Oil is the source of wealth in the Middle East. However, the most important commodity is not oil, but water. And the area has been used up. Droughts and poorly informed water management policies pose a serious threat to the future of the region. The water condition is so bad that many people think that war may break out in the near future.

Tensions and crises related to the lack of water in the area
Recently, conflicts over water rights have triggered tensions in Jordan, Israel and other parts of the Middle East. Many people believe that the drought in Syria caused the war and triggered the notorious Syrian crisis. Since 1988, the former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has repeatedly warned that war may break out due to the lack of water in the Middle East. The Syrian war is a typical example of this prophecy. Boutros-Ghali also believes that due to disputes over the water of the Nile, interstate war may break out. However, this has not happened yet.

Middle East Water Crisis
Iraq is particularly vulnerable to water scarcity and drought. The process of drainage and construction of dams emptied all the marshes in southern Iraq, reducing the area of marshes by 90%. The Water Council was established to respond to the water crisis in Iraq and to combat water shortages. In addition, Iraq complained that neighboring countries did not provide water in sufficient ways. Dams in Turkey, Iran and Syria draw water from two Iraqi rivers-the Tigris and Euphrates. As a result, agricultural production along the two rivers suffered a major blow. The Iraq war and insufficient investment in the region have affected Iraq’s water system and irrigation network. As a desert country, Iraq has suffered from drought. The US military’s attacks on Iraq’s water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure are another cause of Iraq’s water crisis.

Both Jordan and Yemen face severe water shortages. Despite the same scale, Jordan’s average freshwater withdrawal is still less than 10% of the Portuguese average. Due to the shortage of groundwater, water charges in Jordan have increased by 30% in the past 10 years.

Yemen is notorious for the highest rate of malnutrition in the world. More than 30% of the population cannot meet their food needs. In recent years, Yemen has failed to produce enough food to sustain its population. The lack of water has damaged the standard of living in this country.

The United Arab Emirates is famous for its luxurious cities. The prevailing assumption is that in this rich country, lack of water is not a problem. But in fact, the UAE is facing a water crisis due to the depletion of available water resources. In the past 30 years, the groundwater level in the area has fallen by about 1 meter every year. At the current rate, the UAE will complete its natural freshwater resources in the next fifty years. Therefore, the UAE needs to adjust its water usage habits before doubling its energy consumption in 2020.

Reaching consensus on the future of water
The reason why Arab countries failed to reach a consensus on the water issue was mainly due to their infighting, unstable relations and failure to reach a united front to resolve serious crises. Although the water crisis in the Middle East is terrible, it is only a glimpse of the direction the world is heading. There is a shortage of fresh water for a large part of the world’s population. Climate change, pollution and population growth are leading to an increase in demand for rapidly reducing the supply of fresh drinking water.

The Middle East has many struggles with its current water resources, and the region needs a unified approach to create an optimal environment for the future.

Learning to solve the water crisis through practical examples
Last year, Cape Town faced an unprecedented challenge, namely, the lack of water in South Africa's largest city. The government declared a "zero day", that is, when the dam had no water, they had to turn off the taps in Cape Town and sent people to collect water from the public water collection station.

The event worked. After years of trying to persuade the residents to protect, this radical movement made people take action. There is a limit of 50 liters of water per person per day. Families exceeding the limit will face huge fines. People began to stand on buckets to collect and reuse the water. They recycled washing machine water and restricted toilet flushing once a day. Although the "zero-day" event has been postponed, the crisis has not been avoided

Renewable water resources
This provides the government with an opportunity to consider the use of renewable water resources. Learn from countries like the United States, Canada, and China, which use renewable water resources to meet the daily needs of their populations.
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