The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security - Unu-inweh ...

a system, coupled with a Decision Support System (DSS), might enable modelling and water predictions, which
could in turn inform decision-makers. The need for such modelling and information across the WANA region is
imperative to establishing viable and practical solutions for shared water management. Furthermore, the value
of water information is key in planning and assessment and is also important in research and development and
for project monitoring. Finally, data must be available and accessible to civil society and the public and private
sectors in order to facilitate investment, raise awareness and improve the level of planning and transparency.
Nevertheless, the political will to share information and pool data is essential, and positive examples of this exist
elsewhere in the world; it is now up to governments in the WANA region to prove and demonstrate the potential
benefits of knowledge-sharing on water information through cooperation and goodwill.
• Alternative resources. In a water-scarce region such as the WANA region, where groundwater and river basins
often are not reliable sources of water, there is a need to find non-conventional sources of water. With growing
populations and limited water availability, water supply can be a source of economic growth and potential,
particularly in the Gulf, where freshwater supply is particularly limited. Water can only be discussed in the Gulf
in the context of desalination, where saltwater provides the majority of the water in the region. Furthermore, in
order to overcome the expected water deficit estimated at 240 billion cubic metres 2 , projected to occur by 2025
(World Bank, 2007), it will be necessary to increase supply through new sources and options such as increased
dependency on desalination, increased reuse of adequately treated wastewater sources, and reasonable mining
of non-renewable groundwater sources. It will be equally important to address climate change impacts through
mitigation efforts, combined with efforts to implement measures for integrated water management that are
coordinated with other development policies and reflect the prevailing harsh, arid environment, and social,
economic and cultural conditions.
• Environmental sustainability and efficiency measures. An effective water resources management framework
in line with the IWRM approach is essential. Such a framework must emphasize: enhanced water use efficiency
and justified allocation in all development sectors; a supply-demand model supported by effective and enforced
institutional arrangements and legal frameworks; mandated coordination with other related policies; effective
stakeholder participation; strengthening of water governance issues; development of partnerships with the private
sector; effective regional cooperation through the United Nations and regional organizations; a commitment of
adequate financial and trained human resources; and, preservation of environmental integrity. Such a complex
IWRM approach will enable governments of the region to shift from rigid, traditional approaches of supply
augmentation and their role as services providers to the implementation of more flexible integrated management
measures and to act as regulators of services.
• Regional development plan. To seek a genuine solution for the water crisis in the WANA Region, and taking political
will as a pre-condition, many scenarios to overcome any potential conflict over water in the region can realistically
be made which are also economically viable. What is required at this stage is a shift from a consultative and conceptbuilding
mode to the development of a new master plan for water and land use in the region. The question that
needs to be addressed, however, is how to formulate an integrated development plan that takes into consideration
the rising conflict over water resources due to the tension between upper and lower riparian states. A regional
solution can only be achieved with regional projects that take into account the equity of water needed among
all countries in the region. One example of such a project is the proposed Red-Dead Sea Canal (Sharp, 2008). The
project aims to pump vast quantities of water from the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dead Sea, situated 417
metres below sea level. The conveyance would be utilized to generate hydroelectricity and desalinate water, with
drinking water pumped to regional population centres, and desalination brine discharged into the Dead Sea in an
attempt to arrest its shrinkage. This project is being promoted as an initiative to cement peace in the region. The
cost of the project has been estimated at US $5 billion over 20 years (Sharp, 2008). This massive effort requires
both international technical and financial support and cooperation. A recently completed environmental impact
study financed by the World Bank concluded that the impacts of abstracting millions of cubic metres of seawater
from the Red Sea are negligible, according to the preliminary Red Sea Modelling Study (World Bank, 2009). Regional
development plans may also wish to consider the concept of Virtual Water (e.g. Allan, 1997) as a way to reduce
transboundary conflicts by affecting water resources developments in transboundary waters (Hashemi, 2012). As
shown in Figure 2, Virtual Water policy can shift attention to Green Water (soil moisture and water consumed by
2 Water demand is expected to reach 500 billion m 3 while water supply is projected to be 260 billion m 3 .
54 The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue