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COASTAL WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

COASTAL WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Mohamed A. Dawoud and Mike Brook

Water Resources Department

Terrestrial Environment Research Center
Environment Agency-ABU DHABI
P.O. Box 45553 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

1. Introduction
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of seven separate Emirates, occupies 83
600 km², of which 77 700 km² is mainland and the remaining 5 900 km² is shared
amongst over 200 islands. The UAE has a coastline of 1318km in length and both
conventional and non-conventional water resources are located on or close to this
coastline. Conventional water resources include wellfields and onshore and offshore
springs and non-conventional sources of water include desalination plants and treated
wastewater plants. Urbanization of the UAE over the last two decades has resulted in
over 70% of the total population of just over 4 million now living in the major cities and
towns (see Table 1).

Table 1 UAE Population Statistics 2004

Emirate Mainland area Total % Urban Population
(excl. islands) Population Total Population Density
(km²) Population Person/Km²
Abu Dhabi 67340 1600000 40 882,000 24
Dubai 3885 1170000 29 1170000 301
Sharjah 2590 636000 16 519000 246
Ajman 1683.5 225000 6 147000 134
Ras Al Khaimah 1165.5 195000 5 102000 168
Fujairah 777 118000 3 54000 152
Umm Al Quwain 259 62000 1 38000 239
Total 77700 4006000 100 2912000 Average 52

65% of the total population of the UAE live within 5km or less of the coastlines of the
Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman. Rapid and significant urbanization along the
coastlines has meant that risks to the marine and coastal areas now include pollution
(from municipal, industrial, agricultural sources etc.), coastal erosion and other effects
such as from engineering projects, over-exploitation of fisheries resources, oil spills,
dredging and pollution due to shipping and so on. In this brief paper we will describe
the status of the various water resources in the coastal zones and the water
management issues and challenges which are associated with them.

2. UAE Coastal Water Resources

Figure 1 shows the various types of aquifers found in the UAE [1]. Figure 2 shows the
location of the major desalination plants. Sewage treatment plants are found in or

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

surrounding all major coastal towns and villages. Onshore springs occur in Abu Dhabi,
Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah Emirates and offshore springs are known to
exist in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah coastal waters, but none are utilized at present.

Figure 1 Aquifer Types in the UAE

2.1 Conventional Water Resources

2.1.1 Groundwater Aquifers
The following aquifer types are found in the coastal zones:
1) Coastal Sabkha
2) Eastern Gravel aquifer
3) Western Gravel Aquifer
4) Ophiolite aquifer
5) Northern Limestone aquifer

1) The thin strip coastal sabkha is a non-aquifer stretching from As Sila in Abu Dhabi
Emirate to Ras Al Khaimah. It is very shallow and unproductive and contains
groundwater of salinities ranging from 10,000 (high brackish) to 275,000 mg/l(hyper-
saline) [2]. The deposits are generally thin and groundwater flows are restricted to
the upper 10m. Groundwater levels are 0.5m to 2m below ground, but ponding
occurs also during winter and as a response to direct recharge from rainfall.

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5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

Groundwater development within this deposit is virtually absent due to the high
salinities. Groundwater is exclusively of the Sodium – Chloride type.

2) This coastal aquifer occurs exclusively within Fujairah Emirate and is associated
with series of alluvial flats which occur within embayments of the Gulf of Oman.
Closer to the mountain front, aquifer grain sizes increase and water quality
improves. The aquifer contains fresh water, which drains from the wadis to the sea.
Groundwater quality deteriorates in the direction of the sea and has become partly
brackish due to over-abstraction and saline intrusion. Several wadis, such as Wadi
Ham, can witness flash floods which do not last longer than a few hours. The
aquifer supports both agriculture development and municipal wellfield supplies for
Fujairah and is an extremely important resource. Groundwater chemistry is of the
Magnesium Chloride type [3].

3) The Western Gravel aquifer only occurs in the Eastern part of Ras Al Khaimah and
comprises a sequence of sand and gravel, up to 60m thick, but considerably thinner
in the coastal zone. Groundwater salinities are low to high brackish and
development is mostly for agriculture Groundwater hydrochemistry is very variable,
being of the Magnesium Bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate, Calcium Sulphate,
Magnesium Sulphate and Sodium Chloride type.

