ABU DHABI // The answer to the UAE’s water shortage could lie in a pipeline from Pakistan, according to an Emirati businessman.....

Abdulla Al Shehi, chief executive of Geowash, has written a paper suggesting an underground pipeline from Dasht, a river 500 kilometres away in Pakistan, to Fujairah.

“Technology is not a problem. We are at an advanced stage in engineering where it is possible politically as well. I don’t think there will be any problem. It is beneficial for both countries,” he said. He said the Dasht River floods annually, which prompted the Pakistani government to empty the excess water through channels leading to the sea. That excess water, said Mr Al Shehi, could be put to use in the UAE. The idea may sound far-fetched, but Mr Al Shehi is something of a specialist in saving water.

An environmentalist from the UAE is proposing to fill the Empty Quarter desert, which has been empty for thousands of years, "with greenery and environmentally friendly projects". Eng. Abdulla Alshehi has launched the ambitious initiative to support the world's efforts at fighting the destructive effects of the global warming phenomenon. The initiative was announced with the release of his book Filling the Empty Quarter: Declaring a Green Jihad On the Desert, which was published recently in the USA....

The author is proposing that the UAE take the lead on the project; considering the UAE's notable effort towards the environment-such as the establishment of the clean city of "Masdar" and the hosting of IRENA (The International Renewable Energy Agency ) HQ.

It is proposed that a Great Green Wall of the UAE shall isolate the country from the Empty Quarter desert; the wall shall stretch from Al Ain City up to Silla city, with the establishment of eco-friendly industries and farms within the western region of Abu Dhabi.