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Recently the Arab World Council on Water met in Cairo on February 8, 2019 to discuss the present water shortage in Arab countries. Egypt which is the most populated country in the Arab world, is classified as water poverty stricken. Most of its water, 95%, come from the Nile River which starts beyond its national borders.
The other two major rivers in the Arab world, the Euphrates and Tigers rivers, start in Turkey and flow into Syria and Iraq. Both countries also experience shortage of water. Keep in mind that the Arab world present population exceeds 400 million and is projected to reach 700 million by the year 2050.
Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the chairman of the council, focused on the negative impact of the global weather changes which has already began in the region. Those changes are reflected in the increase of temperature, less rain fall, desertification in the region and decreasing agricultural productivity.
According to scientific experts who participated in the conference agreed that the temperature increase, and the decrease in rain fall will cause a decrease in agricultural productivity which will be 5% -12% by the year 2030 (el masry el yom, 2/8/2019).
Furthermore, the global weather changes will increase the sea water level.
Egypt has already begun to experience such problems.
Moreover, the participant experts stated that the Arab world needs to spend at least $75 billion during the next ten years to minimize the negative impact of the global weather change which will cause half of the population to starve.
