Technologies like hybrid desalination and recycled produced water are increasingly being used to tackle increasing water demands in the Middle East, where ensuring water security for sustenance and growth has been a constant challenge for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The GCC governments have now allocated approximately $100 billion towards the implementation of better water technologies and energy-efficient desalination. Pressure on existing water resources in the region is being exacerbated by increasing population and growth in industrial and agricultural activities. As a result, the focus of the water sector in the GCC is now shifting towards sustainable practices, wastewater treatment, and recycling.

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, innovation is playing a key role in addressing the issue with adoption of technologies like hybrid / solar desalination and reuse of Produced Water (PW) for non-potable purposes. Several utilities and water agencies are announcing sizeable projects, indicating the start of a technological turnaround.

Speaking about new technologies, Kshitij Nilkanth, Programme Manager, Environmental Technologies Practice, Frost & Sullivan, said:

"In recent years, the market has seen a slew of new concepts, including forward osmosis (Al-Khaluf, Oman), membrane distillation, tri-hybrid applications using Nano filtration (such as the pilot project at the R&D Centre of the Saline Water Conservation Corporation) and low temperature distillation. These technologies all aim at energy-efficient desalination and lowering the energy footprint of plants. With increasing focus of the GCC to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, these new technologies will have promising scope."

Amongst the GCC countries, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have taken the first steps in developing solar desalination projects. The KSA, through its King Abdullah Initiative, is expected to produce 30,000 cubic metre (m3)/day of desalinated water in the first phase and will extended capacities to 300,000 m3/day by phase two. There are also plans to extend this initiative throughout the Kingdom in phase three.

Another practice, which is slowly gaining momentum in the region, is use of Produced Water for non-potable purposes. Produced Water is a by-product of oil and gas extraction and needs special handling like any industrial waste. However, this "waste" has the potential to be recycled and reused for industrial as well as irrigational purposes. As the global hub for oil and gas extraction, the GCC generates about 1.85 billion cubic metre (bcm) of PW annually with Oman being the highest net PW generator. An average of $0.1-1 operational expenditure is incurred to treat one cubic metre of PW.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the PW management market in the GCC earned revenues of $288.0 million in 2012 and is estimated to reach $482.6 million in 2017, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.9 per cent. While the treatment equipment market is becoming competitive, the services market is relatively new in the GCC and will be a strong growth segment in the long run.

At present, use of PW is limited in the region. Higher costs and lack of sophisticated technology are the major hindrances in use of this potential resource at a mass scale. Access to potable and non-potable water has been the cornerstone of economic growth in the region. Development, utilisation, and the success of water desalination and recycling technologies will provide a long-term solution to the region’s water crisis.