From China to the US, this year’s extreme droughts have put the world's water resources under unprecedented stress. From rice to oil, many key crops all over the world are being affected and some estimates already predict shortage of key foods.
A new study from WWF estimates that 17% of Europeans and may face shortages of water in the near future. The picture looks gloomier in the southern european economies where 75% of GDP may be directly impacted by it.
In the MENA region, where 82% of the land is water is desert, water is already a scarce commodity. The Arab Climate Futures report from the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) predicts that water Middle East and North Africa will be further victim of the ongoing climate change trend, where temperatures are expected to rise up to 2°C up to 2039.
But water stress is not just a result of climate change, water mismanagement is also to blame. Lack of planning, investment and good quality infrastructure plays an important role. It is estimated that between 30 to 50% of water is lost during distribution alone.
New investments are required both on improving efficiency of existing infrastructure and building new plants to cater for a dryer future. But above all, we need new government policies. In a world where
droughts are becoming a norm, it is surprising to see that there is no regulation on the billions of liters of water wasted daily from the ACs. A study from the AMA International University of Bahrain and other studies in Saudi Arabia estimated that a single two ton AC unit can produce up to an average of 2 liters of water an hour with of a very high quality. According to Statista 3.6 million new air conditioning units are installed every year in the Middle East. With regulation, this water could be reused with little treatment and cover a large part of the daily commercial and residential requirements of the Middle East.
Life and states cannot exist without water. We need to plan efficient water infrastructure and treat this unique resource wisely.
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