Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has stepped up the transformation of its Bus Depots into environmentally-friendly stations through recycling the waste water. The step resulted in 100% recycling of waste water at Al Rawiyya Bus Depot. The step is taken as part of RTA’s efforts to realise its 5^th Strategic Goal (Safety and Environmental Sustainability), which calls for enhancing the environmental sustainability of the transport and infrastructure. It is also a manifestation of the second item of RTA’s future directions i.e: (sustainable means of transport and the circular economy).

"The recycling rate of waste water at Al Rawiyya Bus Depot has reached 100%, which is massive considering the amount of water consumed by the station annually amounting to 12 million gallons in 2020. The depot saved 90% of its monthly water consumption bill dropping from one million to 100,000 gallons per month," said Marwan Al Zarooni, Director of Maintenance and Services, Public Transport Agency, RTA.

“The plant treated about 5.8 million gallons of water and used it to irrigate the landscaped area of the depot, which has become a model of biodiversity and the protection of the environment from emissions. It has also significantly reduced the costs of purchasing and transporting water, which led to the recovery of the project costs in the first year of operation. It also contributed to reducing carbon emissions by more than 160 tons during the first 6 months of the trial operation of the station.

"Wastewater and its disposal are one of the key challenges facing the industrial and housing sectors. This water contains many pollutants, which can often be dangerous, such as heavy metals and harmful bacteria, salts that contribute significantly to salinizing the soil and increasing its alkalinity, rendering it unsuitable for agriculture. The success of the plant in recycling water has automatically addressed the challenge of the lack of green places in the plant caused by the lack of water and tree planting in the area, by providing surplus treated water to irrigate the landscaped areas,” Al Zarouni added.

It is worth noting that within the environmental sustainability and green economy drive, the Public Transport Agency is implementing more than 32 initiatives in conserving energy, reducing water consumption, and curbing harmful carbon emissions. As such, it has set an example in sustainable work, and contributed to realising RTA’s vision to become ‘The world leader in seamless & sustainable mobility’.