Water Quality in the Middle East

• DOI: 10.1515/ci.2014.36.3.5
• Publication Date: 2014-06-06T15:06:31Z
• Authors: Yehuda Shevah
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; 0207 environmental engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 14. Life underwater; 15. Life on land; 6. Clean water

Among the many problems that plague the region, the western states of the Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan suffer most from water scarcity. The three states depend on three major trans-boundary surface and groundwater reservoirs, which historically supplied 75% or more of water but nowadays are critically low because of overuse, lack of rainfall, and climate change, which magnify the water stress in this arid region. Consequently, the shared water resources are under heavy natural and man-made pressures, in terms of quantity and quality, affecting every aspect of life from ecosystems and the environment, to food security and health.