Construction
Water for Labour Accommodation: Planning Daily Supply
By the Dubai Water Tankers team · Published · Updated
How much water does a labour camp need per day?
Work it out from the camp's own data: total residents multiplied by litres per person per day, measured from tank levels over a week. Hold at least one day's use in storage plus a buffer, schedule sweet water deliveries before the morning and evening peaks, and use only sweet water tankers for the supply residents drink and wash with.
- Daily need = residents × litres per person per day
- Measure actual use from tank levels for a week
- Keep at least a day's water in storage, plus a buffer
- Sweet water only for residents
Need water now? Send your area and quantity — we reply with a fixed price.
Get Price on WhatsAppWhy camps run out
Labour accommodation has a very sharp daily pattern: everyone showers, washes clothes and cooks in the same two windows, early morning and after the shift. Storage that looks large on paper can empty in an hour at peak. Most camp water problems are really storage and timing problems.
Step 1: measure use per person
National averages (from roughly 350 to 550 litres per person per day for UAE residents overall) don’t describe shared accommodation, where use per person is usually much lower but very concentrated. Measure your own camp:
- Fill the tanks fully.
- Record the level at the same time every day for a week (or read the meter, if there is one).
- Daily litres ÷ residents = litres per person per day.
Re-check in summer. Use rises with heat and with more laundry.
Step 2: size storage
| Item | How to calculate |
|---|---|
| Daily need | Residents × litres per person per day |
| Peak need | The water used in the morning window (usually a big share of the day) |
| Minimum storage | At least one full day’s need |
| Recommended | One day plus a buffer for late deliveries or supply problems |
If storage is less than a day’s need, you’ll need deliveries during the day, which is harder to guarantee. Adding tanks is often cheaper than emergency deliveries.
Step 3: set the delivery schedule
- Time deliveries to arrive before the peaks: early morning and mid-afternoon are usually best.
- Use bigger loads for bigger camps: 5,000 and 10,000-gallon sweet water loads are arranged through our partner fleet; see building water tank supply.
- Fix it under a monthly supply arrangement with a named camp contact and one monthly invoice. See what to agree in a monthly contract.
Step 4: keep the water safe
Residents drink, cook and wash with this water.
- Sweet water only, from sweet-water-only tankers filled at approved stations, in line with Dubai Municipality’s guideline.
- Keep tank covers closed and have tanks cleaned and disinfected by a qualified company.
- Don’t mix supplies. If the camp is next to a site using salt water, keep hoses and tanks completely separate.
- Many camps also provide bottled or filtered drinking water stations; tanker water then covers washing, cooking and toilets.
Step 5: plan for problems
- Keep one emergency contact who can authorise an extra load at any hour.
- Save our number on the security post’s phone. Our emergency service runs 24/7.
- During Ramadan and summer, review timings; patterns change.
Who to call
Send the camp location, resident count, storage size and current delivery pattern on WhatsApp. We’ll suggest load sizes and slots, and reply with a fixed price per load. For sites, see also construction site water planning.