Arabs face severe water crisis by 2015
Thanks to Jenny Goldie for this article.
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Lebanon, once considered to have an abundance of water, is threatened with acute shortages as the Arab world lurches toward severe water scarcity as early as 2015.
For Lebanon, which has long neglected to take measures to conserve and manage its water resources, the crisis couldn’t come at a worse time: The government is gripped by political crisis that many fear could lead to renewed civil war; the decision-making process has been paralyzed; and a 10-year water plan adopted in 2002 has ground to a halt.
The Cabinet, burdened with a $54 billion public debt, decided recently to delay all discussion on a proposal by Water and Energy Minister Jibran Bassil to build 11 dams on Lebanon’s several rivers.
For full article, visit:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/11/12/Arabs-face-severe-water-crisis-by-2015/UPI-64941289579090/
November 30th, 2010 at 11:09 am
The factor not mentioned in this article is one of population growth rate. Lebanon has a relatively low one at around 0.8% but this ranges upwards to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait 3%, Qatar 9.7% and most of the rest around 2 – 2.5%. Saudi Arabia alone has tripled its population in just 30 years. Any attempts to solve the problem of Arab water supply without limiting population growth would be at their best, simply delaying the inevitable.