The Problem:
The challenge we face today
Water scarcity is an intergovernmental problem, which is defined by the quantitative lack of freshwater resources.
UN General Assembly established the SDG 6 to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.
<1%
of the Earth’s water is easily available for human consumption
3-4bn
people cannot rely on sufficient water supply
MENA countries
Water scarcity affects >40% of the global population. A total of 17 countries face extremely high water stress. 12 of them are in the Middle East and North Africa.
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MENA region
Extremely high
High
GCC water sources
To meet escalating demand for water GCC intesively uses ground and surface water, which results in depletion of available natural sources.
While desalination provides the needed water supply, the process is costly and energy-intensive.
Water withdrawal in selected GCC by source, 2022
Fresh groundwater withdrawal
Fresh surface withdrawal
Desalinated water produced
Reuse of municipal wastewater
Reuse of agricultural drainage water
Environmental impact
Desalination contributes to environmental degradation. The desalination plants extract large volumes of seawater and discharge hypersaline brine back into the marine ecosystems.
Desalination diagram
Salt
water
water
Salty brine biproductDesalinated fresh water
Salty brine biproduct
142M m3
x 365 days would be enough to cover the entire Florida state with 30 cm of brine
78M m3
contribution of Saudi Arabia + UAE + Qatar
71M m3
expected amount of biproduct
55% of the brine is produced by desalination plants in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
Over a year, it would be enough to cover the U.S. state of Florida with 30 cm of salt.
Consequences of applied technologies
The applied technologies for receiving drinking water in GCC countries do not solve the compelling and complex issue of water shortage and lead to dramatic consequences in the region.
- Climate change impacts
- Depletion of groundwater reserves
- Water pollution
- Refugee crisis
- Water wars & infrastructure damage
Projections about the future of water
The future is difficult to predict, however, available freshwater resources will certainly decrease in the coming years due to the increasing demand of a growing population.
2022
2.2BN people (28% of the world's population) have no access to clean water in their homes.
— WHO
2025
2/3 of the world’s population may face water shortages. Ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.
— WWF
2030
Water scarcity will have displaced between 24 and 700M people.
— UN
2035
85% increase in water use due to energy demand..
— World bank
2040
4.8 - 5.7BN people will live in water-scarce areas for at least one month each year.
— WWF
What is next?
Water scarcity is a point where imbalance between availability and demand triggers water stress. Learn more about the solution offered by LIFEBLNC.
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Our solution