4) The ophiolite mountain aquifer extends from Hatta to Dibba. The mountains are
dissected by 58 drainage basins which vary in size from 5 – 5,000 Km². Some large
wadis may have surface runoff once every several years, and the rest of the wadis
may remain dry for longer periods. The hard and compact igneous and
metamorphic rocks of the semail ophiolite complex provide for rapid runoff for wadi
aquifer storage and also fresh water springs which are mostly ephemeral, with few
perennial supplies. Groundwater is of the Magnesium Bicarbonate and Magnesium
Chloride type and salinities are generally less than 2000 mg/l.

5) The Rus Al Jubal massif comprises the carbonate sedimentary aquifer sequence,
Triassic to Lower Cretaceous in age, and is characterized by broad folding, block
faulting and complex thrusting, providing for enhanced, secondary permeability and
high well yields. Groundwater is predominantly of the Calcium Bicarbonate type.

Figure 3 shows the groundwater salinity of the shallow alluvial aquifer in Abu Dhabi
Emirate and Figure 4 the electrical conductivity of groundwater in the other six Emirates.
Coastal groundwaters in Abu Dhabi Emirate are high brackish to hypersaline, however
in parts of the Northern Emirates coastline, e.g. Fujairah Plain, fresh groundwater with
salinities of less than 1000 mg/l is found.

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Figure 2 Location of the Main Desalination Plants in United Arab Emirates

Figure 3 Groundwater Salinity of the shallow alluvial aquifer in Abu Dhabi Emirate

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Figure 4 Groundwater Electrical Conductivity in Northern UAE [1]

2.1.2 Springs
Both terrestrial and marine fresh water springs are found in the coastal belt of UAE,
mostly in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah.

Offshore springs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been known for decades and have been
associated with the pearl diving industry. These springs have been mapped on
bathymetric charts, but most are thought to have small to only moderate yields. One
spring, perhaps with much higher flows, has been mapped by use of seismic survey
(Figure 5). Further research is required and investigations are currently ongoing in Abu
Dhabi and Dubai.(Figure 6). It is thought that there is potential for small fresh water
supplies to offshore Islands. The source of the fresh water is runoff from the Zagros
Mountain range in Iran, rather than from the UAE.

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

Terrestrial springs are found in the ophiolite and carbonate aquifers of the northern
Emirates, somewhat removed from the immediate coastal zone, but they provide
recharge to the lower gravel aquifer plains.

Spring on sea bed

Figure 5 Offshore sea bed spring mapped by seismic profiling [Nymphea Water SA,France]

2.2 Unconventional Water Resources

These water sources are desalinated sea water and treated effluent. Figure 2 shows
the location of the major desalinated plants in the UAE.

2.2.1 Desalinated water

The UAE has one of the most developed desalination production and distribution systems
in the world. The first desalination plant was installed in Abu Dhabi in 1960 with a total
capacity of 250 m³/day. Because of a rapid increase in domestic and industrial water
demand more plants were installed, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. At present there
are 35 desalination plants in the UAE (the six major ones are shown in Figure 2), with a
total installed capacity of l,922 m³/day, while total actual production in 2002 was about
809 million m³/year as shown in Table 2.

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

Figure 6 Offshore spring exploration areas in UAE[Nymphea Water SA,France]

2.2.2 Treated Wastewater

The UAE has invested heavily in the development of sewage reticulation and treatment
and has an excellent record for treatment and re-use of waste water (Table 3). Large
treated effluent plants now exist in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and more
recently, in Ajman. The other northern Emirates are still to develop reticulated sewage
networks. In 2002, 222 Million cubic meters of treated effluent was produced at plants
within the coastal zones of UAE. None of the water is discharged to the sea, rather, it is
fully utilized in the irrigation of recreation areas and road side amenity plantations. It is
also used for irrigation of animal fodder in Abu Dhabi Emirate.

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Table 2 UAE Coastal Desalination Production 2002.

