An average iceberg contains more than 20 billion gallons of water or enough for one million people over a period of five years. PHOTO: Reuters
The United Arab Emirates is planning to tow icebergs from Antarctica to its coast to sort out its drinking water problem.
By towing icebergs from Antarctica to the coast of the eastern emirate of Fujairah, the National Advisor Bureau Limited Company plans to provide a new source of freshwater for the region.
The Masdar city-based company will mine icebergs for drinking water.
“An average iceberg contains more than 20 billion gallons of water or enough for one million people over a period of five years,” Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi, the company’s managing director, told Gulf News.
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“Icebergs could create micro-climates in the region and bring rain to the arid landscape,” he further added.
Around 80 per cent of icebergs' overall mass usually remains underwater and this is why they take a long time to melt.
The exposed white ice above reflects sunlight and thus heat, reducing the amount of water that evaporates.
Shehi said the icebergs floating along the coast could become a tourist attraction as well.
“The project will start in early 2018 as it will take up to one year to tow an iceberg to the UAE,” he predicted.
This article originally appeared on The Independant
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