{"id":13227,"date":"2018-08-30T04:28:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T04:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=13227"},"modified":"2018-08-30T04:28:51","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T04:28:51","slug":"new-fighting-in-libya-capital-after-truce-collapses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=13227","title":{"rendered":"New fighting in Libya capital after truce collapses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nDUBAI: With only two percent of the Arab region covered by wetlands, and 94 percent of those vulnerable to climate change, water will play a crucial role in the future functioning of the region\u2019s ecosystems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nRegional and global decision-makers, scientists and experts discussed the challenges and potential solutions at this year\u2019s World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.<\/p>\n

\nHosted and organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the 23rd edition, which started on Sunday, focuses on water, ecosystems and human development.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis has implications for rural communities, livestock, migratory birds and even wastewater management in peri-urban areas that use wetlands to support nature-based solutions to wastewater management,\u201d said Carol Cherfane, chief of water resources in sustainable development and productivity at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. \u201cClimate change exacerbates water scarcity and in turn affects water security in the region. This is demonstrated by the impact that climate change is having on water resources, ecosystems and agriculture across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nCherfane, who attended the event, said water is a fundamental aspect of development, peace and security in the Arab region. \u201cNew solutions are needed to ensure access to water in areas facing conflict, and particularly for women, children and vulnerable groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nFor Monika Weber-Fahr, global water partnership executive secretary and speaker at the event, the Middle East is not unique when it comes to water management conflicts. \u201cWater scarcity, one of the main reasons for water conflict \u2014 but not the only one \u2014 is common in other parts of the world, and increasing in many places,\u201d she said. \u201cSome parts of the Middle East have particularly severe water scarcity. Obviously, if a resource is scarce, there is bound to be conflict. Fortunately, people recognize that water is an essential resource and will do their best to figure out ways to share its benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nGlobal Water Partnership has long advocated for integrated water resources management, which is about public participation and cross-sectoral cooperation. \u201cTo solve water problems, you need to have everyone around the table,\u201d she said. \u201cToo often, decisions are made that are fragmented or taken without listening to the users. In addition, there are options for helping to solve water scarcity problems such as water harvesting and the reuse of wastewater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWeber-Fahr said the situation is critical and one reason why, on Aug. 30 and 31, GWP is convening, with other organizations, a meeting of \u201cBlue Peace in the Middle East\u201d in Stockholm. \u201cThere are regional representatives from six countries and the purpose is to look at how water can be used more efficiently, especially in agriculture. \u201d<\/p>\n

\nExperts discussed water diplomacy, water utilities\u2019 response in conflict conditions and water management in conflict. \u201cWe are already living in a water-scarce region and getting access to the right quantity and quality of water is, most of the time, very challenging,\u201d said Dr. Khalil Ammar, principal scientist in hydrogeology and water resources management at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai. \u201cSome countries are doing much better than others, but when you add to this problem more unrest, it will make it a lot more difficult. Migration affects access to water resources.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHe gave the example of Jordan, which hosts more than 650,000 Syrian refugees, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Jordanian government estimates there are 1.4 million Syrians in the country, including those who have not registered as refugees. \u201cThe country already has a very limited amount of water and this has added a big burden in terms of finding the right quantities of water,\u201d Dr. Ammar said. \u201cThis is because policy-makers decided to prioritize water to the industry and for municipal purposes (rather) than for agriculture \u2014 the percentage for agriculture is now much less compared to other regional countries, including the UAE, at about 52 percent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIn times of conflict, national priorities change. \u201cConflict adds a lot to the severity of the water problem,\u201d he added. \u201cThere are difficulties in accessing water for residents and it adds more burden on the budget and investment in infrastructure. In unstable areas, the cost of implementing these will be much higher and reaching the right people will also be very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nHe called for improved management of water allocation systems and increased investment in infrastructure. \u201cIn Iraq, the priority went to war rather than human needs,\u201d he said. \u201cThe quality of the water deteriorated a lot and it\u2019s really become a regional problem, engulfing Lebanon as well as Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nTwo billion people depend on groundwater sourced from transboundary aquifer systems. There are 276 river basins crossing the boundaries of two or more countries, and 40 percent of the world\u2019s population rely on these rivers as a primary source of freshwater. But as much as 60 percent of the world\u2019s international river basins lack any cooperative management framework.