Emirate Desalination Plant Type Production, Mm3/yr
Al Bainounah Power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 18.66
Umm Al Nar Power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 189.34
Al Taweelah power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 110.40
Abu Dhabi
Al Mirfa Power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 27.15
Gulf Total Tractebel Power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 60.59
Emirates CMS Power Company Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 71.99
Dubai Jebel Ali (K anf G) Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 278.76
Sharjah Layyah Multi Effect Distillation (MED) 51.60
Kalba Reverse Osmosis (RO) 0.01
Sharjah
Abu Mussa Reverse Osmosis (RO) 0.01
Al Hamriyah Reverse Osmosis (RO) 0.02
Fujairah Fujairah Fresh Water Production Company
Multi Stage Flush (MSF) 1.38
Total Desalinated Water Production in UAE Mm3/year 809.91
Source: EAD, Abu Dhabi Water Resources Statistics 2002 and other published materials

Table 3: Wastewater Treatment plants in the UAE Coastal Zone.

Emirate Waste Water Plant Production, Mm3/yr
Mafraq 95.13
Bainoona 0.365
ABU DHABI Mirfa 1.460
Delma Island 0.91
Ghantoot 0.24
DUBAI Dubai Sewage Treatment Plant 94.9
SHARJAH Sharjah Wastewater Treatment Plant 9.96
AJMAN 5.0
RAS AL KHAIMAH 4.5
FUJAIRAH 5.0
UMM AL QUWAIN 4.5
Total (2002) 222

3. Water Resources Management Concerns and Challenges in the Coastal Zones

3.1 Groundwater Depletion and Saltwater Intrusion
Groundwater abstraction is now around 3 billion cubic meters per year in UAE. In the
northern Emirates, where fresh groundwater still contributes to municipal supplies,
declining water tables, exacerbated by agricultural development, has lead to salt water
intrusion in coastal zones, especially in Fujairah Emirate. Salt water intrusion is now
active along the UAE’s eastern coastal plain that extends between Dibba in the north
and Kalba in the south for about 70 km. Salt water from the Gulf of Oman intrudes into
the fresh water of coastal aquifers, raising its salinity and deteriorating its quality.
Studies and Research are urgently required to:

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

a. Map the fresh water - saline water interface in space and time along the eastern
coast of the UAE
b. Determine the fresh water reserve, annual rate of recharge and annual rate of
discharge.
c. Define the safe yield of the coastal aquifer and the required measures for its
proper management and protection against depletion and/or contamination.
d. Locate more sites for effective recharge dams

The development of recharge dams along the eastern coastal belt of the UAE over the
last 25 years has helped to mitigate against the adverse effects of saline intrusion by
providing fresh water recharge to alluvial aquifers. A total of 114 recharge dams have
been built in the Northern Emirates with a combined capacity of 114 million cubic
meters. To date, the dams have a cumulative storage of 153 Million cubic meters which
has been released down stream for aquifer recharge. Figure 7 shows the general
philosophy of the operation of the dams. In addition to supplementing water resources,
the dams also provide a safeguard against damage from flash floods to roads and other
structures within the coastal belts. The positive effect of the dams on enhanced
recharge to coastal aquifers has been proven in a number of studies [4] and the
construction of more dams is recommended.

As a result of significant imbalance between aquifer recharge and abstraction, mainly

due to uncontrolled irrigation for farms ( by 1986, the imbalance was already 62 Million
cubic meters per year) the Al Fujiarah Plain has witnessed widespread declines in water
tables and increases in salinity causing the abandonment of irrigation wells and entire
date farms[4]. The construction of the Wadi Ham dam in 1983, 2 km upstream of the
Sharra domestic supply wellfield, has enhanced wadi recharge to the alluvial aquifer
and has helped preserve salinities in the municipal wellfield to within acceptable limits

Wadi
Reservoir

Dam
Water released for
recharge

Bedrock
Aquifer

Figure 7 General Schematic of the Operation of a recharge dam in Coastal Zones

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

3.2 Environmental Impacts of Desalination Plants

UAE desalination plants have been constructed mostly in the Arabian Gulf, and more
recently, in the Gulf of Oman. The technical advantages of plants located outside the
Arabian Gulf, and in the Gulf of Oman, are as follows:

