In realising its vision and through its services and projects and strategic planning, SWS looks to participate in developing sustainable development in the sewage sector in Abu Dhabi through a comprehensible strategic plan by Abu Dhabi Government.
In this context, STEP (strategic tunnel enhancement program) is considered to be a cornerstone of the Abu Dhabi government's map of pipeline infrastructure projects. This project will accommodate the projected demands in the Emirate for flow and distribution management from the island and mainland and some of the neighboring islands through cooperation with partners and related entities in the Emirate.
This project is enlisted as part of the company's strategy for the 5 years plan incorporating the General Policy Agenda of Abu Dhabi Municipality and according to the strategic plan of 2030.
The tunnel is considered to be of the longest descending waste tunnels in the world. The program's main components consist of three main elements:
41 kilometers (km) deep sewer tunnel (the “spine”)
45 km of smaller diameter link sewers (the “ribs”) to transport the wastewater to the treatment plants.
A main pumping station with maximum capacity is situated at the end of the deep tunnel. The link sewers will relieve the existing main collector system and eliminate the need for up to 35 existing pumping stations, which are nearing capacity and require extensive maintenance.
The flows will be channeled by gravity via the deep tunnel sewer to the main pumping station and then lifted to centralized wastewater treatment facilities. The treated sewage effluent (TSE) will return to the metropolitan area for irrigation purposes.
This program is one of the unique solutions that carry an effective and qualitative value in terms of sustainability, meeting the long-term island demands, mainland, and neighboring archipelagos of wastewater and treatment.
This program will provide a successful system with ecological benefits of waste.
