Water can be classified as the single most critical natural resource; it is a basic human need without which there is no life. It is an input to almost all production, in agriculture, industry, energy, transport, by healthy people in healthy ecosystems.

Today, the world is facing an ever-growing scarcity of fresh water. With the steady growth in the global population, changes in living standards and dietary preferences, coupled with the accelerating climate change (CC), experts predict that water shortages will exacerbate in the coming years and decades. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks experts’ rated Water supply crisis, as one of the world’s greatest risks in terms of both impact and likelihood for two years (in 2012 and 2013) consecutively. Indeed, water scarcity already affects every continent, as around 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical scarcity and another 1.6 billion people face economic water shortage (due to the lack of necessary infrastructure).

Water usage in irrigation

By 2050, the world population is expected to hit 9 billion. Most urban cities will expand and require more fresh water resources to meet their basic human and public health needs, plus their demand for water-intensive energy, will also double. Demand for food, the world’s largest water user, will grow drastically, requiring even more water. This will have dire impacts on agriculture and world food supply, public health, economic development, energy generation and the sustenance of many.

When we zoom on the Muslim world, the situation is not much different from the global lenses. That’s why at the conference of Islamic environment ministers in 2010; water shortage was highlighted as one of the most pressing environmental issue facing the region. Certainly, the challenge of balancing water demand against supply, is enormous for most of the Muslim countries, namely those in arid, semi-arid and hyper-arid zones such as countries in the MENA region.

For over 15 years now, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has conducted several Scientific and Policy research workshops, on water scarcity issues and on alternative solutions to ease up the pressure on scare water resources. Such solutions are geared towards exploring alternative water resources, particularly for the agriculture sector, that uses more than 80% of total water in most of the Muslim countries. These Non-conventional waters such as salty, brackish, recycled and treated water, offer opportunities to alleviate this pressure and to develop marginal environments into prosperous communities.

In 2012, ICBA, in collaboration with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), developed the OIC Water Vision “working together for a water secure future”, to foster collaboration and cooperation on water in the Islamic world. The OIC Water Vision responds to the challenge of securing reliable access to water for health, livelihoods and production, and managing risks related to water associated with population growth, depletion of resources, environmental degradation and climate change. Close collaboration with major stakeholders, mainly the ministries responsible for water and key Islamic organizations, has ensured that the vision is culturally and politically appropriate, as a framework for developing water policy and management in all 57 countries.

From a national perspective, ICBA has been a strong partner with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in development of water policies.

Forage security

Through the UAE “Water Conservation Strategy”, ICBA researchers identified basic initiatives to manage water resources sustainably, in order to conserve water resources from exploitation and pollution. Based on an integrated approach that anticipates meeting future water demand from a mix of investment in new water infrastructure and efficiency improvements of existing water supplies (natural resources, desalination and reclaimed water), the Strategy identified the key questions, assumptions and areas of risk to future water development. The lack of renewable resources in the UAE, is the most challenging factor for sustainable water resources use and management. Thus, non-conventional waters are the only dependable water sources for sustainable economic development.

ICBA also joined forces with the Abu Dhabi Emirate to develop the “Abu Dhabi Water Master Plan”, the first comprehensive assessment of both natural and non-conventional water, in the Emirate. The research involved developing new data sets on aspects of water, such as, the environmental and economic costs which are crucial to support decision-makers. Understanding the environmental implications and developing the legal and regulatory framework, were key components of the study. Water policy reforms were recommended to ensure the sustainable management of water resources. Afterwards, the Abu Dhabi Water Council (ADWC) was established to monitor and coordinate activities in the entire water sector, to support strategic planning and unify the standards and practices in the Emirate.

ICBA

Among the non-conventional water sources, the treated wastewater (TWW) is receiving more attention as a reliable water resource. Undeniably, urban areas are expected to grow considerably, as by 2050, 70% of the global population will be living in cities. This coupled with further improvements to sanitation services, will result in a continuous increase in TWW supplies. ICBA considers TWW, if used safely, as a valuable source in the water balance of all countries suffering from water shortage. To this end, ICBA, in collaboration with several partners, including national programs and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and others, have been conducting research studies, capacity building programs, expert meetings and workshops in the Arab region, over the past five years. Extensive information and data have been produced and many lessons have been highlighted in the pilot countries; Jordan, Oman, Tunisia, and UAE. In 2014, ICBA in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) and ACSAD, organized an international conference on “The Use of Treated Wastewater in the agricultural production”. The conference stressed the need for a holistic approach that brings in all stakeholders and builds trust and ownership of the TWW as a valuable alternative source of water.

