Arab world running into severe water scarcity
The Arab world one of the driest regions on the planet will tip into severe water scarcity as early as 2015.
By then Arabs will have to survive on less than 500 cubic metres of water a year each or below a tenth of the world average of more than 6000 cubic metres per capita said the report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED).
Rapid population growth will further stress water resources. According to UN projections the Arabs who now number almost 360 million will multiply to nearly 600 million by 2050.
Climate change will aggravate matters. By the end of this century Arab countries may experience a 25 per cent drop in precipitation and a 25 per cent increase in evaporation rates according to climate change models cited in the report.
“As a result rain-fed agriculture will be threatened with average yields estimated to decline by 20 per cent” it says.
Thirteen Arab countries are among the world’s 19 most water-scarce nations. People in eight Arab countries already have to make do with less than 200 cubic metres a year each.
Conditions vary across the region but within five years only Iraq and Sudan will pass the water scarcity test defined as over 1000 cubic metres a year per capita assuming supplies from Turkey and Ethiopia still flow at current levels.
Agriculture consumes 85 per cent of Arab water use compared with a world average of 70 per cent. Irrigation efficiency is only 30 per cent against a world average of 45 per cent.