Washington -- The water crisis facing the Middle East and North Africa can be avoided if steps are taken immediately, according to a new World Bank report, From Scarcity to Security: Averting a Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa.

The report cites Gaza as "one of the most extreme examples of the water crisis ... where each Palestinian now has access to less than 15 gallons of water per day, compared to 800 gallons of water for each American. ..." The critical conditions in Gaza and across the region can be remedied within a decade if steps are taken immediately. The key will be for countries to fundamentally change the way water is used and managed, to make the most of what is available, the report says.

"These changes must take place quickly," said Kemal Dervis, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), commenting on the report's recommendations in a March 20 World Bank release.

"The bank has outlined steps which we think will help countries in the region face the critical water shortages before they affect human welfare further, and before they have a greater impact on economic activity and stability in the region."

"I believe the international community, including the World Bank, must play its part in the effort to avert a water crisis," Dervis said, noting that the Bank is calling for a water conference in the region to be held in early 1997.

Following is the text of the World Bank release:

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WATER CRISIS IN MIDEAST, NORTH AFRICA, AVOIDABLE WORLD BANK SAYS

Action on Mideast water shortages applicable worldwide

WASHINGTON, March 20, 1996 -- One of the most extreme examples of the water crisis looming in the Middle East and North Africa is Gaza, where each Palestinian now has access to less than 15 gallons of water per day, compared to 800 gallons of water for each American.

If no action is taken in Gaza, each Palestinian may have less than 8 gallons of water per day within 30 years, according to a new World Bank report, From Scarcity to Security: Averting a Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. But, the critical conditions in Gaza and across the region can be remedied within a decade, water availability for domestic and industrial use could be increased by 50 percent regionwide, and water losses, now amounting to about 50 percent of municipal water supplied, could be cut by half if steps are taken immediately.

The key will be for countries to fundamentally change the way water is used and managed, to make the most of what is available, the report says.

Regional investments needed to achieve such a goal will be between $45 billion and $60 billion over the next 10 years, the report estimates, with the bulk of future investments to come from the countries themselves, mostly through user charges. Donors are expected to contribute about 25 percent of the costs.

"These changes must take place quickly, said Kemal Dervis, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on the report's recommendations. "The Bank has outlined steps which we think will help countries in the region face the critical water shortages before they affect human welfare further, and before they have a greater impact on economic activity and stability in the region."

Averting the region's water crisis will require work on several fronts, according to the report, which lays out a four-point action plan:

Mobilizing each country's efforts to achieve cooperation and participation on water issues within all levels of society;

Integrating national water resource planning and policy-making to reconcile competing demands for water;

Using water more efficiently while reducing pollution through legislation

Seeking alternative sources of water -- through water imports, regional and local water markets and, at a later stage, through affordable desalination.

"I believe the international community, including the World Bank, must also play its part in the effort to avert a water crisis," Mr. Dervis said. "The Bank is calling for a water conference in the region to be held in early 1997."

The conference would be the launching point for a MENA Water Partnership between regional governments, donors, nongovernmental organizations, private and public financiers, and the private sector at large.

The World Bank is currently directly involved in the Global Water Partnership, launched in August 1995, to help local, national, and regional authorities address their problems of drinking water and sanitation system shortages. The World Bank is the largest international lender for water projects, having loaned more than $36 billion since 1950 for investments in irrigation, water supply, and sanitation. Thirteen percent of that total has gone to MENA countries.

Facing Water Scarcity

Although many areas in the world face water scarcity problems, the MENA region has the most severe situation. With about 5 percent of the world's population, it has less than 1 percent of the world's renewable freshwater.

Regionally, per-capita availability has fallen from 872,000 gallons per year in 1960 to 330,000 gallons in 1996, by far the lowest in the world. That is about a third of Asia's water availability levels, 15 percent of Africa's and a mere 5 percent of Latin America's. Given MENA's rapid population growth, within the next 30 years water resources in the region are expected to fall by another 50 percent.

Over exploitation of groundwater resources, which destroys aquifers, accounts for some of the shortages. Yemen, whose annual per-capita availability today is already less than 46,800 gallons, which is 15 percent of US annual water availability levels, withdraws 30 percent more from aquifiers than is currently being replenished. In Gaza, aquifiers are mined at a rate of more than double annual rainwater recharges.

