According to experts, half of the per-capita water consumption in the UAE could be a result of residents’ insistence on having lawned gardens.
To keep grass healthy in desert environments requires 1,600 litres of water each year for every square metre, which equates to enough water used on one square metre of grass to give someone a daily shower a month, according to National Geographic.
However, some indigenous species of plant can consume less than half the water of grass while maintaining a lush, green look, according to Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Committee.
“The water consumption in the UAE is so high because it takes into account both indoor and outdoor use,” said Dr Mohammed Dawood, manager of natural resources policy at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
“Actually, in flats the consumption is on par with worldwide standards, it is in villas where you see higher use because of outdoor consumption.”
He said that the first step in reducing consumption is being aware of water usage. As prices currently do not reflect the resource’s scarcity, residents are under the impression that water can be used with disregard.
“We published a report where the UAE has the third-highest water consumption in the world. Look around you, we are in a desert, so these things really don’t add up,” said Tanzeed Alam, the climate and energy director at the Emirates Wildlife Society.
When it comes to watering gardens or the general use of the resource, he said, the UAE has been working on and still has opportunities to develop a mixture of approaches to reduce water consumption, including financial incentives for consuming less and consumer awareness.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee