You Thought Oil Caused Problems for the Middle-East? Wait For the Water Wars (Scary Statistics)

[JCMach1]

Region only a decade away from severe water crisis

...According to Ato Brown, manager of the Mena water sector at the World Bank Sustainable Development Department, regional water scarcities can only be solved through increased international cooperation.

"Because so much of the region's water is shared, and the population of the region is expected to grow from 200 million to 500 million by 2030, water decisions can only be taken with across-border cooperation and diplomacy," he said. About "60 per cent of all desalination in the world occurs in the Mena region, and this also uses up a great amount of energy."

Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, the UAE Minister of Environment and Water, observed that water security was integral to maintaining regional security. "Water is no longer an abundant natural resource. It is scarce, and we need to take this scarcity seriously."

Water scarcity in the MENA region

* Only 1% of world's fresh water is available for human consumption
* 500 million people to be living in MENA region by 2030
* 60% of all MENA water sources are shared across borders
* 60% of all desalination takes place in MENA region
* 5 seas in MENA region
...


http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/region-only-a-decade-away-from-severe-water-crisis-1.771290

[PDJane]

1. And that is the reason

That Israel has been building the wall around the Palestinian water table. It's not just a land grab; it's a water grab. They are much too profligate with water for irrigation. They are also less than careful about where their contaminated water goes; they don't always clean and recycle it.

[snooper2]

2. you beat me to the punch...#1 reason...

[pscot]

3. Peak oil, peak water, peak food

peak homo not-so-sapiens.