Water balance by country · Updated 2026-09-30
Water losses in the Gulf: desalinated water, the carbon cost of leakage and NRW in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain
How GCC utilities calculate the IWA water balance where every cubic metre is desalinated: the carbon and cost case for leakage reduction, regulator reporting (NWC, DEWA, ADDC, Kahramaa, MEW, Nama), and local settings.
Calculator settings for Gulf states
- Units
- Metric (imperial gallons still used in some Gulf billing — convert before entry)
- Benchmark category
- Standard
- Meter location
- At the villa or building boundary; 2–10 m service pipe
- Treatment
- Desalination — choose 'desalination (fuel oil)' or 'clean energy' per plant; 3,000–7,000 gCO₂/m³
- Reporting
- NWC / MEWA (KSA), DEWA & ADDC / DoE (UAE), Kahramaa (Qatar), MEW (Kuwait), Nama Water (Oman), EWA (Bahrain)
Nowhere is the water balance more consequential than in the Gulf. Almost every cubic metre entering the network has been desalinated at 3–7 kg of CO₂ and a marginal cost several times higher than a conventional surface-water plant. Leakage in Riyadh or Doha therefore carries a carbon and financial cost per litre that dwarfs the same leak in London or Melbourne — which is why the regulators in the region have some of the world's tightest leakage targets and why this calculator's carbon balance matters most here.
Gulf specifics
- Select the correct treatment category per source: RO plants on gas or grid power are 'desalination (fuel oil)' unless backed by renewables; thermal (MSF/MED) plants are higher still — enter your own gCO₂/m³ if you have plant data.
- Marginal cost is high (often USD 1–2 per m³) and tariffs for nationals are heavily subsidised, so real losses valued at marginal cost frequently exceed apparent losses valued at tariff — the opposite of most countries.
- Villa-based housing means longer service pipes than boundary-metered countries; 5–10 m is common. Bulk metering of towers and compounds is standard.
- Pressures are typically 20–40 m; intermittent supply persists in some Saudi and Omani towns and must be entered as hours per day.
- Sabkha and saline soils accelerate corrosion of ductile iron and steel mains; burst-driven real losses are high in older districts.
Typical results
DEWA and ADDC report NRW in the single digits to low teens, ILI around 2–3. Saudi Arabia's NWC has brought some cities from 40%+ toward 20% over a decade; ILIs of 4–10 remain common in provincial systems. Present the carbon result prominently — tonnes of CO₂ embodied in real losses is the number that lands with sustainability committees and Vision 2030 / Net Zero 2050 reporting.