Sustainable Development Goals

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Promote Conscious Water Usage in the Wider Community

UAEU actively promotes conscious water usage in the wider community through targeted outreach and public-engagement initiatives. A key example is as part of the year of sustainability UAEU hosted a community awareness session titled “Empowering Community Members to Achieve Water Security.” This event connected experts with residents to highlight practical conservation behaviors and strengthen public understanding of water-security challenges. Through its National Water and Energy Center (NWEC), UAEU also drives research and innovation in water-resource sustainability, conservation, and efficient water and energy use, further reinforcing its role in advancing community and national water awareness.

Alongside community-focused sessions, UAEU supports national and regional water-security efforts by organizing major scientific and policy conferences such as “Water Resources Management & Sustainability: Solutions for Arid Regions.” These gatherings bring together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to address water scarcity in arid environments and to share innovative solutions tailored to the UAE’s conditions. Through this combination of community outreach, applied research, and high-level knowledge exchange, UAEU demonstrates a strong, multi-dimensional commitment to promoting sustainable water practices across society.

Researchers from the United Arab Emirates University, Dr. Dalal Alshamsi and Dr. Khalid ElHaj, participated in the 15th Gulf Water Conference held in Doha from 28–30 April 2024. Dr. ElHaj presented his research titled “Artificial Intelligence Application in Hydrogeology and Groundwater Management,” while Dr. Alshamsi took part as a panelist in the UNESCO special session SS5: “Frontiers in Water Science and Technology Research: UNESCO and the International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development,” organized by the UNESCO Cairo Office.

Promote conscious water usage and water reuse in the campus

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) does actively promote conscious water usage and water reuse on campus, and its institutional structure, including facility management and sustainability governance, strongly supports this role. The National Water and Energy Center (NWEC), part of UAEU, leads research and innovation focused on water resource sustainability, water and energy conservation, and the efficient use of natural resources. On the operational side, UAEU, through its facilities management partner Khadamat Facilities Management, regularly implements campus wide sustainability initiatives. For example, in December 2023 UAEU and Khadamat jointly held a workshop on “Best Practices to Achieve Sustainability at UAEU Campus,” addressing water and energy efficiency measures across academic buildings, housing, and student facilities. Additionally, UAEU’s Sustainability Club, alongside the university’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), plays a key role in embedding water conservation awareness and responsible resource use into campus culture.

UAEU also implements practical water management systems to reduce consumption and enhance efficiency. Every campus building is individually metered, allowing continuous monitoring of water usage and the production of detailed monthly reports to track

performance and identify opportunities to save water. The university further promotes sustainability through an established water reuse policy, in which treated wastewater is reused for both agricultural purposes and landscaping irrigation, significantly reducing reliance on potable water. In addition, UAEU operates a dedicated grey water line for irrigating campus grounds in coordination with municipal wastewater services. These integrated practices reflect UAEU’s strong operational, research, and governance commitment to responsible water management across the entire campus. UAEU and Khadamat have also co-funded SDG Research Program, designed to support research addressing sustainability challenges in water, energy, food, health, and safety.

Ensure Availability and Sustainable Management of Water and Sanitation for All

Free Drinking Water 

The university provides free drinking water for all students, faculty, and employees.The university provides free bottled water to all staff in all offices on campus. In addition, there are 19 drink fountains distributed throughout the campus with instructions on safe and appropriate water usage. These are all regularly tested for micro biologicals to reduce risk to human health and each machine is also checked regularly for proper functioning. Refill bottles are readily available and replaced by our facilities team.

Wastewater Treatment 

UAEU works closely with the municipality on wastewater treatment. The university base water and faucets are each connected to the municipality network and all wastewater treatment is undertaken in the municipality domain. We then use one specific line of recycled ‘grey’ water for irrigation on campus.

 

Water Consumption Tracking 

UAEU is extremely careful about water conservation as we have a hot desert climate with limited rainfall. We use the company Khadamat for services including water supply. We have metering from the main pumping station and additional meters in each building on campus. These are used for measuring, auditing, and comparing water consumption and the figures are compiled into a monthly report for each building and for the whole university

 

Water Management Educational Opportunities 

UAEU hosts the National Water and Energy Centre as an integral part of the university. Our scientists provide lectures at regional and international conferences to the academic community, for example the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Society Chapter in Kuwait. We also provide regular talks to local bodies involved in water management such as the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, and to local schools.

Promoting Conscious Water Usage 

UAEU provides a series of customized workshops to students in Years 10, 11, and 12 from all the Emirates in the country. The workshops formed part of a summer camp and originally involved UAEU experts going out and visiting schools to provide the sessions. The workshops covered an introduction to geology, aquifers, different types of pollution along with methods to prevent pollution and monitor water quality. UAEU faculty taught the school pupils and encourages children to teach their parents as an example of inter-generational cooperation for the good of the whole community. Within the university, UAEU offers a course on sustainability of which almost half the course is devoted to water sustainability. We also take our students to visit the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, a 5-Pearl rated sustainable building. As the recent movement restrictions have stopped the visits, our students have made a video to enable current students to hold virtual visits.

129,189 m3

Amount of water saved (2021)

221

Publications in Scopus (2017-2021)

NWEC's Mobile Water Laboratory is an effective surveillance of domestic water quality, groundwater quality, groundwater level data, sewage treated water quality, industrial wastewater quality in desert and urban area of UAE.

Water is one of the United Arab Emirates University’s core research areas. The university offers world leading research, training and innovation in different disciplines related to water resources, including

• Hydrology
• Hydrogeology
• Wastewater treatment technologies
• Water resource management
• Water desalination technology Simulation of surface and groundwater resources
• Contaminant transport
• Biogeochemistry
• Coastal zone management

Researchers in the UAEU’s National Water and Energy Center have granted patent for innovative desalination system that dramatically reduces energy consumption during the desalination process.