Liwa: The Mutation of an Agricultural Oasis into a Strategic Reserve Dedicated to a Secure Water Supply for Abu Dhabi

Résumé En

The population of the Arabic shore of the Arabian Gulf now lives in anew urban world based on oil and post-oil production and Western models. Such isthe case of Abu Dhabi, a new metropolis that now forms part of the globalisedworld. The spectacular growth of this capital has profoundly upset the world of theoasis. The oasis of Liwa, which formerly constituted the political and economicheart of the region, is now relegated to a peripheral role subservient to theurbanisation of the coast. This reversal of the space represents a break in theperception, the practices and the functions devolved to oasis spaces. It raises thequestion of the evolution of the relationships between the city and the oasis. Theauthorities of the United Arab Emirates have tried in vain for several decades todevelop farming in the desert to provide food for the country. For Liwa, as for manyoases of the Arabian Peninsula, this agricultural development policy has broughtabout a depletion of water resources due to the overexploitation of groundwater. Inspite of the development of seawater desalination, the country faces a reducedavailability of water due to the explosion in demand. Priority is no longer given toagriculture but to increasing the security of the urban supply, particularly by creatingstrategic reserves of water to reduce the vulnerability of the country. This iswhy the oasis of Liwa has been transformed into a strategic space, containing anunderground artificial reservoir.