Earlier this summer the UAE began to export the technology required to extract one of the essential commodities in the world we live in today. Not oil or gas but water.
In May it was announced that the country would send 14 mobile desalination plants, which make seawater potable, to Cyprus, currently facing a water crisis exacerbated by a prolonged drought.
It might seem strange, even contradictory, for a desert country, arid for much of the year, to come to the rescue of another entirely surrounded by water. But few people understand the value of water for life like those in the Emirates.
Searching for water was a daily task until the 1960s. Desert wells were essential for nomadic life, while in the town of Abu Dhabi, water was obtained by digging “scrapes” in the sand to a depth where the salinity was reduced to permit drinking.
Rulers recognised the importance of water above almost everything. Sheikh Shakhbout, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1928 to 1966, regarded the search for clean water as equal if not important as finding oil.
In the later 1950s, just as oil was being discovered in the Emirate, Sheikh Shakhbout even resorted to employing two English colonels who claimed to be water diviners, promising them generous rewards if successful. Unfortunately they were not.
Technology proved a better bet. In 1961, the Ruler ordered one of the earliest examples of an industrial desalination plant from the British engineering company Richardson & Westgarth of West Hartlepool.
After teething problems caused by the heat, by the following year the plant was producing 50,000 litres of clean water a day, distributed across Abu Dhabi in cans carried by donkeys. At a price of around one dirham a gallon (4.55 litres) it was more expensive than the market price of crude oil.
Later a pipeline was laid to carry water from wells in Al Ain over 130 kilometres to Abu Dhabi, held in a huge water tank in Khalidiya. It can still be seen to this day.
Today the UAE has about 70 desalination plants producing over 40 per cent of the country’s drinking water using a process known as reverse osmosis. Abu Dhabi’s Taweelah plant, operated by Emirates Water and Electricity (Ewec) is the largest of its type in the world, producing over 800,000 cubic metres a day.
The expertise the UAE enjoys in water technology is now shared with the rest of the world. UAE Water Aid (Suqia UAE) was established in 2015 in Dubai to provide clean water in 10 countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iraq.
Funded by donations, in the first year alone over Dh180 million was raised across the Emirates. The annual Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award supports initiatives to support global water security with US$1 million in prize money.
In the words of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai “In our country, water is a great blessing. Our ancestors had been deprived of water, thus they knew its value.”
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
