DEWA commissions water reservoir with 60 MIG capacity

New reservoir at Lusaily is one of four under development to raise water storage capacity in the Emirate’s long-term planning; DEWA touts efficiency gains and management techniques

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced yesterday that it has commissioned a water reservoir in the Lusaily area. The project has a storage capacity of 60 million imperial gallons (MIG) and investments totaling AED 157.4 million.

It is being built alongside the existing reservoir which has a capacity of 120 MIG.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, spoke at great length about the increased demand and a desire to “increase the efficiency and reliability of water networks to support the sustainable development of Dubai” as being key factors for the new reservoir’s fast tracked development.

His Excellency Al Tayer also mentioned three other ongoing reservoir projects in Hatta, Nakhali and Hassyan which are expected to be completed “this year and next year.” On completion of these projects, the storage capacity will rise from 881 MIG to 1,151 MIG of desalinated water, he said.

Al Tayer said that water efficiency has also improved drastically due to research and development and the implementation of modern global technologies. Water loss in the transmission and distribution networks has been cut from 42% in 1992 to 4.5% in 2022. It is a near 90% decrease and one of the lowest globally, according to the DEWA statement.

Reservoirs for water strategy 

The reservoir expansions are all part of both the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy 2030 and the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036. “Our sound scientific planning has helped us keep pace with the growing demand for water in Dubai, according to the highest international standards,” said Al Tayer.

The projects in Hatta, Al-Nakhali and Hassyan are well on their way to completion.

In Hatta, a new reservoir that began construction in 2021 is almost complete. Funded by DEWA at a cost of approximately AED 86 million, the reservoir’s capacity sits at 30 million gallons of desalinated water, according to news reports. 

Energy & Utilities reported in 2021 on the ongoing development of the Nakhali project, with a storage capacity of 120 MIG.

E&U reported late last year that DEWA was advancing on the first phase of the Hassyan Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Plant (SWRO) Project using the Independent Water Producer (IWP) model. It is the first water project implemented by DEWA using the IWP model, with previous desalination projects having been tendered under engineering, procurement and construction contracts.

As per plans, 100 percent of the desalinated water produced will be done utilizing renewable energy and waste heat. 

 

David Haziri contributed reporting