Dubai Municipality announced that the number of groundwater drilling companies authorized to operate in Dubai for 2019-2020 increased by 55% compared to last year.
According to a new guide issued by the Municipality's Environment Department, the number of companies authorized to drill groundwater wells in Dubai for 2019-2020 is 14, compared with only nine companies authorized to work last year. The Municipality requires groundwater well drilling companies to register with the Environment Department when submitting their application for a license to operate, with a valid commercial license issued by the Department of Economic Development in Dubai under the name of “Water Well Drilling and Maintenance”, “Geological Engineering Services”. Mining, petroleum, groundwater and surface water », a certificate of safety of well drilling equipment issued by an authorized entity, and a copy of the ownership of drilling equipment, to be licensed in the Emirate of Dubai.
The municipality also requires the installation of a water meter approved by the well on the drilling well, and cover the wellhead.
The license shall be issued by the Municipality including the location of the well, its depth, its diameter, the purpose of extraction of groundwater, the maximum amount of groundwater authorized to be extracted from the well per day, the specifications and capacity of the pump to draw water from the well, and the specifications of the meter installed on the well to measure water quantities. Extracted, installations that may be erected on the well. As of July 1, 2016, the municipality decided not to issue any permit to drill wells, unless the company and its drilling equipment are registered with them, pointing out that these procedures come out of its keenness to preserve the natural resources of Dubai, and to ensure that companies working in this area meet the standards and specifications Approved by the Municipality and pursuant to Local Law No. (15) of 2008 on the Protection of Groundwater in the Emirate of Dubai.
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The law defines groundwater as naturally occurring subsurface water, which is extracted by a well, and does not include salty water that appears during excavation when carrying out construction work, as well as reservoirs, ponds or artificially constructed ponds for storage of water. It is prohibited for any person to dig any well in the Emirate to extract ground water from it, deepen or widen its diameter, or make any change to it, or the equipment and devices built on it, before obtaining a license from the municipality, in accordance with the requirements and requirements set by the executive regulations of this law. .