In addition to policy, ICBA also carries out fundamental research to support water availability and use efficiency. For instance, ICBA research recently demonstrated that using daily weather data as a tool for irrigation management could lead to 50% water
savings. ICBA researchers have also been part of collaborative research efforts aimed at  making use of satellite observations, in situ data and integrated hydrologic models to generate water data sets, providing vital information to MENA decision-makers. For a number of years, ICBA research has targeted cultivation of halophytes (salt-loving plants) that remove salts from saline soils and water. Modern avenues, such as extraction of renewable bioenergy from these halophytic species is also being tested. Many new varieties of crops, particularly those using less water, higher yields, and are drought resistant, are being developed and tested across the Middle East and Central Asia.

ICBA recently launched a four year business plan (2013-16) with anticipated investments of USD $53 million hinging on 5 research and 4 enabling innovations. With the backing of its board and the partnership of other institutions, ICBA is well on its way to become a global centre for excellence seeking to address the challenges of water scarcity in the Islamic World.

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi holds a PhD in Genetics (Cordoba University, Spain) and is the Director General of International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is a not-for-profit, international center of excellence for research and development in marginal environments and works to address agricultural and water scarcity solutions. For further information, please visit http://www.biosaline.org/

*The images are courtesy ICBA

Across the Muslim world, water issues vary in their scope and severity. Writing from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, Syeda Mariya Absar reminds us that “Muslim religious philosophy and the importance of water is … a potential linchpin that could influence future policies and begin to answer some of the water demand challenges these nations face in the 21st century.”

Flooding in countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia can, and often does, contaminate the water table. Rising sea water threatens to submerge entire countries. Some scholars would argue however, that one of the most pertinent concerns to human survival – on parallel with climate change – is freshwater scarcity.

Despite its importance to survival, the perception of water as a human right, is an idea that was the subject of international debate as recently as 2010. In many parts of the world, freshwater is taken for granted. Hard rains, monsoons, and floods make it difficult to imagine water scarcity, as a global concern – or a question of political stability.

A pump on Lebanon’s Wazzani Spring, a tributary to the Jordan River. That pump project brought Lebanon and Israel to the brink of war in 2001

The freshwater challenges faced across the Muslim world vary greatly, from the rising sea levels that encroach on freshwater availability in Southeast Asia to water abundant states including Albania and Turkey, where water pollution is the primary concern. Nowhere in the Muslim world, is water a more pressing issue than in the conflict-riddled Middle East and North Africa, however. In this region, overtaxed underground aquifers and low yearly rainfall, create dry conditions unlike any other inhabited region on the globe.

In his quiet office, up two flights of stairs in an aging building on the Colorado School of Mines (USA) campus in scenic Golden, CO, Professor Hussein A. Amery sits working on his next book – Arab Water Security. Professor Amery is a political geographer with an in-depth knowledge of water and security. Lebanese by birth, he still sports a tan from his last trip to this country. Author of several books and articles, including Water in the Middle East: A geography of peace (with Aaron T. Wolf); for a successful academic, he is also a humble man.

Prof. Amery is one of a handful of academics, who are focusing on the study of political security and stability, as related to water in the Middle East. He is driven by concerns such as – in his words – “Water scarcity. Desalination is a superb technology, that provides fresh water to people in need, in dry regions, however, it remains an expensive solution. It is far beyond the reach of poor countries like Yemen, Bangladesh, and others. There’s not a cheaper solution on the horizon. Therefore, water security is THE upcoming issue. What would happen if someone were to blow up a mega desalination plant that provides freshwater to a large urban center?”

Amery is right to be concerned – according to Sidem, a company that produces desalination equipment, more than 230 million people depend on desalination for their daily fresh water provisions. The technology provides fresh water for a large portion of the Muslim World, particularly the Middle East. Yet, much of the region is entrenched in violent conflict.

The low-water level in Litani River, Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Precipitation in the Fertile Crescent countries were very low this past winter and the people are feeling the brunt of that.

Desalination technology has allowed increased development in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Corporation Council Countries. The improved standard of living that oil wealth creates, comes with a price – population growth. Imported labor and internal migration to cities, places increased stress on already scant water resources – although the Middle East is home to 5% of the world’s population, it only has access to 1% of the world’s freshwater resources.

Desalination is an expensive endeavor. According to Bloomberg, most of the cost of a desalination plant is tied to the energy the plants consumes – an average of 15,000 kilowatt hours for every million gallons of desalinated water produced. Constructing a plant can cost as little as $21 million dollars, but often runs in the hundreds of millions. A plant recently constructed in California, cost nearly $1 billion USD. Water delivery costs must also be incorporated into calculations, as well as maintenance, upkeep, and the cost of the desalination process itself.

While desalination dependency poses a potential threat, this technology also allows for generosity. Prof. Amery reminds us that “The ruler of Dubai, His Eminence Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, started a water aid initiative, to coincide with the month of Ramadan. The name he chose for it is Suqia. Suqia is the Arabic/Islamic name for quenching one’s thirst. Outside of the United Arab Emirates, the program is known as UAE Water Aid.”

Following the Prophet’s teachings of charity as providing water to the poor, Dubai’s wealth – aided by the existence of desalination plants – is now helping to construct wells in poorer regions that will one day provide water to millions of people.

One challenge facing academics in the Muslim World, as pointed out by Prof. Amery, is finding funding for applied research in water. Beacons of hope exist, however. According to Prof. Amery, “A wonderful foundation that works with all scientists – Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF.net), based in Sharjah, UAE and headed by Dr. Abdalla Alnajjar, really does good work in this arena. It funds Arab scientists who have creative and innovative ideas; this obviously includes funding for projects that provide clean, fresh water to various communities. Funding for applied research in the Middle East and North Africa is very, very limited, so ASTF’s work is very important to the economic and social development of that region.”

The Red-Dead Canal project is an example of desalination as a force for peace in the region. Much of the water on the Jordan River is used by upstream riparians. When the watercourse reaches the Dead Sea, very little water remains. The result is, that the Dead Sea has steadily decreased in size over the past four decades.

Regarding this project, Prof. Amery stated that, “The World Bank and other groups collaborated to develop plans to move water from the

Professor Hussein A. Amery

Red Sea to the Dead Sea. As the water descends, it generates electricity that is used to desalinate water, providing fresh water that is in very short supply in that region. In addition to the obvious hydrological benefits, this science and technology project will ensure that the Dead Sea survives as a World Heritage Site.

The Dead Sea itself has religious value to the Christian community in particular – pilgrims to the Jordan and the Dead Sea can continue their worship with this body of water intact. Politically it is an example – a model project – for how Jews [Israelis] and Muslims [Jordanians] can work together to benefit their own communities, and humanity at large.”

In a future where climate change is expected to create an even more arid Middle East, desalination represents a vulnerable, expensive, and yet effective solution to the increasing water needs in the region. A potential target for terrorists, or a tool for peacebuilding, until something better emerges, desalination is the answer in the Middle East – and not just to the problems created by water scarcity.

For more information on water issues in the Muslim World, UAE Suqia, or water in the Middle East, please see these resources:

1. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122294630
2. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2014/07/04/Humanitarian-hydro-aid-Confronting-water-scarcity-in-the-Mideast.html
3. http://islamicvoice.com/islamicvoice/water-scarcity-is-leading-to-conflicts/
4. http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/10/islam-water-scarcity/
5. http://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/nmiddleeast.2013.19
6. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/mar/20/jordan-water-red-sea-dead-sea-project
7. http://gulftoday.ae/portal/f562083a-d371-43a8-853d-e4ccebff19dc.aspx
8. http://www.emirates247.com/news/government/mohammed-launches-uae-suqia-clean-water-for-5-million-people-worldwide-2014-06-25-1.554162
9. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/07/06/How-UAE-Water-Aid-can-potentially-help-2-billion-Muslims-.html
10. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2014/07/04/Humanitarian-hydro-aid-Confronting-water-scarcity-in-the-Mideast.html
11. http://www.jfs.tku.edu.tw/17-3/A01.pdf
12. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga10967.doc.htm
13. http://www.academia.edu/6259498/Geopolitics_of_Water_Scarcity_Emirates_Center_for_Strategic_and_Security_Studies_Amery_2013_http_www.amazon.com_Water-Food-Security-Arabian-Gulf_dp_9948146239
14. Water and Food Security in the Arabian Gulf. Publisher: I. B. Tauris (2013)
15. Water Management in Islam, Eds. NI Faruqi, AK Biswas, and MJ Bino (2001) –This volume is translated into multiple languages.
16. Islam and ecology; Eds. RC Foltz, FM Denny, and A Baharuddin (2003)
17. http://www.sidem-desalination.com/en/Process/FAQ/#c12260056211
18. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-01/energy-makes-up-half-of-desalination-plant-costs-study.html
19. http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/desalination.html

Christina Boyes is a professional writer who splits time living in Mexico and the United States. Her primary interests include seismology, geophysics, green technologies, climate change, water, and the intersection of these areas with geopolitics. 

