Executive Council Resolution No. (182) of 2022 Concerning the General Policy for the Management, Regulation and Protection of Groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

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Executive Council Resolution No. (182) of 2022
Concerning the General Policy for the Management,
Regulation and Protection of Groundwater in the
Emirate of Abu Dhabi
The Executive Council has decided the following:
The General Policy for the Management, Regulation and Protection of
Groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi shall be approved in accordance
with the (attached form).
Issuance Date: 13 December 2022
Corresponding to: 19 Jumada Al Owla 1444 Hijri
Saif Saeed Ghobash
Secretary-General

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 General Policy for the Management, Regulation and
Protection of Groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
2022.
1. Introduction
This Policy reviews the existing state of
groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and
the challenges and implications of its depletion.
One of the major challenges facing groundwater
is the depletion of the reservoir as that the
extraction rates exceed the natural recharge

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It also defines its underlying principles and the
relevant legal framework.
Groundwater is one of the main natural
resources, and the ratio of the total use of
freshwater (which includes both surface water
and fossil groundwater) out of the total
renewable water resources available is one of the
indicators by which water scarcity is measured,
taking into account that the results are equalised
through a weight that is determined to reflect
the use of desalinated water and treated
wastewater.
In this context, although the water scarcity index
in the Emirate is one of the lowest in the world,
the Emirate records one of the highest rates of
per capita water consumption.
Most groundwater resources are surface
aquifers, which are the most common reservoirs
in terms of use and productivity. Most of the
groundwater reservoirs in the Emirate are non-
renewable.
Groundwater constitutes 60% of the total water
resources consumed in the Emirate and is mainly
used to irrigate crops in the agricultural sector
and to a lesser extent to irrigate crops in forests
and parks.
The Policy is drawn up in implementation of the
provisions of Law No. (5) of 2016 concerning the
Regulation of Groundwater in the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi.
rates. This depletion caused a decrease in
groundwater levels and a deterioration of its
quality in many areas, where 79% of it has
become highly saline,18% medium brackish
water, while only 3% of it is considered fresh
water.
The deterioration of groundwater quality affects
its use, especially in the agricultural sector, which
plays an important role in achieving food security
and stimulating related economic activities. It also
has economic consequences manifested in
resorting to other water sources such as
desalinated water and recycled water that
requires investments for transportation and
distribution. In addition, the increase of
groundwater salinity leads to the need to
maintain and replace irrigation networks, which
increases costs for farmers.
From the environmental point of view, the
deterioration of the quality of groundwater and
its lower levels causes the agricultural sector to
depend on small desalination plants, which in turn
cause various environmental impacts, such as
high greenhouse gas emissions.
In response to the foregoing, the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi adopts, through this Policy, the necessary
measures to ensure the integrated and effective
use of the various water resources, through
sustainable management, as well as through the
regulation, management and monitoring of
groundwater.

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2. Scope of Application
This Policy is implemented in the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi, and is supervised by the Environment
Agency - Abu Dhabi, through consultation,
coordination and cooperation with the concerned
entities, whether within the governmental or the
private sector, 
well as through analysing the economic, social,
environmental, technical, health and
organisational impacts, based on systematic and
organised procedures that contribute to achieving
the objectives sought.
3. Main Principles Underlying the Policy
This Policy is based on several main principles related to groundwater issues:
The Issue Main Principles
Groundwater
alternatives
Encourage consumers to use alternative water sources for groundwater such
as recycled water; taking into account economic, environmental, technical,
organisational, social and health considerations.
Conservation
and efficient use
of groundwater
Ensure that all current and future users maintain and rationalise groundwater
use as efficiently as possible, using Water Demand Management policies.
Allocation of
agricultural
lands
Allocate lands for agricultural purposes only in non-restricted areas with long-
term sustainable water resources.
Economic value
of groundwater
Educate consumers about the economic value of groundwater and the
importance of preserving it and rationalising its use.
Research and
development
Direct research and development as a base for future foreseeing and
promoting innovative technical solutions in terms of optimal use and
preservation of groundwater.
Emergencies Groundwater is used in emergencies as an alternative source of water in such
cases.

