UAE groundwater supply, which is the country’s main conventional water resource, could run out by 2030 owing to high demand from agriculture, according to a report.

"The groundwater level has declined from 60 metres to 80 metres in Al Hamaranyah and Jabal Al Heben in the Northern Emirates due to intensive agriculture activities," Ad Spijkers, regional head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, was quoted as saying in the Emirates News Agency (WAM) report.

The water table level in parts of the country has fallen as much as 60 metres, according to a recent study ‘The Challenges of Water Scarcity and the Future of Food Security in the UAE,’ by the UAE University.

The agriculture sector is the largest water consumer, using a total of about 34 per cent, while domestic and industrial water sectors use about 32 per cent, forestry 15 per cent and amenities 11 per cent, it said.

"Abu Dhabi has started using it on 240 sample farms and has plans to irrigate an additional 3,000 farms in the future," Spijkers was quoted as saying.

Although the UAE Water Conservation Strategy pictures a future in which groundwater resources are kept constant at 2.3 million cubic metres per year, the study found that 2030 could be the first year with no groundwater resources, he said.

"Water security is intrinsically linked to food security, and the UAE and other countries with similar climate and natural water resources have an already acute shortage and can only expect things to get worse.
"The usage of water in agriculture is a matter of national importance and really significant reduction will be necessary – something the government is taking steps to implement,” he added.