Water Ministry, FAO discuss regional water scarcity initiative

AMMAN — Minister of Water Raed Abu Soud and Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Nabil Assaf on Sunday discussed the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity for the Near East and North Africa (NENA).

The initiative aims to support strategic planning and improve water resource management, promote the use of non-conventional water sources, ensure water sustainability, enhance governance in agricultural water use, strengthen the resilience of food systems and water services to climate change, and foster knowledge-sharing through regional cooperation.

Abu Soud stressed the initiative’s “importance” in addressing Jordan’s water challenges and those facing the broader region, reviewing national efforts to safeguard water sustainability through strategic planning and the search for innovative solutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister noted that the initiative offers a “valuable” platform to improve water resource management and planning, promote sustainable water use in agriculture, develop technical capacities, raise awareness, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and the best practices.

He added that the ministry, in collaboration with key stakeholders, aims to implement integrated water resource management, strengthen water governance, and improve the flexibility and security of water services. 

Abu Soud pointed out that the initiative also seeks to introduce modern irrigation and agricultural technologies to advance food security and counter climate change, while reinforcing regional cooperation for sustainable water resource management.

Assaf highlighted the critical role of partnerships in confronting regional water scarcity, especially in light of challenges such as climate change, irregular rainfall, and declining water quality, all of which affect food availability across the region.

The NENA Region, already naturally exposed to chronic shortage of water, will be exposed in the coming decades to a “severe” intensification of water scarcity due to several drivers, including demographic growth, tendency to increase food self-sufficiency to reduce vulnerability to import and price volatility, urbanisation expansion, energy demand and overall socio-economic development, according to www.fao.org. 

Per capita fresh water availability, which has already decreased by 66 per cent over the last forty years, will probably decrease by another 50 per cent by 2050. 

Also, there is an “alarming” trend observed over last decades showing that the NENA Region is experiencing more frequent, intense and long droughts as a consequence of climate change, the website said.

Agriculture, which consumes already more than 85 per cent of available fresh water resources, will face “strong” challenges in keeping the same water allocation while sustaining food security and rural economy, according to FAO.

Countries in the region need to plan strategically their water resources allocation, review their water, food security and energy strategies to ensure that they are aligned with the imperative of making the best use of each single drop of water, the website added.