Arabic Gulf countries search for water desalination by solar energy

Flash of June 2010 from ENWIS (Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector)-EMWIS is a program of the Union for the Mediterranean- informs the following:
“Realising that achieving water security in the future is not an option but a necessity, oil-rich Gulf countries are striving to find new environment-friendly and more economical ways of producing freshwater. Rapid modernisation, combined with other factors, has led fresh groundwater sources to dwindle and fossil fuel-supported desalination to become more expensive in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ''The water situation in the (Gulf) region is worsening because of several factors, including population increase, industrialisation, growth of tourism and wastage,'' said Dr Mohammed Raouf, programme manager of environment research at the Gulf Research Centre, a Dubai-based think tank. In the UAE, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched two pilot projects to produce desalinated water from brackish and saline groundwater using solar energy. According to the EAD, the real challenge is to increase the efficiency of solar energy collection system and reduce environmental impact. Efforts are also under way to install 30 small-scale solar-powered desalination plants, scheduled to be functional next year. The Gulf region has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. Its combined population is tipped to grow by 33 percent in little over a decade - from nearly 40 million people in 2008 to 53 million in 2020.” Further information on EMWIS website.