The best definition for “Sustainable Development” is the one released by United Nations (Brundtland Report 1987) – «Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.»

While all 5 pillars of Energy, Water, Food, Waste & Ecology are important, Water, is arguably, the most important, as it is vital to life ………..without water, life itself would not exist

Some alarming aspects about Water

• Today, as we speak, 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water…
• Water use is growing at twice the rate of population….
• 2/3rd of the world’s population will be without basic drinking water by 2025 ………that is our generation and our children’s generation!

In fact this acute shortage of water in the new millennium was predicted in 1995 by the then Vice President of World Bank, Ismail Serageldin «If the wars of this century were fought for oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water”

Closer home to UAE, the scene is still more alarming…

1. The UAE is the3rd highest per capita consumer of water in the world, after the US and Canada
2. Unlike these countries, massive resources are spent on desalination of UAE’s sea water to make it potable
3. Two of the major reasons cited for the high per capita consumption are the wastage of water through irrigation and auto care industry
4. UAE holds the record for the highest cars to population ratio in the world (RTA) – for every two people in the UAE, there is one car

The UAE Government and organizations like DEWA have been rolling out several initiatives to raise awareness of the urgent need to curb wastage of water – viz. “A Green Economy for Sustainable Development” rolled out by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in 2012, the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week held in January every year by Masdar, the Expo 2020 Subtheme of Sustainability and so on…

As HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai states

“The future generations will be the chief beneficiary of our achievements and the best judge of what we accomplish in the field of Sustainable Development ”.