The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has issued tankering regulations for water and wastewater tanker services to ensure the quality of water supplies, regulate collection and transfer of wastewater in addition to protecting environment and complying with basic operating regulations.
The launch is part of the DoE’s role in regulating the energy and water sector in Abu Dhabi and ensuring security of water supplies, said the statement from DoE.
The tankering regulations builds on the department’s efforts to ensure the quality of water, protect customers, and adhere to all operational standards that ensure the provision of high-quality services, all the while taking environmental controls into account, it stated.
DoE Undersecretary Mohammad bin Jarsh Al Falasi said these regulations for water and wastewater services constitute an important step towards organising operations in this vital sector and achieving efficiency and quality, all the while complying with the high environmental standards in force in the emirate.
“These regulations also represent a new addition to the DoE’s efforts to strengthen the water sector, enable it to serve various other sectors, improve water transport services, and develop sustainable operational regulations,” it stated.
It also covers 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 – most notably the distribution companies and Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company – and in collaboration with the relevant authorities, in order to implement the Tankering Regulations and ensure that all stakeholders adhere to the new directives, and comply with applicable operational standards.
“This, in turn, helps develop the water sector in accordance with a pragmatic vision that brings progress to all vital economic sectors,” he stated.
Al Falasi said the responsible entities would be responsible for the following tasks, among others: permitting and certifying tankers; dispatching and controlling tankers; maintaining an up-to-date register of tankers and tanker drivers and any other records stipulated by these Regulations; controlling and supervising the management of tankers and conducting periodic inspections to ensure tanker compliance with the necessary technical requirements; and managing and operating tanker filling stations and wastewater discharge points.
For their part, tanker drivers are responsible for the following tasks, among others: delivering tankering services in line with the stipulation of the tankering regulations and the guide; avoiding waste and spillage; and complying with all applicable health, safety and environment requirements.
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.
It stipulates that all tariffs for tankering services where applicable should be submitted by the responsible persons to the responsible entity at least one month before applying 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, said the DoE in its statement.
The officials said a grace period has been granted to the concerned entities to comply with the regulations. Following this, the violators will face penalties in the range from AED5,000 to AED50,000 ($1,361 to $13,611)
The Tankering Regulations for Water and Wastewater Services also outline a list of prohibitions, most notably prohibiting the use of tankers not certified to operate in the Abu Dhabi in providing tankering services, and prohibiting the use of interchangeable tankers to avoid any cross-contamination between drinking water, non-drinking water and wastewater.
Discharging the load of wastewater tankers in places other than the designated wastewater discharge points specified by the responsible entity is also prohibited, as is the reselling or supply of water to others by customers, it stated.
Moreover, the Regulations include a list of technical requirements that aim to ensure high-quality services. These include requirements for 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 water tankers, non-drinking water tankers and wastewater tankers certified and/or permitted by the responsible entity 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, said the statement.
The Regulations also include a set of requirements for tanker filling stations and wastewater discharge points, it added.