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4. Legal Framework
Article (3) of Law No. (5) of 2016
concerning the regulation of Groundwater
in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi stipulates
that the Environment Agency - Abu
Dhabi shall have the competence to:
“Draw up the General Policy related to the
management, regulation and protection of
groundwater, in coordination with the entity
concerned with energy in the Emirate, and submit
it to the Executive Council for approval.”
5. Analysis
The existing state of groundwater in the
Emirate of Abu Dhabi
The existing state of groundwater in the Emirate
of Abu Dhabi can be summarised as follows:
• Groundwater constitutes 60% of
the total water consumed in the
Emirate (Groundwater Atlas of
Abu Dhabi Emirate, 2018).
• Groundwater is mainly used to
irrigate crops in the agricultural
sector and to a lesser extent to
irrigate crops in forests and parks.

• Groundwater extraction rates in
the Emirate are about 24 times the
rates of natural recharge.
• The state of the groundwater is
constantly deteriorating as the
levels of deterioration in some
areas have led to their
classification as restricted areas.
• The increasing demand for
groundwater requires joint or
coordinated initiatives with various
stakeholders and actors involved.



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Groundwater resources in the Emirate of
Abu Dhabi
Surface aquifers are the most common
reservoirs in terms of use and productivity,
and most groundwater reservoirs in the
Emirate are non-renewable reservoirs.
Because of the excessive pumping of water
from these reservoirs, groundwater levels
decreased and groundwater quality
deteriorated in many areas, as 79% of it
became highly saline water, 18% medium
brackish water, while only 3% of it is
considered fresh water, according to the
classification of water quality depending on
salinity, which was developed by the
Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
Pressures
the food sufficiency rate, greening the desert, and
expanding parks and gardens also contributed to
an increase of demand for irrigation water,
despite the existing effort among the concerned
entities on the importance and necessity of
preserving groundwater and the shift in policies
and legislation to focus on groundwater
preservation. The low rate of water renewal, the
lack of efficient irrigation techniques and the
selection of crop quality contribute to increasing
pressures, and cause excessive consumption of
groundwater in the Emirate, as the demand for
groundwater has reached unsustainable levels,
leading to its depletion and to the deterioration
of its quality. The results of the Groundwater Well
Inventory project in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
indicate that the use of groundwater in the
Emirate reached 2,100 million cubic meters in

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Irrigation of crops and irrigation of forests
increases the demand for groundwater. The
number of agricultural holdings in Abu Dhabi
increased by 38 times during the period from
1971 to 2019. The policies of expanding the
agricultural sector, striving to achieve food
security, raising
2017. (Groundwater Atlas of Abu Dhabi Emirate,
2018).
Water Stress Index in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates and a number of other
countries
International reports show that the United Arab Emirates ranked tenth in the world in the list of
countries with the highest levels of Water Stress, which is an indicator that measures the
withdrawal of fresh water as a percentage of the fresh water resources available.
According to the World Resources Institute, the level of Water Stress in the State reached 4.26, while the
average for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was slightly higher, as it reached 4.44 in 2019.
In comparison with countries in the region, the rate of water withdrawal in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is 24
times the rate of natural recharge, while the rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 6 times higher, and 2.5
times in the Sultanate of Oman (National Water Strategy 2030, Saudi Arabia, 2018 and the Report on the
State of Groundwater in the Sultanate of Oman 2019).
* World
Resources Institute, 2019 (Aquaduct project) - Water Stress Index

Water Stress Index and comparison with a
number of countries in the region and the
world
(Freshwater withdrawal as a percentage of
freshwater resources available) *
- 2019 -
Water Stress Level
4.44 is the rate for the
Emirate of Abu Dhabi
State
United States
Denmark
Germany
Egypt
UAE
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
global ranking

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Economic and social effects
The increase in the demand for groundwater
results in a deterioration of its quality which
affects its use, especially in the agricultural
sector. Preserving groundwater contributes to
sustainable agricultural development, and
thus to an increase in gross domestic product.
Agriculture plays a crucial role in achieving
food security and stimulating other related
economic activities. During the past decades,
the number of agricultural holdings has
increased 38 times, from 634 holdings in 1971
to 24,018 holdings in 2019, while the area of
agricultural lands has increased 33 times 

from around 22 thousand dunams to around
750 thousand dunams during the same period.
Agriculture currently contributes to less than
1% of the Emirate's GDP. The government
provides an integrated support system for the
agricultural sector, such as vital security
programmes that include the Palm Pest
Control Programme, the Invasive Insects and
Pest Control Programme, and technical
programmes such as agricultural extension
and training of farm workers to raise their
efficiency and enhance their expertise. In
this context, the Abu Dhabi Authority for
Agriculture and Food Safety provided during
the first quarter of the year 2020 more than
AED 271.4 million to farmers benefiting from
the Programme to Improve Farmers’ Incomes 









