Dubai – Mubasher: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's vice president, prime minister, and Dubai's ruler, has earmarked AED 5.8 billion ($1.6 billion) for utility projects in the Northern Emirates.
The UAE’s scheme included allocating AED 2.4 billion ($653.4 million) for establishing dams and a federal water network to link water developments in the Northern Emirates with Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Construction Week Online reported on Thursday.
Dubai’s ruler also approved setting aside AED 1.2 billion ($326.7 million) for a solar power plant in Umm Al Quwain and a water desalination project with a capacity of 150 million gallons per day (MIGD).
Both projects are expected to be fully operational within the coming two years.
The UAE started to implement a strategic water security plan in 2019 in a bid to save the GCC nation AED 75 billion ($20.4 billion) and boost the water scarcity index by 2036.
Water desalination plants are projected to save AED 9 billion ($2.4 billion) for the Arab country.
The UAE has allocated AED1.6 billion ($435.6 million) for establishing 105 dams since 1982.
