Why Is My DEWA Bill So High? The Complete Guide to Finding Hidden Water Leaks in UAE

You opened your DEWA app and couldn't believe the number. Your water bill doubled — or tripled — seemingly overnight. Before you call DEWA to dispute it, or assume your family has suddenly started taking three-hour showers, read this guide. Because in the vast majority of cases we see in the UAE, a shockingly high water bill has one cause: a hidden water leak somewhere in your property.

This guide will help you confirm whether you have a leak in 15 minutes, understand where leaks typically hide in UAE properties, and know exactly what to do next.

Is It Really a Leak? Here's How to Know in 15 Minutes

The DEWA meter test is the most reliable way to confirm a hidden leak — and it costs nothing.

Step 1: Turn off everything that uses water in your property. Every tap, every appliance, the washing machine, the dishwasher, the garden irrigation system. Make sure nobody uses any water during the test.

Step 2: Go to your DEWA water meter. For villas, it's typically near the entrance gate or at the property boundary. For apartments, it may be in a utility cupboard near the front door.

Step 3: Take a clear photo of the meter reading with your phone — including the small rotating dial or the decimal digits. These move even with tiny leaks.

Step 4: Wait 15 minutes. Don't use any water at all.

Step 5: Return and compare:

• The meter hasn't moved → Your internal plumbing is likely fine. The high bill may have another cause.
• The meter has moved, even slightly → You have a confirmed active leak somewhere in your property.

For very slow leaks: Run the same test overnight. Take a photo before bed, and another first thing in the morning (8 hours apart). Any difference in the reading = an active leak.

The Most Common Reason for a High DEWA Bill

We visit properties across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain every day. The most common causes of unexpectedly high DEWA, SEWA, or EtihadWE bills are:

1. Underground Irrigation Pipe Leaks (Most Common in Villas)

The irrigation network buried under your garden and driveway is, by far, the most common hidden leak source in UAE villas. Plastic pipes and their joints, buried 20-60cm underground, expand and contract from the extreme summer heat — the ground surface temperature in Dubai can exceed 70°C in July and August. This daily thermal cycling weakens joints over time until they crack.

Why you can't see it: The sandy soil in the UAE absorbs leaking water almost instantly. No puddles, no damp patches, no discoloration on the surface. The leak can continue for months with absolutely no visible sign. The only evidence is your rising DEWA bill.

How we find it: After isolating the irrigation network, we use an electronic acoustic leak detector to trace the pipe run and pinpoint the leak location within 20cm — without digging a trench through your entire garden.

2. Underground Water Tank Leaks

Many UAE villas have large underground storage tanks — capacities ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 liters. The extreme heat causes concrete tanks to develop hairline cracks that widen gradually. A small crack in a 10,000-liter tank can waste hundreds of liters every day without any surface indication.

Signs to watch for: Your pump runs more frequently than usual to refill the tank, or the water level drops faster than your household consumption can explain.

3. Behind-Wall Pipe Connection Failures

In apartments and villas alike, supply pipes buried behind bathroom and kitchen walls can develop slow leaks at their joints. The water saturates the concrete gradually — you might not notice anything until a dark stain appears on an adjacent wall, or your downstairs neighbor reports water damage on their ceiling.

The complication in apartment buildings: When this type of leak appears, it often triggers disputes between neighbors about who is responsible. Our detailed technical report identifies the exact source and protects your legal position.

4. Toilet Float Valve Leaks

A faulty float valve in a toilet cistern allows water to continuously trickle into the bowl. This is invisible and nearly silent — but it wastes thousands of liters per month.

Easy test: Add a few drops of food coloring to the toilet cistern (the tank, not the bowl). Don't flush. If the color appears in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, your float valve is leaking. Check all toilets in the property.

5. Swimming Pool Leaks

If your villa has a private pool, natural evaporation in the UAE summer accounts for roughly 1-2 inches of water loss per week. Anything more than that needs investigation.

The bucket test: Fill a bucket with pool water to 5cm from the top. Place it on a pool step so its water level matches the pool's water level. Mark both levels. Wait 24 hours without using the pool. If the pool dropped more than the bucket — you have a confirmed pool leak.

6. Main Supply Line Failure

The pipe running from your DEWA meter to the building — especially in older properties where galvanized steel pipes have exceeded their lifespan — can develop cracks along its length. The water seeps directly into the soil with no surface trace.

Tell-tale sign: Reduced water pressure throughout the entire property, combined with a rising water bill. This combination almost always points to a main line or internal network issue.

