UAE’s Suqia Board reviews achievements and projects in Q1 of 2017

DUBAI, 21st May, 2017 (WAM) — The Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia, has held its 10th meeting, chaired by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
The board discussed Suqia’s projects, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, during 2016 and Q1 of 2017.
Suqia has implemented projects to provide clean drinking water for over 8 million people in 19 countries until the end of 2016, in cooperation with a number of leading organisations and charities.
Speaking on the occasion, Al Tayer said, "Suqia is doubling its humanitarian efforts this year to support the Year of Giving initiative, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and to carry out the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"At Suqia, we are committed to achieving one of the key objectives set by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, which is to combat poverty and disease by contributing to finding permanent and sustainable solutions to water scarcity around the world.
We do this by conducting research and studies to develop innovative and affordable technologies to help millions of people around the world who suffer from shortages, scarcity, or pollution of drinking water.
We are also committed to providing water to millions of needy people around the world," added Al Tayer.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.
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Should we tow icebergs from Antarctica to combat drought?

Should we tow icebergs from Antarctica to combat drought?.
Drought has become an intractable problem in the United Arab Emirates, and the desert nation’s groundwater is expected to dry up in as little as 15 years.
Desalination currently supplies 98 percent of the drinking water for residents of UAE’s gluttonous cities, but desalination is expensive and ravaging to the local environment.
Meanwhile, Antarctica contains around 70 percent of the planet’s freshwater.
Towing icebergs from Antarctica might seem like an extreme idea– the idea has certainly garnered its fair share of ridicule– but an Abu Dhabi-based firm, the National Advisor Bureau Limited, is dead set on carrying it out, and they believe it can offer a real solution to their region’s water woes.
Al Shehi also believes that the out-of-place iceberg could become a significant tourist attraction, making the project more financially feasible.
That’s certainly a bit of salesmanship– an iceberg would have to be impractically huge to significantly alter the region’s rainfall– but the mammoth block of ice could absolutely generate clouds in its immediate vicinity, making it an even bigger spectacle for tourists.
The firm has released a somewhat amusing animation that visualizes the whole plan, even depicting wildlife still living on the towed iceberg.
(Specifically, it depicts penguins and polar bears– a bit of a faux pas given that polar bears only live in the Arctic.)
You can view it here: The video also misleadingly suggests that the plan will eventually transform the arid landscape of the UAE into a verdant, green paradise.

UAE fish safety rumours are false: ministry

UAE fish safety rumours are false: ministry.
Dubai: Fish and other seafood captured in UAE waters are safe for consumption, said a senior Ministry Climate Change and Environment official (MOCCAE), brushing aside rumours that water pollution is affecting the quality of seafood.
Refuting rumours circulating on social media, Salah Abdullah Al Rayeesi, Director of the Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Environments at MOCCAE, reaffirmed that specialised teams regularly monitor water quality in the UAE through sampling and analysis to ensure that it’s free from any substances that affect the public’s health.
He also confirmed that an external auditing team carried out inspection visits to all fish markets last Thursday to examine the fish, and assured the public that there is no harm in consuming local and imported sea food.
Al Rayeesi said that UAE has given the food safety issue much attention and has over the past years strengthened its legislative and institutional frameworks related to food safety.
He added that the UAE has developed integrated and effective control systems on food products, both domestic and imported, including the development of laboratories, while tightening food safety and control measures on food establishments and workers to ensure the highest level of food safety in the country.
He pointed out that the food safety rating in the UAE has increased in the last three years to reach 98 per cent in 2016.
Calling on community members not to be swayed by unreliable news or rumors about food safety he urged all residents to refrain from raising unwarranted concerns without verifying their authenticity from reliable official sources, stressing that the MOCCAE, as well as the UAE food safety authorities, welcome all public inquiries and respond to them directly.

