Tackling the Trickle: Ensuring Sustainable Water Management in the Arab Region

• Published in: Earth's future Vol. 8; no. 5
• Main Authors: Borgomeo, Edoardo, Fawzi, Nadia Al‐Mudaffar, Hall, Jim W., Jägerskog, Anders, Nicol, Alan, Sadoff, Claudia W., Salman, Maher, Santos, Nuno, Talhami, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-05-2020; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Agricultural management; Agricultural policy; Agricultural wastes; Agriculture; Aquifers; Arab world; Climate change; demand-side management; Desalination; Drinking water; Economic development; Ecosystem degradation; energy market; Environmental changes; Environmental impact; Food consumption; freshwater ecosystem; Freshwater ecosystems; Freshwater resources; Globaliseringsstudier; Globalization Studies; Groundwater; Groundwater depletion; groundwater resource; Imports; Masks; Middle East; Middle East and North Africa; Oceanografi, hydrologi, vattenresurser; Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources; Population growth; Rain; Reforming; Sanitation; Socioeconomic factors; Surface water; Sustainable development; Trends; Wastewater; Wastewater reuse; wastewater treatment; water availability; Water management; water policy; Water pollution; Water quality; Water resources; Water reuse; Water scarcity; water security; Water shortages; Water storage; Water supply; Water utilities; Lebanon; Morocco; Arab countries; Egypt; Sudan; Somalia; Iraq; Comoro Islands; Libya; Tunisia; Syria; Yemen
• ISSN: 2328-4277; 2328-4277
• DOI: 10.1029/2020EF001495

Water scarcity in the Arab region is intensifying due to population growth, economic development, and the impacts of climate change. It is manifested in groundwater depletion, freshwater ecosystem degradation, deteriorating water quality, low levels of water storage per capita, and added pressures on transboundary water resources. High‐income Arab countries have sought to circumvent the ever‐present challenges of water scarcity through agricultural imports (virtual water trade), desalination, and, increasingly, wastewater reuse. In this review article, we argue that the narrative of water scarcity and supply‐side technological fixes masks more systemic issues that threaten sustainable water management, including underperforming water utilities, protracted armed conflict and displacement, agricultural policies aimed at self‐sufficiency, evolving food consumption behaviors, the future of energy markets, and educational policy. Water management challenges, particularly on the demand side, and responses in the Arab region cannot be understood in isolation from these broader regional and international political and socioeconomic trends. Recognizing the complex and interdependent challenges of water management is the first step in reforming approaches and shifting to more sustainable development outcomes and stability in the Arab region and beyond.
Key Points
Arab region is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water supply and sanitation for all
Narrative of water scarcity and supply‐side technological fixes masks systemic issues that threaten sustainable water management
Water security in Arab region cannot be understood in isolation from broader regional and international political and socioeconomic trends