New regulations in Abu Dhabi for water tanker and wastewater services

New rules have been drawn up in Abu Dhabi to ensure the quality of water supplies and regulate the collection and transfer of wastewater.

The Tankering Regulations issued by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) are also aimed at protecting the environment and optimising consumption of the country’s water resources and protecting it from wastage.

They cover services of water tankers intended for both drinking and non-drinking water, including desalinated water, recycled water, and groundwater, in addition to wastewater tankers.

The DoE will be working with competent authorities and licensed entities operating in the water sector – mainly the distribution companies and Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, to implement the rules.

Non-compliance with the regulations must be reported to the DoE by all concerned entities and stakeholders.

Penalties range from AED 5,000 to AED 50,000, depending on the violation.

The most notable infringements include:

• Using wastewater, trade effluent or non-drinking water tankers to distribute drinking water
• Operating a tanker without an approval or permit from the responsible entity or using an expired permit or approval
• Discharging wastewater or trade effluent without complying with the standards adopted in the discharge points
• Failure to comply with tanker management services tariffs or costs approved by DoE
• Failure of the responsible entity/person to provide tankering services during emergencies, crises, and disasters, as determined by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy

The regulations also contain provisions that guarantee the customers’ freedom to choose the service provider they prefer, in an effort to ensure transparency and fairness in competition among service providers.

All tariffs for tankering services where applicable should be submitted by the responsible persons to the responsible entity at least one month before applying for them. The responsible persons should make available their prevailing tariffs for tankering services to the public and potential customers on their websites or other websites with their contact details.

Moreover, the regulations require all tankers to be equipped with a tracking device, allowing the responsible entity to monitor their movement and that of any other equipment necessary for the dispatch of water and/or collection of wastewater.

All drinking/ non-drinking/ wastewater tankers must have appropriate signage stating their intended purpose, where tankers are not permitted to be used for any type of water than the one they were intended for. The Regulations also include a set of requirements for tanker filling stations and wastewater discharge points.