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implemented by the Authority, and more
than 13 thousand farmers have
benefited from it since the year 2000.
Agricultural support policies have
witnessed a change from focusing on
production quantities to maintaining the
quality of farms and encouraging self-
sufficiency for their owners.
Due to the deterioration of groundwater
quality, alternatives of desalinated water
and treated wastewater that require
capital and operational investments for
transportation and distribution are
currently being resorted to. The salinity
of groundwater also affects the
irrigation networks and the need to
rehabilitate and replace them over short
periods of time.
Groundwater depletion affects the
abundance of groundwater reserves,
which are considered strategic reserves
for future generations. This will have
negative effects on agricultural
products, thus affecting the income and
returns of farmers and farm owners. It
also leads to the need to provide
alternatives of fresh water as a strategic
reserve.
In addition, the extraction and use of
groundwater takes place without placing
any direct cost on the users, as the Study
on the Economic Assessment of




















its quality and to lower agricultural production.
Because of the lack of alternatives, reliance is
placed on small desalination plants in farms, which
Expected results of applying the Policy on the
economic and social levels
1.
2. The use of alternative water will lead to the continuation
of agricultural activities in areas where the quantity and
quality of groundwater is deteriorating.
3. A shift will be made to higher economic value crops with
efficient water consumption, which will lead to an
expected gradual improvement in the value of
agricultural products.
4. The development of programmes and services for the
agricultural sector will lead to a better alignment with
the needs of farmers in the context of water use
efficiency.

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Groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi,
conducted by the Environment Agency -
Abu Dhabi, indicates that the estimated
economic value of each cubic meter of
groundwater ranges between AED 7.7
and AED 9, and the economic value is the
estimated total groundwater in Abu
Dhabi ranges between AED 15.5 and AED
18 billion annually.
Environmental effects
The decrease of usable groundwater reserves
leads to its depletion and to deterioration of
its quality. This results in the accumulation
of salinity in the surface agricultural soil, the
deterioration of
lead to negative environmental effects on the
ecosystem in general, such as the discharge of
waste water from desalination plants into unsealed
ponds, which leads to groundwater and soil
pollution, in addition to the high carbon dioxide
emissions from the water desalination process,
which exacerbates the phenomenon of climate
change. Given the dependence of the forest sector
on groundwater for irrigation, there are
environmental impacts on biodiversity (plants and
animals) as a result of the deterioration of the
quality and quantity of groundwater used in this
sector.
The methods of disposing of the return water
resulting from the desalination of groundwater in
farms and the use of pesticides and fertilisers also
affect the quality of groundwater and soil.

 




Expected results of applying the Policy on the environmental level
The Policy is expected to achieve positive environmental impacts as follows:
1. Decrease of groundwater extraction by 650 million cubic meters by 2030.
2. Improvement of the groundwater quality index (locally and federally).
3. Decrease of the rate of water extraction versus the rate of recharge from 24 to 16 times by 2030.
4. The use of recycled water will enhance the recharge of the aquifer in the areas that are used for irrigation
(in terms of quality and quantity).

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6. Policy Objectives
The General Policy for the Management,
Regulation and Protection of groundwater in
the Emirate of Abu Dhabi aims to ensure the
sustainability of groundwater reserves that
are suitable for use in the future to secure
water supplies and promote sustainability in
water uses, and work to reach this end
through the following objectives:
1. Ensure the optimal use of groundwater
and limit its wastage;
2. Ensure that a comprehensive
knowledge of groundwater resources is
achieved;
3. Promote the use of good irrigation
techniques, methods and practices that
reduce groundwater consumption.
7. Implementation
The Policy is implemented through a set of
regulatory and non-regulatory tools linked to
each of the objectives set. The Environment
Agency - Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the
Department of Energy and Abu Dhabi
Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety,
and in consultation with the authorities
concerned with groundwater in the Emirate,
determines the ways to include these tools in
its various plans. There is a list of these tools
that have been agreed upon by the concerned
entities to implement in order to achieve the
Policy objectives. Each entity will be
responsible for implementing the agreed-
upon tools in accordance with the
mechanisms it has in place.




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