In addition, about 87 percent of all freshwater resources in the region are used in mostly low-value agriculture. Only 13 percent goes to industrial and municipal uses, compared with 69 percent and 31 percent worldwide. Water shortages for industrial use are a constraint for economic growth in many MENA countries. Inefficient use of water is not confined to agriculture. About half of all municipal water in MENA is lost to leakages in delivery networks, inaccurate metering or thefts. Meanwhile, 45 million people in the region do not have safe water and 80 million lack safe sanitation.

Averting the Crisis

Water security can be achieved by a fundamental change in direction that involves mobilizing popular support for water saving, integrating water resources management, and reconciling competing claims on limited resources, the report says. It would also involve allocating water to the highest-value uses, conserving water, preventing pollution of vital water resources, and focusing international support for water initiatives in priority areas. Many of these actions will require tough political choices.

Mobilizing support will require a combination of approaches, including launching public awareness campaigns to help change behavior and encouraging participation in water sector decisions through national water advisory councils with consumers and representatives from governments.

To ensure that water is used more efficiently, attention must be focused on reducing subsidies and encouraging new agricultural technologies, such as drip irrigation, and improving municipal water supply systems. To reduce pollution, the reuse of treated wastewater and drainage water, particularly in agriculture, can release freshwater for human consumption.

Despite all conservation measures, regional demand will, however, soon outpace supply in some countries. Canals and pipelines, as well as innovative alternatives such as overland or maritime transport of bulk water, and international water markets are among the options available for consideration by individual countries, the report adds.

Regional and International Support

Country-level activities should be supplemented by regional and international partnerships, the report concludes. Intra-country cooperation would also include international watershed planning, as well as hydrological data collection and exchange, and development of institutional networks. Closer coordination of donor assistance would be essential, as would a partnership between the countries of the region and the donors. At the proposed MENA water conference in 1997, government representatives would be brought together with water experts, donors, and the private sector to agree on a strategic plan of action and investment priorities.

"Implementing the water strategy proposed in this World Bank report will not be easy," Mr. Dervis said, "but it is necessary to ensure the region's long-term water security, its prosperity, and peace."

Elements for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources

Principles for sustainably managing water resources were first articulated by more than 100 countries during the Dublin 1992 international Conference on Water and the Environment. The "Dublin Principles" were subsequently endorsed by major international conferences including the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio), the 1994 Ministerial Conference on "Drinking Water and Environmental Sanitation: Implementing Agenda 21" (Noordwijk), and the 1994 VIII World Congress on Water Resources of the International Water Resources Association (Cairo). These principles are to manage water: (1) holistically, as a finite and vulnerable resource, (2) at the lowest appropriate level using a demand-based participatory approach, (3) by involving women, who often play a pivotal role as water providers and users and as protectors of the environment, and (4) as an economic good. These principles also form the core of the water policy of the World Bank, which has been a major actor in developing the international consensus and translating the management principles into practice.

Realizing a sector vision that is sustainable -- environmentally, economically, and socially -- will require moving beyond traditional management practices, which are typically wasteful, inefficient, and fragmented. Emerging trends to be addressed relate to increasing water scarcity, environmental degradation, massive population and industrial growth, and conflicts among and within sectors. The new paradigm integrates quality and quantity concerns, links management of land and water, recognizes freshwater, coastal and marine environments as parts of a comprehensive management system, supports broad-based participation including by the private sector, incorporates institutional incentives that promote efficient and improved sector perfomance, and focuses on services that users want and are willing to pay for.

The implications of implementing sustainable approaches are considerable. Essential actions include designing interventions that proactively protect the environment; choosing investments strategically; integrating water-sector priorities with public investment plans; and implementing innovative projects that can be mainstreamed and adapted based on lessons learned. Policy reform, stengthening institutions, mobilizing financing, and investing in people -- through building capacity and raising public awareness -- also are critical.

Calls for improved, sustainable approaches to water resources management have come from countries and the international community alike. Complementary actions and investments will be required from all. Only a philosophy of partnership, which is built on common interests, comparative advantages, learning and sharing, will yield, ultimately, efficient and effective results on the ground. The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is a response to the urgent problems around the world in managing water towards sustainable development. Formally launched in August 1995, the GWP serves as a coordinated, coherent international collaborative framework for assisting local, national, and regional authorities to implement the Dublin Principles. The GWP, whose importance is recognized by a spectrum of organizations working in the field (e.g., national governments, multilateral banks, UN agencies, bilateral agencies, professional associations. the private sector, and NG0s), will support country-level activities adopting the Dublin Principles, bring a global perspective to these activities, and focus on critical strategic needs in order to make better use of available resources.

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