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In 1992, the United Nations decided that March 22 would be World Water Day, and each year this day is a wake-up call for Arab countries to reorganize their situation regarding the water issue, which is truly one of the most dangerous problems facing the region. .
The Arab world suffers from many problems, for many reasons, mainly poor management and the lack of serious and effective strategies to deal with these problems, but when it comes to water, which is the secret of life, a break is needed.
The figures which show the impact of the water crisis in the Arab region are appalling. Global statistics show that the Arab region is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water availability, and the per capita share of drinking water has declined in recent decades.
The Arab strategy for water security comes to a frightening conclusion, namely that if the situation of water and agriculture in the Arab region continues as it is, and without taking into account the potential effects of global climate change, the Arab region is expected to be able to meet only 24% of its food needs. It is known that the Arab region imports about 65% of its wheat needs each year.
And like many Arab issues that are raised, regional efforts in this regard are limited to the existence of regional institutions that nobody feels, and that are not binding, and the artistic works that result from them remain unconstrained. ink on paper, does the Arab citizen think there is an entity called the “Arab Water Council”? Or there is an Arab water security strategy.
On this global occasion of World Water Day, we show the reality of the water situation in the Arab region, by answering a series of questions, in order to alert the Arab citizen to the seriousness of the problem, and to inform him that there is a duty he must do in order to preserve this scarce resource, which will increase Demand in 2040 will increase by 50%, while energy demand will increase in the same year by only 25% , which reflects the importance of water in the next step.
Iraq, Somalia, Comoros and Djibouti are under water stress (Getty Images)-
What are the manifestations of the water crisis in the Arab region?
The Arab region lies in the belt of arid and arid lands, and there is an imbalance between water supply and demand in the region. In terms of supply, the average share of water per capita is 10% of the world average and the demand is constantly increasing, due to the high rate of population increase, which is 2% per year, or twice the average rate of population increase in the world.
As for the quantities of water available in the Arab region, the statistics of the Unified Arab Report for the year 2020 estimate it at 274 billion cubic meters of surface water, coming from internal rivers or from shared rivers coming from the outside the region, and the available water from underground sources and desalination is estimated at 62 billion cubic meters, while the annual consumption of renewable water in the Arab region is around 77%.
In view of the status of Arab countries in terms of water classification, there is only one country that enjoys self-sufficiency among Arab countries, and that is Mauritania, where the annual share per capita of water reaches more than 1700 cubic meters, while 4 countries live in a state of water stress, namely: Iraq, Somalia, Comoros and Djibouti; The annual per capita share of water in these countries varies between 1000 cubic meters and 1700 cubic meters, and 5 other countries suffer from water scarcity, namely: Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Morocco, and the annual per capita water share for these countries varies between 500 cubic meters and 1,000 cubic meters, and Egypt is expected to face a severe water crisis in the period. to come, if Ethiopia succeeds in fully implementing the Renaissance Dam project.
As for the description of acute water poverty in the Arab region, 12 countries live there: Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, Libya , Tunisia and Algeria, and the annual share per capita in these countries is less than 500 cubic meters.
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What is the share of water per capita in the Arab region?
Statistics from the Unified Arab Economic Report for the year 2020 indicate that the annual per capita share of fresh water in the Arab region is 800 cubic meters in 2019 and will decrease in 2025 to reach 667 cubic meters, which means that the The average per capita share of water in 2025 will be 20% of what it was in 1955, when this share per capita was 3430 cubic meters.
In view of the fact that the special figures for the year 1955 included the share of South Sudan, which has a significant share of freshwater. However, its separation in 2011 from the state of Sudan resulted in a drop in the per capita share of freshwater in the Arab region.
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How much water is wasted in the Arab region?
Waste, unfortunately, is not limited to water in the Arab region, but includes other economic areas, such as food, agricultural crops when collected and packaged, or energy, but in Regarding water, traditional irrigation methods in the Arab region are one of the most important causes of water wastage.
Figures on water use in the Arab region – among different activities – indicate that the agricultural sector accounts for 84% of the water consumed, while domestic consumption accounts for 9% and 7% goes to industrial activities and commercial.
It is estimated that the percentage of waste in water used in agricultural activity varies between 25-30%, due to traditional irrigation systems, as well as irrigating crops more than once, or increasing rationing more than necessary at one time.
87 million people are at risk of contracting corona due to the inability to provide an improved source of drinking water in their homes (Getty Images)-
What are the options for Arab countries facing water scarcity?
An important point remains important when talking about many Arab issues, namely that the issues are treated as if the Arab world were a single entity, or that it could start from a state of unity to implement a plan or strategy, but reality indicates country practices, and each country achieves its results, resulting in a high cost at the level of each country, as well as a state of deficit in some Arab countries, due to their poverty financial or human.
On the issue of water scarcity, there are proposals, but they remain within the theoretical framework, such as switching to modern irrigation systems, to save water wasted in traditional irrigation systems, and this requires a plan to engage farmers in modern irrigation systems, while considering providing the necessary funding to establish such networks, as well as the existence of solutions to overcome the problem of smallholdings, which are not suitable for modern irrigation systems.
In addition to resorting to the water treatments used, whether in agriculture, industry or domestic consumption, but this requires significant investments in order to set up different treatment plants according to each activity, as well as having a plan to take advantage of the treated water, where there is coordination between the quantities treated and the quantities to be used, taking into account the nature of the water treated for different activities; The treated water needed to grow food crops is different from the water needed to irrigate forests, for example.
Desalination of seawater is one of the ways to cope with water scarcity, and it is used to some extent in the Gulf countries, and their financial capacities help them, but there is other Arab countries for which desalination technology may represent a financial crisis, as well as the necessary requirements for the establishment of the infrastructure to benefit from desalination water.
The Arab region is absent from the care of the technology necessary for the desalination process, through the localization of this technology, its development, its production locally, and its adaptation to be economical during its implementation.
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What investments are needed to deal with the water scarcity in the Arab region?
Several sectors in the Arab region need investment, but to meet the growing demand for water in the Arab region during the 2015-2025 period, estimated at $ 200 billion, needed for the sector’s infrastructure projects some water.
In light of realistic estimates of Arab government spending in the water sector, it was found to be between 1.7% and 3.6% of GDP, while the share of investments needed by the sector is estimated at 4.5% of GDP.
In light of the financial crisis in the Arab region, whether in oil or non-oil countries, public spending in the water sector may remain the same, unless governments resort to drastic increases in funding. price of water in all sectors, indebtedness or privatization of the sector.
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What are the effects of the Corona pandemic on the Arab citizen due to the water scarcity?
In an ESCWA study titled “The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Arab region where water is scarce”, it was indicated that water consumption is expected to increase by 5%, due to the need to wash hands as a preventive measure. Corona infection.
She explains that this will increase the burden on Arab families by around $ 150-250 million per month, and not only that, but there are around 74 million people at high risk of contracting the crown, due to their lack of hand washing facilities.
The study also indicated that there are 87 million people at risk of contracting corona due to the inability to provide an improved source of safe drinking water in their homes, and an estimated 26 million displaced people are expected to be infected. by the crown due to lack of water. , sanitation and personal hygiene services in IDP places.
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