*Image credits go to Professor Hussein A. Amery. The interviewee can be reached at hamery@mines.edu.

By Russell Sticklor

Most nations within the Muslim world in the early 21st century find themselves experiencing an uncomfortable and serious shortage of a natural resource far more important than either natural gas or oil — water. Exacerbated by population growth, climate change, and economic development, water scarcity is now a serious issue across a broad arc of the world, stretching from North Africa across the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula and deep into Central and South Asia. What can be done then to ease a growing water crisis poised to affect the Muslim world for generations to come?

One potential answer lies in combining two of the Muslim’s world’s greatest untapped natural resources — solar power and seawater. This year, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are ambitiously pursuing plans to build the world’s first large-scale solar-powered desalination plants.

If successful, these projects would be a symbolic triumph. They would serve as proof that two virtually unlimited resources can be combined to increase fresh water supply in some of the world’s most water-stressed areas, even if by only a relatively modest amount. The success of these projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE could also provide a technological blueprint that theoretically could be replicated in any nation with a coastline and enough sunshine. Water-stressed nations in the planet’s “sun belt” — which receives frequent and powerful sunshine for much of the year — would be particularly well positioned to benefit. It is here, within this belt, where the bulk of the world’s Muslim population lives.

Map courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Gill.

Powering Desalination: Making the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewables

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the world’s largest producers of desalinated water. These countries’ reliance on desalination — still a hugely energy-intensive process despite decades of technological refinement — is borne out of necessity. Neither country has enough surface water or groundwater within its borders, to sustain its population. Other Muslim countries may find themselves in the same situation before long.

To date, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been able to address water scarcity issues, by powering their desalination plants with fossil fuels. Why then are these two countries looking to still-unproven solar energy technology, to power the next generation of large-scale desalination facilities?

Beyond the 21st century — and likely during the 21st century — the global economy will need to transition away from its reliance on fossil fuels as these finite resources grow more scarce. This will be true even for countries currently sitting atop massive fossil fuel reserves, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other energy titans of the Muslim world. Navigating this transition will be by no means easy. For the UAE, investing in innovative new solar-powered desalination technology, aims to kill two birds with one stone: Not only will its plant in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate bolster local fresh water supply, it will also produce clean, renewable electricity for domestic consumption.

Some experts are very optimistic about the potential of solar-powered desalination technology, to eventually catch on elsewhere. Vladimir Smakhtin of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and co-author of a recent research study on solar-powered desalination, recently told me via e-mail, of the wide-ranging implications, should efforts to purify seawater using renewable energy, prove successful:

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all necessary attributes to become the leaders in this industry — lack of fresh water, plenty of sun, access to the sea and sufficient funds to invest. If they manage, in the near future, to shift their water supply sector to solar-powered desalination, it could be simply a clear proof-of-concept that this approach is capable of resolving water scarcity once and for all. It will pave the way for some other nations to follow.

A fossil fuel–powered desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates’ Ras Al-Khaimah, the same emirate that will soon be home to one of the world’s largest solar-powered desalination plants

Scientific Obstacles and Opportunities

How far away are we from being able to use this type of technology? The answer remains unclear, but in Smakhtin’s eyes, the time is now. “Technologically,” he says, “it is already mature enough to produce significant quantities of water in certain regions,” including much of North Africa and the Middle East. But before solar power can become a meaningful part of a nation’s energy-generating infrastructure, there are significant obstacles that must be first overcome, such as finding more effective ways to store solar energy, a long-standing issue.

Even in light of this major hurdle, however, ongoing research and pilot projects suggest it is only a matter of time before solar power becomes a reliable and economically viable energy source. Furthermore, despite its current technological shortcomings, it is clear solar power arguably holds the greatest potential for generating clean energy in the sun-belt countries of the Muslim world. Indeed, in a 21st century world that will need to find new power sources to fill the energy gap left by increasingly scarce fossil fuels, the Muslim world’s solar power riches have the potential to emerge as a major economic competitive advantage. In the case of North Africa, for instance, “all the countries in this area have sunny days more than 80 percent of the year,” desalination plant manager José Rafael, who has worked on projects across the region, told me via e-mail.

