|By TAP Staff|An Emirati researcher has revealed the possibility of linking the rivers of Pakistan (rivers Dasht and Indus) to the UAE through undersea pipelines.
The proposal is intended to support the world’s efforts in the face of climate change by helping to reduce the rise of sea levels and to fight desertification.
Abdullah Al-Shehhi says, “The Pakistani river of Dasht is the closest river to the UAE, approximately 500 km from the coast of the emirate of Fujairah, and connecting Dasht water to the UAE via undersea pipelines will restore the flow of rivers in the UAE for the first time after a lapse of thousands of years when rivers were flowing on the Arabian Peninsula.”
He noted that the project will benefit both the UAE and Pakistan, and it is proposed to be called “Khalifa’s River”, named after H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE. The project will provide the Emirates with a continuous flow of water rich with organic matter and silt, which is great for irrigating crops at the lowest costs, making the UAE a greener place. In addition it would raise the groundwater level.
While the Pakistani side of the project will contribute to the reduction of the risk of flooding, excess water shall be pumped into the UAE side in the event of high water levels in the river instead of the water flowing into the Arabian Sea unutilized, as it is currently.
Al-Shehhi added, “The UAE has the ingredients to support creativity and thinking outside the uncommon framework to find creative solutions to the challenges it faces, including the problem of water scarcity, and the United Arab Emirates would be able to change climate change forever and that would align concerted international efforts with the UAE’s efforts.”
The proposed “Khalifa” River project is part of the endless river concept, which is mentioned in the book Filling the Empty Quarter recently published in the United States, where the writer calls to reroute the world’s river paths to deserts rather than waste them in the oceans (for example, reroute the River Nile to flow into the Sinai desert, and European rivers to pour into the Sahara desert) and thus contribute to the forestation of deserts combating the negative effects of climate change on the world.
Among other projects presented by the writer to help find new sources of water for the country and the world, such as harvesting water from the many disintegrated icebergs in Antarctica by crushing the ice and then transporting it via floating tankers powered by renewable energy to support the nations most in need of water for drinking or agriculture, as well as the project “AL Maa” for harvesting rainwater and moisture over water bodies, as well as the “The Great Green Wall of the Emirates ” project, which will stretch from the city of Al Ain to Silla city to curb the spread of the desert sands from the Empty Quarter to the UAE, enabling the establishment of green environmental projects, livestock farms and Organic Farms.
The writer holds a patent from the intellectual property office in the United Kingdom for the unique Technology “AL Maa” to harvest rain water and moisture from the water bodies.
