the domestic water demand.
The UAE government is constantly working to improve water resource management and
conservation standards, to devote attention to ways to conserve, develop and develop
non-conventional water sources. Apply and adapt to the integrated water resources
management system to coordinate the demand for freshwater and conserve its limited
and available resources as well as develop strategies for water conservation within
the main objective of sustainable development through water conservation and integrated
management for the benefit of current and future generations.
The following geopotential maps are produced to give a general view of water availability
and the main hydrogeological parameters of the country’s aquifers.
Rainfall
Hydro-Geological Settings
The lowest rainfall is observed in the desert foreland and the highest in the mountains
and east coast of the region. The estimated mean annual rainfall of east coast is
about 94%, gravel plain is 82% and desert foreland is 57% of annual mean rainfall
of mountain area.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesque auctor id enim sit amet molestie.
The geological structure, stratigraphy, and lithological settings define the physical
characteristics of the groundwater aquifers and determine the extent and patterns
of groundwater flows. The mineral composition of bedrocks and the unconsolidated surficial
deposits largely governs the chemical quality of groundwater. The lithology of the
aquifers can be divided into consolidated and unconsolidated lithological units classified
into fluviatile or alluvium, eolian, and sabkha deposits.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesque auctor id enim sit amet molestie.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesqueauctor id enim sit amet molestie.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesque auctor id enim sit amet molestie.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesque auctor id enim sit amet molestie.
Curabitur vulputate arcu odio, ac facilisis diam accumsan ut. Ut imperdiet et leo
in vulputate. Sed eleifend lacus eu sapien sagittis imperdiet. Etiam tempor mollis
augue, ut tincidunt ex interdum eu. Pellentesque rhoncus lectus sed posuere viverra.
Vestibulum id turpis lectus. Donec rhoncus quis elit sed fermentum. Nullam sit amet
ex enim. Fusce nec suscipit nulla. Maecenas porta mi vestibulum, lobortis est ac,
hendrerit dui. Pellentesque auctor id enim sit amet molestie.
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