An Emirati businessman wants to tow icebergs from Antarctica to the Persian Gulf



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An UAE entrepreneur and inventor has been working on an ambitious project that involves towing a giant iceberg from Antarctica to the Persian Gulf in order to provide clean water to the UAE.

Because of its arid climate, the UAE does not have many options for water sources. In fact, the Arab country relies heavily on desalinated water, not only expensive to obtain, but very harmful to the environment.

But businessman Abdulla Alshehi believes he has found a much better alternative, although unconventional. Over the past six years, he has been working on a project to tow a 500-mile 2-mile iceberg from Antarctica and use modern technology to tow it up to 5,500 miles from the Persian Gulf. .

The floating ice block would not only provide drinking water for millions of people, but would also determine positive climate change in the region.

"It will be cheaper to bring in these icebergs and use them for fresh water rather than using desalination water," Alshehi told Euronews. "Because desalination plants require considerable investment."

As crazy as it may seem, the idea of ​​towing an Antarctic iceberg to the Middle East dates back to 1975, when French scientists proposed it as a solution to the problem of drinking water shortage in Saudi Arabia. However, the plan failed two years later due to technological difficulties. However, we are in the twenty-first century and Abdulla Alshehi is convinced that this can be done with the help of modern technology.

The Emirati businessman wants to take a giant iceberg from Heard Island, near the South Pole, and tow it for thousands of miles using a belt in metal designed to prevent it from collapsing during the long journey. He is still expecting that he will lose about 30% of his mbad during the 10 months needed to transport the iceberg in the Persian Gulf, but that would leave more than enough water for him. water for harvest. Preventing the iceberg from quickly melting in hot water is another big challenge, but Alshehi thinks it can be overcome.

"We will start the harvest process immediately and expect it to take two to three months," he said. "The iceberg is expected to reach during the winter season here in the UAE. In addition, there are other facts such as the depth of this iceberg – they are as deep as 300 meters in the sea – and the deeper you go, the cooler the water. "

In addition to providing enough fresh water to millions of people in the UAE for a period of up to five years, the iceberg should also bring much needed rain in the region, which would greatly benefit agriculture in the region. In addition, it could boost tourism as visitors participate in "iceberg outings".

"It is expected that the presence of these icebergs can cause a change of climate because they are cold, they will attract the clouds that are moving towards the sea of ​​Oman in the center", said Abdulla Alshehi. "Once in the center, we hope it will bring more rain to the area."

An essay will take place later this year. A smaller iceberg will be towed on a shorter distance with the help of a tug. If this works, preparations will be made for a giant iceberg to be moved to the Fujairah coast in the United Arab Emirates.

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