Water Resources Challenges in the A rab World

Abstract

Abstract The water shortage in the Arab World (Fig. 1) is severe and worsening. The region receives only 1% of the world's renewable water resources yet contains more than 5% of the world's population. In most Arab states at the start of the twenty‐first century, the gross volumetric human and environmental demand for water exceeds natural replenishment. Per capita water availability is worsened by a high regional population growth; a 3% annual population growth rate halves the per capita availability every 24 years. The paramount need, common to all states, therefore, is to find a sustainable balance between use and replenishment by a combination of measures to increase supply and to reduce demand. Both approaches involve technical (engineering) developments, legal and financial measures, improved water resources management through institutional interventions, and adjustments to national policies of water allocation.