Water scarcity in this dry region limits development possibilities and reduces the scope for economic diversification. The rapid economic growth of recent decades has increased water requirements beyond naturally sustainable levels. Inappropriate policies and technological solutions have placed the emphasis on meeting demand, instead of harnessing resources and managing water use. Depletion of groundwater is now common to most parts of this region, and there is also a high reliance on costly non-conventional alternatives. The 17 papers contained in this book address different aspects of this acute problem, with emphasis on policy issues and the need for structural change. The papers review policy experiences in several of the countries and analyse supply and resources constraints as well as water-using sectors. The social and economic ramifications of current water policies are considered and issues of policies reform are explored. Water resources planning and policy, environmental considerations, food security issues state subsdidies for argriculture and water, urban supply, regulatory institutions, demand management and development policy abjectives are all themes that run through this multi-disciplinary book. The papers in this book indicate that without a coherent and integrated set of institutional and policy measures, further investment and new technologies may offer more problems than solutions.

This book provides comprehensive information about the water resources of the Arabian Gulf region, an area that is symbolic as an arid to extremely arid belt. Filling an information gap it provides in-depth analyses of both natural and human-related constraints on water resources, and presents a new vision on efficient management of available water resources.It contains an overview of the physical geography and climatic constraints on water resources, systematic inventory of available traditional and non-traditional water resources, water-related problems, water conservation and legislations, comprehensive water laws applicable to the region, and modern techniques of water resources investigation.This work meets the needs of scientists, environmentalists, engineers, planners and decision makers. Senior undergraduate, graduate students and researchers of the Gulf area, and more generally of arid regions, will also find this volume valuable.

This volume explores the role of water in the Middle East's current economic, political and environmental transformations, which are set to continue in the near future. In addition to examining water conflict from within the domestic contexts of Iraq, Yemen and Syria-- all experiencing high levels of instability today--the contributors shed further light on how conflict over water resources has influenced political relations in the region. They interrogate how competition over water resources may precipitate or affect war in the Middle East, and assess whether or how resource vulnerability impacts fragile states and societies in the region and beyond. Water and Conflict in the Middle East is an essential contribution to our understanding of turbulence in this globally significant region.

These essays address the tightening water resource problems of the Arab region, focusing on today's need to move toward rationalized new patterns of using water within the national economies. The authors discuss themes of water conflict and provide detailed looks at the Maghreb, the Nile countries, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Mashrek.

This book gives a unique portrait of the water resources in the Arab region dealing with climate and hydrology. It provides a historical introduction, physiographic features and geological settings of the region and its climate. The book deals with storage of water and impacts of water scarcity on the region’s future. There are reviews of topics coupled with case studies, data analyses, discussions and conclusions.