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I live in Dubai, where apparently the city has the highest worldwide per capita usage of 500 gallons/day [0] (18 months ago, so probably higher now) but we also

I live in Dubai, where apparently the city has the highest worldwide per capita usage of 500 gallons/day [0] (18 months ago, so probably higher now) but we also have fairly cheap water, it works out to be about US$10/1000 gallons. Even though we are in the desert, we don't have any restrictions on water usage (there is a nice green park next to my apartment). Apart from cheap fuel, one of the main reasons why is that water production is by-product of electricity production. Most of the electricity here is produced by natural gas (yep, not oil) which is used to heat water into steam to drive turbines. This needs a lot of water, which there isn't really much in the desert, so it uses sea water. This distills the water, after which limestone is added to make it potable (drinking water has quite a lot of minerals in it, so drinking distilled water isn't that great for you) and then it is sent to the water grid. The overall process has an efficiency of 82%. Further reading: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-s-largest-power-and-desalination-plant-opens-at-jebel-ali http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-s-largest-power-... https://www.dubal.ae/who-we-are/our-production-process/power-desalination.aspx https://www.dubal.ae/who-we-are/our-production-process/power... [0] http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-water-consumption-highest-in-the-world-2013-03-13-1.498498 http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-water-consumpti...

ikawe 12y ago
> Most of the electricity here is produced by natural gas (yep, not oil) Natural gas is often captured as a byproduct of oil, but it's trickier to transport. Perhaps that explains why they'd be burning it there while shipping off the crude.
rmc 12y ago
Dubai is a weird wonderland. It's an example of what you can do when you're filthy rich with oil money and want to show off.
dharma1 12y ago
One would think that solar energy/desalination in the middle of a desert would be a better option than burning gas.. oh well
- fennecfoxen 12y ago
  The alternative for this particular gas is that it could be flared at the production site immediately (better than letting it escape to the atmosphere to cause both global-warming and explosion hazards). There are probably much lower capital and maintenance expenditures, too.
wslh 12y ago
I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina where water is extremely cheap and nobody cares in using it rationally. For example, you can see doorkeepers cleaning the streets leaving the faucet open while they are doing something else.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  My dear wife grew up in New Mexico, where water sometimes had to be trucked in when it didn't rain for a while. It hurts her to see water running - she physically cannot watch a faucet running without reaching to turn it off.
dalke 12y ago
"drinking water has quite a lot of minerals in it, so drinking distilled water isn't that great for you" That's an urban legend. Please stop spreading false tales. Rainwater is distilled water, and lacks exactly the same minerals. Yet people live for years without a problem on harvested rainwater. As http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/devices-dispositifs-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/devices-dispo... points out "There are no known beneficial, nor harmful health effects associated with the ingestion of demineralized or distilled water." You can see how contentious this is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Distilled_water http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Distilled_water . Limestone is added because the water is low in calcium. Concrete contains calcium, and water will dissolve the calcium from concrete pipes. Pure water also has "little buffering capacity relative to that of freshwater. Low buffering capacity increases risks of corrosion to metal distribution pipes." (Quote from http://www.arava.co.il/haklaut/mop/d081007/d081007_2.pdf http://www.arava.co.il/haklaut/mop/d081007/d081007_2.pdf . See the same points at http://books.google.com/books?id=XTrvVSJTnUEC&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq=rainwater+mineral+content&source=bl&ots=QWg8AkLjbB&sig=6t1Uq2IgQVgYTqAb-C2HYfNOu0U&hl=sv&sa=X&ei=uVc-VJipLcvLygPQoIDgCw&ved=0CGkQ6AEwCzgK#v=onepage&q=rainwater%20mineral%20content&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=XTrvVSJTnUEC&pg=PA311&lpg=P... and http://books.google.com/books?id=M3W7QsfdyMIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=limestone+desalination&source=bl&ots=sW6X8YiM2C&sig=VNfV4D_Pc7kLkJl4w49iziMSbF0&hl=sv&sa=X&ei=rlw-VIm8LYr8ygPMhYHQDg&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=limestone%20desalination&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=M3W7QsfdyMIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA... .) They also point out that consumers prefer the taste after some remineralization. The first link also comments the using RO water for agriculture ended up with MG2+ deficiency diseases in the irrigated plants. However, you'll noted that remineralization only adds a couple of ions. It doesn't add "quite a lot of minerals" to the water supply, which would be needed if distilled water actually were a problem for the body.
- tobylane 12y ago
  Rainwater isn't distilled water. It has acids in it to make acidic rain. You can distill wine and I'd imagine you'd end up with water, alcohol and a lot less colour.
  - dalke 12y ago

