Sustainable Water for Abu Dhabi
Semester
Professor Nancy Degnan, Executive Director at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation and adjunct professor, advised the group working on water consumption in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) produces plans and development regulations that govern Abu Dhabi's physical environment. As part of this ongoing process, the Estidama program is developing resource plans for water and energy from the present day until the year 2030 (when the population is estimated to have grown from the current 900,000 to between 3 and 5 million). With one of the highest per-capita water consumption rates in the world and depleted aquifers leading to 1.3 billion cu meters – or 98% – of Abu Dhabi water supply coming from 30 desalination plants, the water problem is well documented in the UAE. The solutions are not. In order to address this knowledge gap, the project sought to define the major problems and produce a report outlining strategy recommendations. Notably, student research and recommendations will be edited for inclusion in the anticipated Abu Dhabi Energy and Water Plan 2030.