But although our scientific knowledge of both solar power and desalination is growing sophisticated enough to effectively combine these technologies, there are other important limits on desalination’s potential to resolve water scarcity issues. Firstly, Rafael says the biggest issue facing countries “is the large initial investment,” given the funding currently needed to install solar panel arrays and construct desalination facilities and water distribution infrastructure.

Ecological issues such as brine disposal and the potential degradation of coastal ecosystems are some of the “environmental aspects of large-scale solar desalination technology interventions that still need to be sorted out,” adds Smakhtin. Aditya Sood, Smakhtin’s research study co-author and fellow member of IWMI, admits “it will be interesting to see how Saudi Arabia and the UAE handle” such environmental challenges.

Another potential issue concerns maintenance of the solar panel components. Anwar Ahsan, a desalination expert who worked for Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation for 27 years, told me via e-mail that “humidity, moisture, and air-borne dust could be the biggest hurdles to tackle,” as these conditions might threaten panels’ ability to function efficiently.

Lastly, even under ideal circumstances, desalination alone cannot produce enough fresh water to accommodate the total water needs of the Muslim world’s rapidly growing population and developing economies, especially in the agricultural sector. Meanwhile, some populations living far away from the coast, may also find themselves unable to use desalinated water, due to the huge amounts of energy it requires to transport desalinated water inland, over long distances.

The-Azzizia-desalination-plant-in-Al-Khobar-Eastern-Province-Saudi-Arabia-is-one-of-the-country’s-many-fossil-fuel–powered-desalination-facilities. (Photo courtesy Flickr user Waleed Alzuhair)

Pathway to a More Water-Secure Future

Going forward, populations across the Muslim world contending with serious water scarcity, will have to use a patchwork approach to address this unprecedented challenge. While desalination should be used as one tool, the emphasis must be placed on more efficient water management and finding ways to incentivize water conservation at every level of society, from individual households to big industrial firms and agricultural operations. Only by reducing demand for water, can water-stressed populations truly gain the upper-hand in the fight against scarcity of this vital resource.

Nevertheless, solar-power desalination could one day play a potentially influential role in shaping the Muslim world’s water future. Throughout many Muslim countries, the greatest concentrations of populations live in urban areas near or on a coastline, meaning desalinated water could be delivered to consumers without the need for costly and energy-consuming long-distance pipelines. Even populations living far from the ocean — including entirely landlocked nations — might stand to benefit from solar-powered desalination. “In countries where sea coasts are not available,” Moustafa Hatem Sewelam, an engineering manager with a Saudi desalination firm GETCO, told me recently via e-mail, “this technology can be used [to purify] brackish waters in desert areas.”

There are other hopeful signs as well. Costs of desalination technology are expected to gradually drop — as they have during the past several decades — thanks to improvements in reverse osmosis filtering technology, which makes the seawater purification process more energy efficient. As energy requirements are reduced, it becomes more likely, solar power will be able to provide sufficient energy for the purification process.

In the coming years, the eyes of many desalination experts will be focused on the outcome of the ambitious experiments now underway, on the coasts of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “The experiences gained will help these countries and many communities in the world in need of suitable potable water,” predicts Anwar Ahsan.

Solar-powered desalination — with its potential to someday ease water stress in the most water-scarce corners of the world — indeed carries great promise. If the concept of harnessing the power of virtually unlimited sunlight to produce fresh water from a virtually unlimited supply of seawater should eventually prove viable scientifically and economically, the Muslim world will have a unique and historic opportunity in the decades ahead to become global pioneers in solar-powered desalination, finding themselves in an enviable position to disseminate this hybrid technology to water-stressed coastal populations around the globe.

Solar-powered desalination could one day emerge as a key part of the puzzle in mitigating the world’s worsening fresh water crisis. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Andrea de Poda.

Russell Sticklor (CGIAR/International Water Management Institute) is a water specialist and journalist covering the intersection of environmental change, population growth, and human security. He is a Non-Resident Research Fellow with the Stimson Center Environmental Security Program and co-author of “Water Challenges and Cooperative Response in the Middle East and North Africa” (Brookings, 2012).

*Images are courtesy the writer