ikawe 12y ago

> Most of the electricity here is produced by natural gas (yep, not oil) Natural gas is often captured as a byproduct of oil, but it's trickier to transport. Perhaps that explains why they'd be burning it there while shipping off the crude.

rmc 12y ago

Dubai is a weird wonderland. It's an example of what you can do when you're filthy rich with oil money and want to show off.

dharma1 12y ago

One would think that solar energy/desalination in the middle of a desert would be a better option than burning gas.. oh well

fennecfoxen 12y ago
The alternative for this particular gas is that it could be flared at the production site immediately (better than letting it escape to the atmosphere to cause both global-warming and explosion hazards). There are probably much lower capital and maintenance expenditures, too.

wslh 12y ago

I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina where water is extremely cheap and nobody cares in using it rationally. For example, you can see doorkeepers cleaning the streets leaving the faucet open while they are doing something else.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
My dear wife grew up in New Mexico, where water sometimes had to be trucked in when it didn't rain for a while. It hurts her to see water running - she physically cannot watch a faucet running without reaching to turn it off.

dalke 12y ago

"drinking water has quite a lot of minerals in it, so drinking distilled water isn't that great for you" That's an urban legend. Please stop spreading false tales. Rainwater is distilled water, and lacks exactly the same minerals. Yet people live for years without a problem on harvested rainwater. As http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/devices-dispositifs-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/devices-dispo... points out "There are no known beneficial, nor harmful health effects associated with the ingestion of demineralized or distilled water." You can see how contentious this is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Distilled_water http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Distilled_water . Limestone is added because the water is low in calcium. Concrete contains calcium, and water will dissolve the calcium from concrete pipes. Pure water also has "little buffering capacity relative to that of freshwater. Low buffering capacity increases risks of corrosion to metal distribution pipes." (Quote from http://www.arava.co.il/haklaut/mop/d081007/d081007_2.pdf http://www.arava.co.il/haklaut/mop/d081007/d081007_2.pdf . See the same points at http://books.google.com/books?id=XTrvVSJTnUEC&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq=rainwater+mineral+content&source=bl&ots=QWg8AkLjbB&sig=6t1Uq2IgQVgYTqAb-C2HYfNOu0U&hl=sv&sa=X&ei=uVc-VJipLcvLygPQoIDgCw&ved=0CGkQ6AEwCzgK#v=onepage&q=rainwater%20mineral%20content&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=XTrvVSJTnUEC&pg=PA311&lpg=P... and http://books.google.com/books?id=M3W7QsfdyMIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=limestone+desalination&source=bl&ots=sW6X8YiM2C&sig=VNfV4D_Pc7kLkJl4w49iziMSbF0&hl=sv&sa=X&ei=rlw-VIm8LYr8ygPMhYHQDg&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=limestone%20desalination&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=M3W7QsfdyMIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA... .) They also point out that consumers prefer the taste after some remineralization. The first link also comments the using RO water for agriculture ended up with MG2+ deficiency diseases in the irrigated plants. However, you'll noted that remineralization only adds a couple of ions. It doesn't add "quite a lot of minerals" to the water supply, which would be needed if distilled water actually were a problem for the body.

tobylane 12y ago
Rainwater isn't distilled water. It has acids in it to make acidic rain. You can distill wine and I'd imagine you'd end up with water, alcohol and a lot less colour.
- dalke 12y ago