Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, announced that it has saved 349 million gallons of potable water by the end of2020, which is equivalent to the amount of water in 635 Olympic swimming pools. The company reported an increase from the total water saving in 2019 which amounted to 326 million gallons, 305 million of gallons of potable water in 2018 and 295 gallons in 2017.

The announcement was made on the occasion of the World Water Day, which is held on the 22^ndof March every year since 1993, to highlight the importance of fresh water and raise awareness of more than 3 billion people living without access to safe water. The focus of this year is on the central promise of the Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water for all by 2030.

Ahmed bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, said: “Most human activities that use water produce wastewater. Globally, 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused. This is an alarming figure, because reducing wastewater can save lives and enhance sustainable development.”

Bin Shafar added that the company managed to achieve such a significant water saving thanks to its superior practices in conserving environment by using treated sewage water in its district cooling operation instead of fresh water, in line with the 2008 Executive Council resolution approved by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, that directs to minimize the usage of fresh water and to use other water alternatives in order to conserve the water resources in the UAE.