Geopolitics delay action while climate change threatens to parch Mideast
The Middle East and North Africa region faces serious water risks, but experts say the collective action needed to address the problem is still far off.
Of the 17 countries that face water stress, 12 of them are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), placing the region at not only economic and environmental risk but also political risk, according to a global report.
“When taps run dry, it can lead to massive unrest,” Rutger Hofste, an associate at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told Al-Monitor, referring to data on global water stress and risk released by the organization Aug. 6. “The stakes are high.”
The data was collected over three years, from 2016 to 2019, and made into interactive maps in a project called Aqueduct 3.0.
One map charts water risk — a combination of 13 indicators such as ground water levels, drought risk, flooding and water sanitation. Another chart shows countries’ base line water stress (BLWS) — the ratio of total water withdrawals to total water supply.
