Optimization of the negative impact of power and desalination plants on the ecosystem

Water resources in Middle East is very limited and do not satisfy the future water demand. The water shortage is very remarkable in the Arabian Gulf countries which are located in the arid region. The available water resources in the Arabian Gulf countries are mainly the ground water which is not enough to satisfy the water demand due to the rapid urban and industrial developments. Due to the improper planning and mismanagement of the water abstraction from the wells, the ground water is very much reduced and in many countries the withdrawal of water is now done from the non renewable layers. Abstracting water from the nonrenewable layer causes a serious problem because this layer was formed during very long decades and abstraction from this layer will definitely deteriorate the ground water storage. Desalination of seawater is one of the main alternatives for the substitution of water shortage in the Arabian Gulf countries and other countries in the Middle East like Egypt. Although desalinating the seawater is costly, it is still an important option for compensating for the water shortage. Most of Gulf countries built power and desalination plants for water and power production. We should be aware of the fact that the effluent discharges from the plant back to the sea may have a negative impact on environment. They adversely affect the marine life and the ecology in the plant vicinity. The paper will present the negative impact of the desalination plants and how it can be minimized to keep the marine life and the ecological environment in a good condition.

Fig. 6. Temperature distribution (C). The very limited water resources in the Arab countries are very big challenges. One of the solutions is to desalinate the seawater using the desalination plants, which are mostly combined by power plants for power production. The effluents from power and desalination plants may adversely affect the water quality in its vicinity. This in turn will affect the environment and the ecosystem in Fig. 7. Salinity distribution (ppt).