Socio-Economic and Environmental Aspects of Water Management in the 21st Century: Trends, Challenges and Prospects for the MENA Region

Abstract

The development trends, prospects and challenges of the water sector in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by the year 2030 are the topic of this analysis. A brief outline of water resources and contemporary issues of importance in the MENA region is presented first. Thereafter, the future prospects of the water sector are scrutinized, in the light of development projections in several domains that can be considered as critical externalities of the water sector. The following trends and tendencies were identified as constituting a complex vicious circle:

	• Population continues to grow and urban population doubles
	• Rural water stress and poverty
	• Economy is under structural pressures
	• Regional integration is still low
	• Good quality education is under pressure from massive population growth
	• Growing problem of unemployment, most new jobs are informal
	• Food security is increasingly based on self-reliance instead of self-sufficiency
	• Climate change may decrease reliability of water availability
	• Environmental stress needs to be relieved.

The water sector has so far been immune to the consideration of such factors and their potential role in shaping future water strategies for the region.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Inwent Capacity Building International, Germany, their host institutes and the Arab Water Council. The following individuals are particularly thanked: A. K. Biswas, C. Tortajada, A. Pres, J. Richter, H. Kandil, W. Khairy, P. Vakkilainen, J. Nikula, M. M. Rahaman and M. Keskinen.