I am grateful to have been part of an international panel on the topic of “Water Scarcity: Same Challenge, Different Answers”, along with Her Excellency Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission, Prof. Mohamed Ait Kadi, President of the General Council of Agricultural Development, Prof. Rabi Mohtar, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut and Senior Fellow at PCNS, as well as Guy Jobbins, Director at Astande.

The webinar was organized by the Policy Center for the New South. Water resources management is of extreme importance in countries suffering from water scarcity, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa countries and some sub-Saharan African countries. The webinar offered valuable insights on how governments could achieve water security through integrated water resources management, technological innovations, breakthroughs in service delivery and of course political commitment and leadership that should lead to reforms, smart policies, and stronger institutions. Effective climate change adaptation will require sound water management to reduce vulnerability and build resilience. 

The event’s recording is accessible here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPVIVjtEXCA&t=1955s

Webinar brief: Water scarcity: Same challenge, different answers

The Policy Center for the New South organized a webinar on Monday, April 12th, at 10:00 (GMT), titled: Water scarcity: Same challenge, different answers.

Water resources have become increasingly scarce in several regions of the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones. Countries located in these regions are constrained by water scarcity due to their hydro-climatic characteristics and intra- and interannual rainfall fluctuations. In addition to these attributes, the negative effects of climate change result in a considerable increase in temperature and a consequent decrease in rainfall. According to IPCC estimates, the decrease in precipitation in these areas can reach up to 20% (IPCC, 2008). As far as temperature is concerned, it is supposed to increase, favoring water evaporation. According to the same source, the increase in temperature will be different according to regions. It will be 1°C in the Maghreb basin.

In addition to the decrease in water availability, its demand is constantly increasing for several reasons. Firstly, population growth, which generates additional and inelastic demand for water. Secondly, the massive urbanization that some countries are experiencing requires a new organization of the sector to supply the cities with drinking water. And finally, the requirements of socio-economic development to achieve the expected levels of growth. Given these observations, water resource management is of extreme importance in countries suffering from water scarcity, particularly the MENA countries and some sub-Saharan African countries. In front of this scarcity, many governments had put in place policies and programs to manage water to make better and sustainable use of it. In the light of these elements, this webinar attempts to answer the following questions:

1. What is the situation of water resources in African and MENA countries?
2. How are governments responding to water scarcity?
3. How can this problem be addressed in the future and what is the role of technology?

The event was broadcasted live on the Policy Center for the New Souths’ website, Facebook and YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPVIVjtEXCA&t=1955s