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Dubai: Lack of information on water resources in the UAE has posed problems for decision-makers in managing diminishing water reserves.
Even today it remains impossible to make adequate predictions on the effects of climate change in the region due to lack of data, said Dr Rachael McDonnell, a visiting scientist at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, speaking at the Water Tech 2008 conference going on in Dubai.
Dr Mohammad Mustafa Al Mulla, assistant deputy minister of water, said a water law was being passed to the ministry of justice but many amendments are being made. It will not come into affect for about two years, he said.
Decisions on water use, supply and demand involve political and development sectors, said McDonnell, it rarely being water organisations that make decisions about water. "We don't feel the scarcity of water here but planning for the future is needed. There are low water resources and the problems are worse here than anywhere else in the world," she said.
The Arab Water Academy (AWA), proposed earlier, will train technical people from around the world to better cope and collate information on the water sector. According to the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, 60 per cent of the region's water flows across international borders, calling for careful cross-border policy analysis.
Abdul Azim Ebrahim, senior geophysicist at the Ministry of Environment and Water, expanded on the need for in-depth data and highlighted studies carried out in Ras Al Khaimah where previously set-aside land for agriculture was found unsuitable using geospatial technology and geographical information systems (GIS).
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