Living with

Water Scarcity

ByMuhammad Saidam, PhD

Royal Scientific Society – JORDAN February 2010

Outline

The water scarcity backdrop Roots, worldwide extent , e.g. MENA region.

Implications Food production, health, environment, poverty, relations

Mitigation and alternatives

500 - 1000 m3/capita/year

Source: Malin Falkenmarks (Stockholm International Water Institute)

Water Scarcity Indices

1000 m3/capita/year is, on average, the minimum amount of water required to satisfy a person’s need for drinking, hygiene and food

chronic water scarcity

<500 m3/capita/year

beyond the ‘water barrier’ of manageable capability

water stress(1000 – 1600)

Rogers, 2008

Total Renewable Water Withdrawn (%)

Source: Compiled from FAO AQUASTAT data for 1998–2002.

11

Jordan

Climate: Mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) Terrain: Mostly desert plateau in east (80%) Population: ~ 5.723 million (2007), Growth ~ 2.2%

Freshwater Availability

12

~ 87% receives < 200 mm/yr

~ 75% receives < 100 mm/yr

Source: NMP

Kuwait

UAE

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Libya

Jordan

Bahrain

Yemen

Oman

Tunisia

Djibouti

Egypt

Morocco

Lebanon

Syria

Somalia

Sudan

Iraq

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

FreshWater Availability (m3/capita/year)

Source: NMP

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Year

MC

M

Deficit -614 -486 -375 -373 166

Water Supply 925 1127 1283 1298 1862

Demands 1539 1613 1658 1671 1696

2006 2010 2015 2020 2022

Projections

13

Water Issues … Availability:

insufficient per capita quantity discontinuous supply ( two days per week)

Accessibility / affordability Water supply is still subsidized by the government water prices still affordable by the poor water prices for tanked water are 8-10 times more

than piped water Water Quality:

Groundwater of increasing salinity Surface water is inadequate for drinking without

extensive treatment

14

Impact of Climate Change

a 20% decrease in rainfall

Declining Dead Sea Water

Source: World Bank, Red Sea - Dead Sea Study, 2008

Consequences… Dead Sea!

The Red-Dead Proposed Canal

Less Food produced Locally

Water Scarcity

Public Health deterioration

• Children mostly affected• The poor get poorer

environmental degradation

• Pollution of rivers• More treatment , increase cost• Loss of biodiversity

Sectoral competition

• Agriculture• Tourism• Industrial

Increasing salinity of

groundwater

• Further Treatment • Higher costs

Interregional / international

Conflict

• Domestically • Trans-boundary

Quality of life deterioration

Water Scarcity can be an opportunity

Trade Investment R & D

• Mechanisms for

transboundary

management

• Technology transfer / adaptation /sharing data /

experience

• Policies

• Governance

• Sectoral

integration

National

Local

Shared Responsibility

WORLD WATER COUNCIL, 2009

International trade

But imported food is often beyond financial

affordability of the poor?

9.0 Asia / Oceania

5.0 South / Latin America

4.5 Europe

3.6 USA / Canada

0.2 Africa

0.2 Middle East

Investments in $ trillions 2005 - 2030

Rogers, 2008

• Waterless sanitation• Irrigation

• Saline agriculture

Conservation

• Appropriate low-cost • Desalination: Cost reduction

• Recycling

W&WW Treatment

technologies

• Decision making• For awareness• Education

• Data Sharing and exchange

Water Informatics

• Leaks and unlawful use• Contaminants, especially biological

agentsSensors

Improve manageme

nt practices of water

resources

increased productivity

sustainability

Better sectoral

integration

But we need to empower people through

awareness, education and technological

tools?

Water

EnvironmentEnergy

multi-disciplin

ary

Political

Socio-economics

Cultural, Ethical

Environment

S & T Instrume

nts

Concluding Note

THANK YOU for your attention