Dubai Aims for 100% Water Reuse by 2030, Led by Dubai Municipality. Dubai Municipality (DM) has unveiled its ambitious plan to achieve complete water reuse by 2030. The city is already recycling 90% of its water, saving over Dh2 billion annually.
This initiative is part of Dubai’s commitment to its green economy vision, including a 30% reduction in desalinated water consumption and related power usage.
Water recycling not only preserves essential groundwater but also cuts down on energy-intensive desalination, thus contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of DM, stated, “Dubai’s leadership recognized at an early stage that water conservation is crucial to ensuring sustainable development.”
He added that water recycling has become integral to DM’s efforts to turn Dubai into a green economy hub as part of its broader sustainable city goals.
Dubai employs reclaimed water primarily for irrigating green spaces, including public gardens, and for central cooling stations, firefighting, and physical treatment processes. This initiative not only saves costs but also leads to reductions in power consumption and carbon emissions.
This water reclamation effort, spanning over five decades, is now considered a global model for excellence.
It began in 1969 with the construction of the first wastewater treatment plant in Al Khawaneej.
Subsequent expansions, refurbishments, and establishment of new plants, such as the Jebel Ali plant in 2006, have boosted the city’s water recycling capacity to around 560,000 cubic meters daily. By 2030, Dubai aims to double its recycled water production to over 8 billion cubic meters, further solidifying its commitment to sustainable practices.