1) Lower sea water salinities; approximately up to 20% less than inside the Gulf
2) Far better marine re-circulation
3) Lower incidences of pollution, especially that resulting from transportation and
storage of hydrocarbons
4) Lower unit costs of production

To date, far less attention has been given to the environmental impacts of desalination
plants than their technological development. The major concerns and potential for
pollution of the inner coastal zone results from:

 Accidental spillages of fuels and other hazardous materials on site

 Noise and air pollution at the plant site
 Discharge of highly concentrated brines to the sea
 Potential harmful effects to marine environment from anti-scalants, coagulants,
chlorine, and other reagents in the brine water
 Potential harmful effects to marine environment from increase in ambient
temperature of sea water caused by discharges of high temperature brines

Both Pre and Post-Operational Monitoring and Baseline Information on Marine

Resources are required in order to plan for the mitigation of negative environmental
impacts from desalination plant construction and processes. The following potential
mitigation measures should be considered to reduce marine resources impacts:

 Intake and outfall sitting and design to avoid sensitive locations;

 Modelling of Tides and flow patterns [5] [6]
 Low flow velocities at intake channels and through intake structures to minimize
entrainment and impingement of marine species and to reduce the need for
pretreatment;
 Intake design to reduce the potential for entrainment and impingement (e.g., screens
at the intake to reduce entrainment);
 Use of onshore intake wells or infiltration galleries to eliminate entrainment of marine
species;
 Outfall sitting and design to ensure an adequate mixing rate and dilution volume to
minimize adverse impacts;
 Outfalls to the open ocean, not to estuaries or other areas with limited water
circulation;
 Use of pretreatment techniques that minimize or eliminate the need for hazardous
chemicals;
 Removal of hazardous constituents in the brine waste stream prior to discharge;

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 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
5-8 June 2005, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

4. Recommended Groundwater Management tools and measures in the UAE

Coastal Zones

The following tools and measures are recommended to be followed in order to improve
groundwater management in the coastal zones of the UAE, especially in the Northern
Emirates:

 Assessment of the impact of recharge through wadi recharge dams

 Hydraulic simulation modeling to define alternatives for optimizing groundwater
abstraction
 Implementation of water demand management measures, especially within the
agriculture sector, in order to drastically reduce overall groundwater abstraction
 High level technical hydrogeological supervision of well drilling & construction
 Construction of aquifer recharge dams in wadis and other appropriate diversion
structures
 Optmisation of groundwater abstraction in close proximity to the coast
 Building up of hydraulic barriers near the coast, assuming that a source for artificial
recharge is available
 Further substitution of groundwater extraction for drinking water supply through
construction of additional desalination plants e.g. Qidfa, Fujairah
 Infiltration of treated waste water into ponds, or excessive produced desalinated
water into wells, near the coast, to keep sea water at bay
 Design and implementation of comprehensive coastal groundwater monitoring
networks, for water levels and salinity
 Wider introduction of water saving irrigation methods
 Conveyance of water from upstream boreholes to irrigation areas near the coast

References
[1] Alsharhan, A.S. et al. (2001) Hydrogeology of an Arid Region: The Arabian Gulf and
Adjoining Areas, Elsevier, New York.
[2] Sanford, W & Wood, W, (2000) Hydrology of the coastal sabkhas of Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. Hydrogeology Journal 9, 358-366
[3] Rizk, Z (1999) Evaluation of Groundwater Resources of United Arab Emirates
[4] Al Asam, M & Wagner, W (1997) Investigations for development of groundwater
management strategies in the Eastern Coastal Plain of the UAE. 3 rd Gulf Water
Conference, Muscat.
[5] Mohamed, K et al (2001) Tidal Characteristics and Flow Pattern in the Abu Dhabi
Lagoon System. 5th Gulf Water Conference, Qatar.
[6] Mohamed, K & Thabet, R (2001) Tidal flow simulation by conjunctive use of scale
and numerical models, case study: Abu Dhabi Lagoon System. 5 th Gulf Water
Conference, Qatar

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