Why the UAE Makes Hidden Leaks Worse

Several factors make water leaks particularly difficult to detect in the UAE:

Sandy soil: The UAE's sandy soil absorbs leaking water at an extraordinary rate. A leak that would create obvious puddles or damp patches in other countries leaves no visible trace here. The ground looks perfectly dry even when hundreds of liters are leaking underground every day.

Extreme heat: Summer temperatures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi exceed 45°C. The ground surface reaches 70°C. This creates dramatic daily expansion and contraction in all plumbing materials — pipes, joints, sealants, and tank walls. Materials that would last 20 years in a temperate climate may start failing in 10-12 years in the UAE.

Large properties: UAE villas often have extensive gardens and driveways with long irrigation pipe runs — sometimes 50+ meters of buried pipe. More pipe means more potential failure points.

Can You Get a Refund from DEWA for a Leak?

This is one of the most common questions we receive. The honest answer: DEWA, SEWA, and EtihadWE each have processes for reviewing bills following confirmed leaks. The standard requirement is a professional technical report documenting the location of the leak, the likely duration, and the repair.

Some customers have successfully had high bills adjusted after presenting such documentation. The outcome depends on the utility authority's policies and the specific circumstances — but without a documented technical report, there is no basis for any request at all. This is why we provide a formal written report with every inspection, complete with thermal camera images and acoustic sensor data.

Why You Shouldn't Try Random Breaking to Find the Leak

The instinct when you have a leak is to start opening walls or digging up floors until you find it. This is the most expensive approach possible:

• You might open the wrong wall entirely — the leak could be on the other side of the property
• Breaking tiles and walls without knowing the exact location often triples the repair cost
• If you're renting, unauthorized breaking can create serious legal and financial problems

The right approach: Electronic leak detection pinpoints the location to within 20cm before anything is opened. The access point is minimal — one small opening in exactly the right place.

What Electronic Leak Detection Actually Does

When you call Kashef, here's what happens:

Acoustic leak detector: This instrument picks up the vibrations created by water escaping under pressure — vibrations far too subtle for human hearing, but clearly detectable by the sensor placed against walls, floors, and ground surfaces. The technician maps the signal intensity across the area to find the strongest point — that's where the leak is.

Thermal imaging camera: Water retains heat differently than dry building materials. The thermal camera captures this temperature difference through several centimeters of tile and concrete, producing a visual map of moisture distribution. This helps confirm the leak location and assess the full extent of the damage.

Together, these two instruments locate the leak with enough precision that the repair access point is minimal — a single, strategically placed opening rather than exploratory demolition.

How Long Does It Take?

An apartment inspection typically takes 45 to 90 minutes. A villa inspection — including the garden irrigation network and external areas — takes 2 to 4 hours. Most straightforward repairs (a pipe joint replacement, a section of supply line) are completed the same day.

Understanding Your DEWA Bill — What to Look For

Compare year-over-year, not month-to-month: Your consumption in July 2026 should be compared to July 2025, not to June 2026. Summer naturally increases water usage due to air conditioning, irrigation, and pool use. A 20-30% seasonal increase is normal. A 60-100% jump compared to the same month last year is not.

Check your consumption in cubic meters or Imperial gallons: The DEWA app and website show your consumption history. A typical household of 4-5 people in the UAE uses approximately 800-1,500 Imperial gallons per month. If you're consuming significantly more than this without a clear reason, investigate.

Look for the spike: If your consumption graph shows a sudden jump in one month that wasn't there before, something changed — and "we've been using more water" rarely explains a 50%+ increase.

Kashef — Water Leak Detection Across the UAE

We cover all eight UAE emirates with same-day service in most areas:

Dubai: All areas — Deira, Bur Dubai, Mirdif, Al Khawaneej, Nad Al Sheba, Jumeirah, Al Barsha, Marina, Downtown, Business Bay, Jebel Ali

Abu Dhabi: Khalifa City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Al Shamkha, Al Reef, Baniyas, Khalidiyah, Reem Island, Musaffah, Airport Road

Sharjah: Al Majaz, Al Nahda, Al Khan, Al Taawun, Abu Shagara, Al Qasimia, Muwailih

Ajman: Al Rashidiya, Al Nuaimia, Al Jurf, Mushairif, Al Humaidiya

Al Ain: Al Jimi, Al Jahili, Falaj Hazza, Hili, Zakher

Ras Al Khaimah: Al Nakheel, Al Maimouna, Al Hamra, Khuzam

Fujairah: Fujairah City, Khor Fakkan, Dibba, Kalba

Umm Al Quwain: Al Salamah, Al Raas, Falaj Al Mualla

Every inspection includes a formal written technical report with photographs — suitable for submission to DEWA, SEWA, or EtihadWE for a bill review request, to building management for liability determination, or to insurance companies. All repairs carry a written warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions