Alya Al Mazrouei: World Water Day encourages us to take a clear stance towards the sustainability of groundwater

The “Ground Water – Making the Invisible Visible” themed World Water Day, which falls on the 22nd of March each year, is in line with the long-term strategic goals adopted by the National Center of Meteorology’s UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science. These goals focus on increasing the UAE’s groundwater reserves, which is the main natural resource of water in the country constituting about 50 percent of its used water resources.

The global endeavors aimed at achieving water security locally and globally, in which the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science of the National Center of Meteorology plays a key role, are important in protecting our future,in light of the scarcity of potable water around the world and the massive growth of the population in recent times. This has increased consumption and demand for fresh water sources, most notably groundwater, which is the source of all fresh water running in the world.

The research offered grants by the program have made serious and tangible additions in enhancing the strategies and techniques of rain enhancement. Thanks to the wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, we were able to build a wide global network of partnerships with scientists and researchers and specialized institutions globally, in an effort to create more realistic and implementable solutions to ensure the sustainability of groundwater in the regions most affected by the repercussions of drought and water scarcity around the world.