Klingbeil, R., 2013. Where Do We Go Now? Opportunities and Challenges for Water and Science Cooperation in MENA. Presentation at the 4. Water Research Horizon Conference (WRHC), Berlin, Germany, 25-26 Jun 2013.

1. Where Do We Go Now ?
Opportunities and Challenges for
Water and Science Cooperation in MENA
4th WRHC, Berlin, Germany
25-26 June 2013
Ralf Klingbeil
Regional Advisor Environment & Water

2. Outline
• UN ESCWA – areas of work
• Water – challenge for a sustainable future in MENA
– Regional water scarcity – but every country is different
– Transboundary water and cooperation
– Water, food, agriculture
– Water and climate change
– Groundwater resource management and protection
– (Wastewater and desalination)
• Potential areas for water and science cooperation
www.escwa.un.org 226 June 2013

3. 26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 3
UN ESCWA

4. Sustainable Development and
Productivity Division
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 4
Implementation
Approach
Regional Convening
Power for
Intergovernmental
Mechanisms
Informing Regional
Processes for
Global Negotiations
and National Action
Partnerships
Productive
Sectors Section
Green Economy
Food Security
Sustainable
Development
Goals
Energy
Section
Energy
Efficiency
Renewable
Energy
Energy
Security
Water
Resources
Section
Shared Water
Resources
Climate Change
Adaptation
MDGs
Integrated Water
Resources
Management
Support to Intergovernmental Mechanisms
ESCWA Committees (Water Resources / Energy); LAS Councils: CAMRE (JCEDAR), AMWC, AMCE

5. MENA - Water - Challenges
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 5
Governance
Demographics
Food
Water
& Land
(Energy)

6. Sources of Water and Use
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 6
ICBA, Barghouti, 2009

7. www.escwa.un.org 7
TB Water & Aquifers in Middle East
26 June 2013

8. www.escwa.un.org 8
TB Water & Aquifers in Middle East
26 June 2013
Saq-Ram Aquifer
System (West)
A total of 23 shared aquifer systems
and 6 shared river basins were
identified.
9 chapters on shared surface waters
and 17 chapters on shared aquifer
systems, each following a
standardized structure and
methodology.
624 pages of detailed information
with 60 new maps and over 200
figures, tables and boxes.

9. Agricultural Water Use
e.g. Wadi Al-Sirhan, Saudi Arabia
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 9
1991
2000
2012

10. Irrigated Agriculture in Saudi Arabia
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 10
Accumulated 30 year groundwater abstraction, 1975 - 2004 per
Region for Saudi Arabia (WaterWatch, 2006)

11. Food Supply Chains:
Losses of Food – and Water
www.escwa.un.org 1126 June 2013
Gustavsson et al., 2011
Production Volumes per Commodity Group (million tonnes)

12. Syria’s Ongoing Drought
www.escwa.un.org 1226 June 2013
irinnews.org, 2009. Syria’s
drought-affected provinces
as of 3 Aug 2009
• Ongoing Drought
since at least
2008
• Inability to
“make a living”
• Internal
displacements
• Additional stress
on resources and
society in urban
areas

13. Syria’s Past! – Syria’s Future?
www.escwa.un.org 1326 June 2013
• Demographics
• Drought and water scarcity
• Water shortages
• Crop failure
• Natural resource mismanagement
• Climate change
• Internal displacement
• Rural disaffection
• Political unrest
• ...
adapted from CCS, CAP, Stimpson, 2013

14. Syria’s Past! – Syria’s Future?
www.escwa.un.org 1426 June 2013
Evans, J.P., 2009.
21st Century
Climate Change in the
Middle East.
Change in
Length of
Dry Season

15. Climate Change and Water: RICCAR

16. Climate Change and Water: RICCAR
Awareness Raising & Information Dissemination
Climate Change
Impact Assessment
Climate Change
Vulnerability Assessment
Baseline Review & Knowledge Management
Capacity Building & Institutional Strengthening
for Water Ministries, Meteorological Offices, Arab Research Centers

17. RICCAR: Implementing Partners
www.escwa.un.org 1726 June 2013

18. Resources Management and Protection
www.escwa.un.org 1826 June 2013
partly from Margane, BGR, 2013

19. Resources Management and Protection
www.escwa.un.org 1926 June 2013
• Tectonic setting
• Geological mapping
• Tracer tests
• Stable isotopes
Margane, BGR, 2013

20. Manage the (Groundwater) Storage -
Managed Aquifer Recharge
26 June 2013 www.escwa.un.org 20
UNESCO, 2005

21. Recommendations
www.escwa.un.org 2126 June 2013
1. Improve knowledge of food imports vs. local food production,
efficiency of agricultural supply chains, imbedded agricultural
(virtual) water flows and its impact on socio-economic
development
2. Assist and contribute to capacity development for
(ground)water resources management and protection from
pollution, manage the aquifer storage, science policy
dialogues, science based decision making
3. Research for new methods for wastewater treatment,
assessing (quality) limits for applications of reuse of treated
sewage effluent and marginal waters in agriculture, … in
industries, … in housing
4. Investigate environmentally sound desalination, uses for
brines and combination with renewable energy use
5. Finding new approaches to water governance and enabling
environments for change, cap. dev. for government
institutions and staff in adaptive water management,
participative processes, taking people’s concern serious

22. Some Questions ...
www.escwa.un.org 2226 June 2013
• Water governance in times of state fragmentation and
transition to new overall governance structures?
• Peoples’ aspirations for participation, accountability and
transparency:
Can it lead to better governance of water & natural
resources?
• Socially-just and economically-sound development
without additional burden for environment?

23. Where Do We Go Now ?
Opportunities and Challenges for
Water and Science Cooperation in MENA
4th WRHC, Berlin, Germany
25-26 June 2013
Ralf Klingbeil
Regional Advisor Environment & Water