The phenomenon of climate change has become a concrete reality, said former Irrigation Minister and current President of the Arab Water Council Mohamed Abu Zeid on Thursday.
Many reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have said that the Arab world will be significantly affected by climate change through decreased rainfall and high temperatures that will adversely affect the agricultural sector, said Abu Zeid.
Aby Zeid said unusual climate change phenomena such as droughts and floods, as well as rising sea levels that may result in the flooding of coastal areas and the increase of salinity in groundwater will occur in the Arab world, and in Egypt's Delta region specifically.
Many Arab countries lack strategies and integrated action plans for water resources, said Abu Zeid, adding that there is a lack of coordination between state institutions to work toward sustainable development while taking into account the climate change problem.
The Arab region in particular suffers from water scarcity and is the poorest region in the world in terms of water, said Abu Zeid. He said that the per capita share of water annually in 16 Arab countries does not exceed one thousand cubic meters, the water poverty line.
The per capita share declined to 500 cubic meters, representing acute water poverty, in 12 countries, according to Abu Zeid.
The water challenges facing Arab countries are increasing steadily, due to fresh water scarcity, said Abu Zeid, noting that the per capita share of fresh water will reach less than 500 cubic meters by 2025 in some Arab countries, affected by climate change.
Abu Zeid said overcoming these challenges represents a major and difficult task for decision-makers, as water resources management is very complex because it overlaps with all human and economic activities.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