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWater is becoming an important issue because of its scarcity and our location in an arid area where the amount of input and rainfall is less than what is pumped from many water resources,\u201d said Dr. Ahmed Murad, dean of the college of science at United Arab Emirates University. \u201cWe also have a high rate of evaporation, exceeding the limit of recharge to aquifers so, in general, that causes an imbalance between the recharge and discharge from major aquifers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nPopulation growth is also an obstacle as it adds stress to natural water resources. The world\u2019s urban population increased to 54 percent of the world population in 2014, a figure that is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050 and, according to Dr. Murad, could affect future development. \u201cWe need to look at innovative approaches to harvest the water available. A good model is the UAE with (cloud seeding) initiatives. We also need to change our social behavior as it plays a major role \u2014 any conflict additionally affects people reaching water resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWith annual rates of less than 250 millimeters of rainfall in the Middle East, ecosystems are fragile and under stress. \u201cAll ecosystems depend on water for them to continue their function, hence destroying ecosystems means losing their function services to us and therefore impacting our well-being,\u201d said Dr. Waleed Zubari, professor in water resources management at the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain. \u201cWe will need to manage our water resources in a way that does not deprive ecosystems of their water. Although the GCC has been providing commendable rates for drinking water and sanitation services to its population, some countries still face many challenges, the most important of which is increasing water scarcity with time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSuch countries are also experiencing accelerated socio-economic development, which requires large quantities of water that are beyond the capacity of their natural water resources. \u201cTherefore, the GCC has to rely on non-traditional water resources, represented mainly by desalination, to meet the municipal and industrial sectors\u2019 water requirement, and reuse of treated wastewater to supplement groundwater in the agricultural sector,\u201d he said. \u201cRapid population and urbanization growth are challenges as well as high per capita consumption patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nAbout 40 percent of the Arab population is already living in conditions of absolute water scarcity. From 2005 to 2015, annual per capita freshwater availability in the region dropped by about 20 percent, from about 990m3 to 800 m3. \u201cIt is even far less in some countries,\u201d said Dr. Redouane Choukr-Allah, head of salinity and plant nutrition laboratory at the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II in Morocco. \u201cHalf of total renewable water resources in the Arab region originates from outside its borders in the absence of legal agreements to organize water-sharing. Overexploitation and pollution of water resources are reasons for low water quantity and quality as well as ecosystem degradation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHe said that the effects of climate change worsen the situation. By 2030, those effects are expected to reduce renewable water resources by another 20 percent through declining precipitation, rising temperature and sea levels as well as expanding seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers. \u201cThe majority (84 percent) of water resources in the region are being used for agriculture while the municipal and the industrial sectors consume about 9 and 7 percent of the total water use respectively. Being an important vector for socio-economic development, there is a need for efficient and sustainable water management to ensure that the water sector can continue to serve the region\u2019s development needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWith World Water Week bringing together scientists and practitioners to raise awareness about the latest knowledge and innovations in areas most affected by water scarcity, sustainable development will require water-smart societies. \u201cWe don\u2019t have an infinite resource lying around for us to use,\u201d said William Shintani, managing partner at MBLM in Dubai, which promotes the consumption of local drinking water. \u201cWe\u2019ve learnt the hard way in the region to take care of them \u2014 the better we manage them, the better it will be for future generations. There\u2019s no way any civilization will flourish or any region will witness economic progress without water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nHe said that education was a key component of that future success. \u201cGovernments are helping to implement a lot of programs to teach younger generations about their resources and the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nImproved infrastructure across the board will also be needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere should be far better infrastructure planning when you\u2019re building a city,\u201d said Rishi Kohli, managing partner and co-founder of Waterwise in the UAE. \u201cNowadays, governments are becoming more aware of water management and those sorts of initiatives are slowly creeping into regions and residential communities. If you just let things be and not control and manage it, then you\u2019ll have huge ramifications in the future for our children. We are just touching the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI: With only two percent of the Arab region covered by wetlands, and 94 percent of those vulnerable to climate change, water will play a crucial role in the future functioning of the region\u2019s ecosystems.\u00a0 Regional and global decision-makers, scientists and experts discussed the challenges and potential solutions at this year\u2019s World Water Week in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":13228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}