Water Usage in Al Ain

I just read a post by BRN on water usage in Al Ain which got me thinking (as quite a few posts on quite a few blogs seem to these days).

One day, some where in the future but who knows when, someone will realise that there are environmentally friendly options for this city. For the moment there is a whole Gulf to draw desalinated water from and I think this is one of the reasons no one really seems to worry about it. One day though the whole concept of recycling water to keep Al Ain green may catch on. The one thing that many seem to forget is that in this region water is wealth, regardless of whether it is expensive or not. I guess also this translates into “water = gardens/greenery = wealth”, and so while the neighboring cities become glass and silver the concept of being an oasis will remain in Al Ain.

The one that gets me isn’t the water, it is the electricity. How many lights do you actually need on the roads and houses! And why on earth hasn’t anyone started importing (or better still manufacturing) solar hot water units! Most roofs have room in amongst the (too) many satellite dishes for the solar panel or two.