UAE Will Tow Icebergs From Antarctica To Quench Drinking Water Problem

UAE Will Tow Icebergs From Antarctica To Quench Drinking Water Problem.
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The iceberg could produce micro-climates and bathe the arid landscape in rain, Shehi added.
The company predicts that it could take up to a year to tow an iceberg to the country, specifically to Fujairah where the water is deep enough to accommodate the floating island.
What’s in store for the UAE’s drinking water then?
The icebergs could hold up to 750 billion liters of fresh water, Shehi said, adding that the government has found the plan sound and is now seeking funds for it.
Blocks of ice will be taken above the waterline and crushed into water before they will be stored in massive tanks and professionally filtered.

Switzerland Bags Second Prize in Global Water Award

More DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland was awarded the second place in a global award that tackles the issue of water scarcity through finding innovative solutions.
The award, overseen by The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), includes three main categories: Innovative Projects Award (Small and Large projects), Innovative Research and Development Award (National and International institutions), and the Innovative Youth Award.
The Swiss university came second in the second category.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170428005121/en/ Valued at $1m, the award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage sustainable and innovative solutions to address water scarcity using solar power.
The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) oversees the award under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
Its efforts were recognised with an award for the second place.
In his speech, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia, noted that, according to UNICEF, hundreds of millions of children won’t have access to clean water in the future, and that girls now spend 200 million hours a day collecting water, which affects their education.
He stated that the United Nations agency has warned us that 600 million children will live in areas with severely limited water resources by 2040, putting them at risk of deadly diseases.
Dr. Endre HORVATH, Scientist from the university, said “This award would help us finalise the validation process of our water purifying solution and get endorsement from 3rd parties to market it in remote communities.

Finland Bags Third Place in Global Water Award

Finland Bags Third Place in Global Water Award.
More DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Solar Water Solutions company in Finland was awarded third place in a global award that tackles the issue of water scarcity through finding innovative solutions.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170428005128/en/ Valued at $1m, the award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage sustainable and innovative solutions to address water scarcity using solar power.
The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) oversees the award under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
Its efforts were recognised with an award for third place.
In his speech, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia, noted that, according to UNICEF, hundreds of millions of children won’t have access to clean water in the future, and that girls now spend 200 million hours a day collecting water, which affects their education.
He stated that the United Nations agency has warned us that 600 million children will live in areas with severely limited water resources by 2040, putting them at risk of deadly diseases.
HE Al Tayer said, "The Mohammed bin Rashid Global Water Award, which bears the name of a person whose generosity is not just for the people of the UAE, but also helps those in need anywhere in the world, is another significant milestone in the UAE’s humanitarian efforts.
It supports international efforts to provide drinking water to the needy by devising practical and sustainable solutions to water scarcity.”

Greece Bags Second Prize in Global Water Award

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Temak S.A in Greece was awarded the second prize in a global award that tackles the issue of water scarcity through finding innovative solutions.
The award, overseen by The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), includes three main categories: Innovative Projects Award (Small and Large projects), Innovative Research and Development Award (National and International institutions), and the Innovative Youth Award.
Valued at $1m, the award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage sustainable and innovative solutions to address water scarcity using solar power.
The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) oversees the award under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
The Greece based company participated in the award with a solar powered Reverse Osmosis plant to produce drinking water, a self-sustained project with an energy recovery device with 42% energy savings.
Its efforts were recognised with an award for a second place.
Our mission for over 40 years has been to develop and apply technologies for low cost production of fresh, potable water from sea or high salinity ground water, accessible for all people.
This award makes us proud and creates a strong commitment for us to keep on working with greater passion and enthusiasm, in order to offer the precious fresh potable water to even more people with the lowest possible cost.” The Mohammed bin Rashid Global Water Award is based on a rigorous assessment process in accordance with the highest international standards and best practices.
All of which are held to measure the feasibility of projects submitted to achieve Suqia’s objectives.
*Source: ME NewsWire Contacts Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Ribal Dayekh or Iman Saeed +971-4-307-2006 or +971-4-515-0512 ribal.dayekh@dewa.gov.ae, iman.saeed@dewa.gov.ae or Hattlan Media Nabil Khoury or Eman Hussein +971-56-114-1177 or +971-50-736-6990 nabil@hattlan.com, eman@hattlan.com

