The Looming Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is naturally prone to being hot and dry, with an arid climate that is the primary contributor to its perennial state of water scarcity. When coupled with the region’s limited freshwater supplies and growing demand for water, virtually all MENA countries are facing elevated levels of water stress. The amplifying effects of climate change threaten to increase the gap between water supply and water demand in the region by exacerbating drought conditions.
The longer-term consequences of water scarcity that increase this imbalance extend beyond insufficient water availability. Concerns over water quality, critical water infrastructure, and transboundary water cooperation may also compound the region’s existing socioeconomic challenges. In fact, the MENA region has been widely acknowledged as the most water-stressed region in the world, with sixteen of the twenty-five most water-stressed countries located in this region.
The differences in water vulnerability between countries in the MENA region are highly correlated to the level of access each country has to a range of water resources, both from freshwater and nonconventional water supplies. Countries with access to renewable surface water systems, like the Nile River, have an advantage over those with limited freshwater sources. However, the lack of transboundary cooperation among nations sharing these river basins, especially under prolonged drought conditions, has led to further unilateral actions that threaten the viability of these critical water resources.
Transboundary Water Challenges in the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates River Basins
The Nile River provides a critical water supply to all of its basin states, most especially its two most downstream arid riparians, Egypt and Sudan. Much of the recent tensions in the Nile River Basin have centered on the Blue Nile segment of the river, which originates from highland headwaters in Ethiopia and provides 83% of the Nile’s annual volume. The construction and subsequent fillings of the hydropower-generating Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have put Ethiopia’s energy security goals at odds with Egypt’s and Sudan’s critical need for the Nile’s water resources. The lack of transboundary cooperation among these three nations on how to manage the Blue Nile conjunctively has likely resulted in further unilateral actions that could threaten the viability of the Nile as a water resource for all riparians.
Similarly, the Tigris-Euphrates River System, which originates from the mountains of eastern Türkiye and flows through Syria and Iraq, suffers from transboundary water-sharing challenges. Prolonged drought conditions in this basin, exacerbated by warming from climate change, have led to a zero-sum game of competing water management needs among the riparians. Türkiye’s dam construction projects have reduced Iraq’s water supply from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers by 80% since 1975, and Iran’s dam projects have further reduced tributary flow into the river system. Future projections estimate that by 2025, the flows of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers will decrease by 25% and 50%, respectively, with devastating consequences for Iraq.
Addressing the Diversity of Water Challenges in the Indo-Pacific
The diverse landscapes of the Indo-Pacific region present a spectrum of water-related challenges, spanning from individual human security to transnational interactions. These challenges are shaped by the region’s varied climatic, environmental, and geopolitical conditions, manifesting along multiple axes of scale, time, causation, quantity, and quality.
Climate change is a key driver, amplifying water scarcity through extreme heat and warming, as well as severe weather events like droughts and floods. Warming oceans and seas are also producing more intense storms, with catastrophic impacts on water infrastructure, as seen in the case of the devastating floods in Libya. Sea level rise further threatens coastal water resources and facilities.
Water challenges can be internal, affecting residents of a single country, or they can contribute to and intensify transnational tensions. Transboundary water agreements have proven valuable in some cases, such as the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan, but they often lack the necessary mechanisms for effective long-term cooperation, data sharing, and adaptation to climate change.
Collaborative Approaches to Water Security and Resilience
Addressing the complex water challenges in the Indo-Pacific and MENA regions requires a synergistic blend of innovative technical and scientific solutions, coupled with collaborative political and governmental efforts. Technological and scientific advances can be applied to a wide range of water challenges, including the gathering, storage, efficiency, and decontamination of water resources. However, these solutions alone are often insufficient to address underlying political and governance issues.
Effective transboundary water agreements must be grounded in the best available scientific evidence, with transparent data sharing among all stakeholders. These agreements should also recognize the fundamental human right to clean water, ensuring equitable access and inclusive participation in water governance. Only through such collaborative approaches that integrate science and policy can long-term, resilient solutions be developed to address the region’s water security challenges in the face of a changing climate.
Cultivating Cooperation and Stewardship
Water scarcity and the mismanagement of water resources are not solely technical problems. They are deeply intertwined with political, economic, and social dynamics. Addressing these challenges requires moving beyond the traditional siloed approaches and fostering cooperation and stewardship at all levels – individual, community, national, and transnational.
Governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society must work together to implement policies, invest in infrastructure, and promote sustainable water use practices. This includes adopting efficient agricultural irrigation techniques, incentivizing industrial water conservation, and ensuring equitable access to clean drinking water for all.
Transboundary water cooperation, facilitated by robust international agreements, is crucial for navigating the complexities of shared water resources. Such agreements must be flexible, adaptive, and inclusive, drawing on the latest scientific data and incorporating mechanisms for transparent data sharing and conflict resolution.
By cultivating a culture of water stewardship and prioritizing collaborative solutions, the MENA and Indo-Pacific regions can build resilience in the face of a changing climate and ensure water security for present and future generations. The Joint Action for Water blog is committed to showcasing successful community-driven initiatives, innovative technologies, and policy approaches that can inspire and guide this crucial work. Visit our website to learn more and join the movement for water security and sustainability.
