Increasing scarcity of water resources in the Mediterranean

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Published : Wednesday 02 December 2015
Jean-Louis Guigou

During the COP 21, SUEZ organised a debate on 1^st December at Le Bourget.
IPEMED was represented by Jean-Louis Guigou and Kelly Robin, Project officer.

Here are the main ideas highlighted in this debate:

1. In terms of water, the situation in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs) is tragic and bound to get worse.
   Indeed, with a global population of 280 million inhabitants, or nearly 4% of the world’s population, southern and eastern Mediterranean countries barely gather 1% of renewable natural water global resources in average. Hence a structural water stress, since the Mediterranean region hosts 60% of the world’s population with limited access to water.
   Yet, in spite of this unfavourable situation, in 2012 SEMCs reached good results regarding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in terms of access of the population to an improved water source and sanitation. Nevertheless, these successes will suffer from anthropogenic pressures and climate change effects.
   The situation is bound to get worse since the population in SEMCs’ will increase from 280 to 360 million by 2030 and increasing urbanisation will require more water.
   Besides, the situation will get worse mainly because of climate change. Indeed, IPCC experts consider that the Mediterranean region will be the most vulnerable, with temperature increases ranging between 2 and 4°C, a drop in rainfall levels that could reach 30% and a decrease of more than half of water resources for Morocco, Algeria, the Middle-East and southern Spain.
    
2. (Fortunately!) southern Mediterranean countries are aware of this issue.
   The increasing water scarcity is a common observation, appearing in all SEMCs’ climate contributions. Turkey is the only country not to mention water in its contribution. However, all other countries highlight the consequences of water scarcity and climate change, and are preparing drastic measures (desalination, reuse of treated waste water, sanitation, improvement of network efficiency, artificial groundwater recharge, reconversion of surface irrigation) - especially Morocco and Jordan. In other words, nearly all SEMCs consider water as an essential factor of development.  
    
3. What useful lessons can we draw from previous experiences and policies?
   
   1^st lesson: Even though water has become a global issue, IPEMED is convinced that this issue can be addressed at the regional scale, since the Mediterranean - the basin of basins - faces many common challenges
   
   2^nd lesson: Technical solutions exist but they are difficult to implement politically speaking.
   On the technical level, Israel is ahead regarding water management (its contribution mentions a water reuse rate of 85%) and Jordan is one of the countries most affected by water stress. Thus, in terms of water resources management, the main difficulty is not technical but political.
   
   3^rd lesson: Climate degradation is a discriminating factor and poorest countries will be penalised twice over by climate change. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people still die of diarrhoea. In 2012, it killed over 81,000 people in low- or middle-income countries in the eastern Mediterranean because of poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Given the challenges facing the region, this figure is bound to increase.
   
   4^th lesson: The water issue requires an integrated and interdisciplinary management of all uses (agricultural, industrial, urban) as well as the regulation of demand as a priority (network efficiency, prices, etc.) rather than a costly increase of offer.
   
   5^th lesson: Three actors efficiently ensure expertise transfer: NGOs, local communities and companies. SUEZ’s approach is a perfect example of North/South cooperation.
   
   6^th lesson: Water management via drainage basin is always a good method as it associates users, institutions and operators. Basins are relevant spaces for an integrated water management.
   
   7^th lesson: The European offer on water cooperation in SEMCs must be better coordinated and formalised. Many Mediterranean actors are taking numerous initiatives (implementation of a water knowledge platform by IOW, EMWIS, COFWS, Blue Plan, INBO, IEA; funding of R-Know, between 2011 and 2015, etc.). Nevertheless, they should be better coordinated in order to be more efficient and accelerate technology and expertise transfers between northern, southern and eastern Mediterranean.
   
   8^th lesson: Funding needs, especially regarding new infrastructures, are such that innovative funding will be necessary (nearly 10 billion/year for 20 years; Lydec, for instance, expressed an investment need of 25 billion dirhams). This is IPEMED’s theory. The institute encourages the creation of a Water Mediterranean Agency funded by innovative funding mechanisms on maritime navigation, either merchant navigation (ships crossing the Mediterranean through Suez, Gibraltar or the Bosphorus) or tourist navigation (cruises and pleasure boating).