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Managing Water Scarcity in North Africa: Trends and Future Prospects
North African countries are unable to meet the current water demand; meanwhile, the situation is expected to get worse. Water availability is already below the water poverty line and it is projected to fall by half by 2050 mainly due to falling precipitation driven by climate change and dwindling aquifers (that are being overdrawn).
Should North Africa countries fail to adapt their current water management practices to meet those combined challenges; the social, economic, environmental and political consequences will beenormous. The economic and physical dislocation associated with the depletion of aquifers or unreliability of supplies will increase and local conflicts will likely intensify. With a prospect like that the possibility of a full regional war will be difficult to rule out.
Though technology can do a lot to relax some of the constraints; for instance increasing supply through new technologies, reducing losses and increasing efficiency, increasing supply is essentially a very capital intensive affair in a world of scarce resources. The greatest opportunity is in managing demand of existing resources and there are many innovations both technological and political that show good promise.
However, there are competing interests intent on preserving the status quo and some are very entrenched and powerful. Securing the supply of water for North Africa will be a political process as much as it will be about bringing new technologies. Technological innovation will need to be combined with social innovation if the enormous challenge ahead is to be surmounted.
This issue of North Africa Horizons explores the prospects for water management in the region. Article one explores the trends and drivers of water scarcity in North Africa. Article two explores how water pricing can be used to manage water demand. While Article three looks to trends and prospects for reducing water use by the agricultural sector.
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North Africa Horizons is a publication of Futures Studies Forum for Africa and the Middle East (FSF), supported by Rockefeller Foundation. FSF is a non-governmental regional organization aiming at connecting North Africa with its mother continent, and developing a common shared vision for Africa’s future. Focusing on re-building connections and defining areas for future development interventions and cooperation between North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region.
Through conducting futures studies and facilitatingknowledge sharing.
For more information see: http://www.foresightfordevelopment.org/fsf/all-pages
This bulletin is the third quarterly publication of FSF. It is a globally- oriented, transdisciplinaryperiodical. Its mission is to monitor evolving trends and emerging issues in North Africa. Based oninsights, scanning activities, along side secondary research and experts’ interviews. The ultimate objective is to define areas for driving change and cooperation in the region.
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- Editorial board: Dr. Nisreen Lahham - FSF Head of Directors Board and Lamia El-Raei - FSF Executive Director
- Researchers: Reham Youssef - Senior Researcher
- Writer & Editor: Dr. Julius Gatune Kariuki - Research and Policy Advisor- AfricanCentre for Economic Transformation (ACET)
- Consulted Experts: Dr. Diaa El Din El Quosy- Water Specialist & Dr. Mahmoud Al Azzazy- Agriculture specialist
- Reviewer: Dr. Jauad El Kharraz – Water Specialist
- Layout & design: doculand
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This newsletter has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. The Foundation does not necessarily share the views expressed in this material. Responsibility for its contents rests entirely with FSF.
| Contact information |
Dr. Nisreen Lahham, Head of Board, FSF (Futures Studies Forum for Africa and the Middle East)
(email: admin@foresightfordevelopment.org) |
|---|---|
| News type | Inbrief |
| File link |
http://www.foresightfordevelopment.org/fsf/all-pages |
| File link local |
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| Source of information | North Africa Horizons: A monitoring bulletin published by FSF (Futures Studies Forum for Africa and the Middle East); Bulletin 3, July, 2015 |
| Keyword(s) | water scarcity, water pricing, water demand, water use, agriculture |
| Subject(s) | AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HEALTH - HYGIENE - PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISM , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , TOOL TERMS , TOURISM - SPORT - HOBBIES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY |
| Relation | http://www.foresightfordevelopment.org/ffd-newsletters |
| Geographical coverage | Morocco,Algeria,Tunisia,Libya,Egypt, |
| News date | 17/08/2015 |
| Working language(s) | ENGLISH |
