Below the Liwa desert lies the largest reserve of high-quality desalinated water secured in a network of 315 recovery wells recently built at a cost of Dh1.61 billion.
The reserve now holds more than 26 million cubic metre (m3) of water (equivalent to 5.6 billion imperial gallons) that can bolster drinking water supply when needed.
The project, implemented by Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity was commended by Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council during a recent field visit accompanied by officials.
The wells are fed by one of UAE’s longest water pipeline networks, which runs the water from Shuweihat desalination plant at a rate of 7 million imperial gallons (approximately 32,000 m3) / day over 27 months.
The reserve, which has at its core an infiltration and recovery system sitting atop a natural fresh water underground aquifer, was first investigated in 2002.
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Read more:
Abu Dhabi unveils a Dh1.6bn underground reserve for desalinated water
Dh1.6bn stockpile of water for Abu Dhabi
Nation needs plan for water shortages
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The project addresses Abu Dhabi’s water security and its resilience through the recharge of groundwater aquifers with high-quality desalinated water, which cannot be stored above ground due to contamination and other factors.
The desalinated water is piped from the coast to create the secure, underground reserve system and was accomplished by a multi-national and multi-disciplinary team of experts from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (Transco), ADWEA, RSB, the independent regulatory body for Abu Dhabi's water and electricity sector, GIZ International, Rainer Consultancy and ACC-Posco JV.
Whenever needed, water from the wells, lying up to 80 metres below ground, can be used to recover supplies at any time, thus ensuring continuous water supply for Abu Dhabi city and Al Dhafra region and securing the reserve for future generations.
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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