UAE to explore innovative rain-inducing concept to solve water scarcity

The UAE is collaborating with a team of leading meteorologists to develop a potentially ground-breaking technology in cloud seeding, to address the country’s water scarcity challenges.
The concept revolves around the ‘electrical seeding’ of clouds, a theoretical concept that studies the effect of electrical charges on rain-bearing clouds.
Harrison, who is also a Second Cycle awardee associated with the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, will lead the research.
Secondly, they will attempt to measure and modify the charges present in clouds using balloons and aircrafts.
An innovative aspect is the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to artificially modify the electrical properties of the clouds.
A promising attribute of the electrical seeding approach is that it leaves no local environmental residues, as the UAVs are electrically powered and hence pollution-free.
Commenting on Professor Harrison’s project, Dr. Abdullah Al Mandous, Director of the National Center for Meteorology and Seismology, said: "The success of the Emirates R&D program is evident at its third session, which has been demonstrated by the significant increase in the number of participating countries and research, A strong indicator of the importance of encouraging innovation and sharing knowledge and expertise through fruitful international partnerships.
Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science said, "We are delighted to be working with Professor Harrison and his team on this highly transformative project.
Launched by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs of the UAE and overseen by the UAE National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science offers US$5 million in grant assistance to encourage scientists and researchers to explore new horizons in developing rain enhancement science and technology.
The Program is also a rallying platform that facilitates international cooperation through advancing research and innovation in the field of rain enhancement.

Campaign helps UAE pupils recycle used cooking oil

Campaign helps UAE pupils recycle used cooking oil.
Pupils at UAE schools have been collecting used cooking oil from their homes to recycle it into biofuel.
The programme was set up by Blue waste management company in Dubai and has involved pupils from nursery age through to high schoolers.
Delhi Private School in Sharjah collected 162 litres of used cooking oil, and its pupils taught their parents about the benefits of recycling oil they would usually throw down the drain.
"When we started collecting the oil, it turned out only 40 per cent of pupils knew you could re-use or recycle cooking oil," said pupil, Rohan Kapur.
Mathilde Allard Khalifa, corporate social responsibility coordinator at Blue, said many families were unaware that used cooking oil could damage the environment.
"But many households are not aware of the damage that is done by throwing away used oil.
"It blocks the drains, goes into the ground and pollutes the environment.
The campaign to collect used oil started as a limited-term competition between five schools.
However, now there are permanent collection bins for children to contribute whenever they can.

Mai Dubai to double up on bottled water production

Mai Dubai to double up on bottled water production.
Mai Dubai, which is owned by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), on Sunday said it will more than double its current production capacity next year as it hopes to gain a larger portion of the bottled water market in the UAE.
The expansion plans will be carried out in two phases to increase efficiency through fully automated warehouses for finished goods and raw material, including a monorail spanning 1 kilometre.
At the end of last July, Dewa said Mai Dubai could produce 16 million units and would expand to 50 million units by 2020, based on a planned additional investment of Dh600 million.
"We’ll get new equipment for the factory as we believe this will be a key to our ongoing competitiveness and pursuit of innovative solutions," said Jay Andres, the chief executive of Mai Dubai.
The UAE bottled water industry is shifting from dominant players as competition heats up.
According to Euromonitor, Masafi Mineral Water led the bottled water industry, taking 27 per cent of the market share last year.
However, the company is losing steam as it prices products at a premium in comparison to other suppliers such as National Food Products’ Oasis and Agthia’s Al Ain.
"After three years since the launch of Mai Dubai, it has become a very popular brand and one of the leading bottled drinking water companies in the UAE in record time," said Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa.
"The project will allow Mai Dubai to raise the level of competition in the bottled water industry, locally and globally, by implementing best practices and the latest technologies in this field."