Gulf Arab states depend on desalination technology for their water supplies - report

A view of a desalination plant in the Omani port city of Sur, south of the capital Muscat, on 27 November 2019 [SULTAN AL/HASANI/AFP via Getty Images]

The Gulf Arab states depend heavily on desalination technology for their water supplies as, by 2030, desalination capacity in the Middle Eastern countries is expected to almost double, Trade Arabia reports.

According to the report, some 2 billion people around the world still lack access to safe drinking water.

The UAE relies on desalinated water for 42 per cent of its supply, Kuwait 90 per cent, Oman 86 per cent and Saudi Arabia 70 per cent.

The release of salt-loaded waste into the sea during the desalination process raises salinity in coastal areas and affects marine life. There is also the problem of transmission losses, the report added.

The report also says the Gulf States have woken up to the challenge and are gradually switching to, or at least planning to switch to solar energy to power desalination plants.

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