The Abu Dhabi Environment Authority (EAD) announced a strategy based on eight platforms to identify the sectors directly responsible for the depletion of groundwater resources in the emirate.
The goal is to reduce consumption to 717 million cubic metres per year by 2030, instead of the current 2.7 billion.
The authority said the agricultural sector, which consumes 60 per cent of groundwater in Abu Dhabi, can lessen usage by implementing modern crop irrigation techniques and local salt-tolerant crops, and relying on recycling and treated waste water.
Razan Al Mubarak, secretary general of EAD, said the goal is to reduce groundwater consumption over the next 15 years.