Water Security and

Desalination in the GCC

Countries
Dr. Muhammad F. Al Rashed
Executive Director
Water Research Center
 Contents
• Sources of Water At the GCC,
• Water Security,
• Water Security of the GCC,
• Factors of GCC Water Security,
• Challenges against Water Security,
• Current Levels of Water Security at the GCC,
• Water Desalination And Water Security,
• Security of Desalinated Water
• Agriculture and Water Security,
• R&D and Water Security,
• Water Security & Food Security,
• Water Security & Energy Security,
• Success Stories on WS,
• Road Map for GCC Water Security.
 Sources of Water At the GCC
• Water resources in the GCC are limited to three
main sources:
– Desalinated water: the most strategic
source of water,
– Groundwater: the main natural source of
water,
– Treated wastewater: the most potential and
future source of water.
• Other sources: Rain water and Aflaj system.
 Water Security

• Definition: The ability of the country to insure

clean and sustainable water supply for
consumers.
• More specifically: Insure necessary water
quantities in adequate quality to sustain
public health and clean environment for a
productive society, with low levels of hazards
on people, environment and economy.
 Water Security of the GCC
• Definition: “Assurance of sustainable production and
transportation of potable water for consumers on
adequate quality and quantity, and maintain a safe
and sustainable strategic reserve of potable water”.
• Characteristics:
– Water Infrastructure; production, transportation,
strategic storage, monitoring, conserving,
transporting, treating & reusing.
– National Experts; capable of managing, protecting
and development of this water infrastructure
towards its sustainability.
 Challenges against Water Security
• Social Challenges:
– Resistance to apply some water security policies as
it require leaving irresponsible high water
consumption habits,
– Inserting virtual water concept, as part of water
security policies, will be faced strongly by the
farmers lobby.
• Natural Challenges:
– Water Scarcity,
– Geographic Factors,
 Challenges against Water Security
• Geo-politic Challenges:
– Location,
– Political Environment,
– Shared Water Resources.

• Management Challenges:
– Strategic Reserve of Water,
– Evaluation of Agriculture,
– Demand Management,
– IWRM,
– Regional Collaboration.
 Current Levels of Water
Security at the GCC
• Variation in water security levels due to different
factors; desalination plants’ location, natural water
resources, strategic reserve, water resources
management,
• Desalinated Water: Saudi Arabia, Oman, and UAE,
• Natural Water Resources: Oman and Saudi Arabia,
• Strategic Reserve of Potable Water: Kuwait, Oman and
UAE
• Water Resources Management: Oman, Saudi Arabia,
and Bahrain
 Water Desalination and
Water Security
• Desalinated water is the main source for
potable water in the GCC and should in the
core of any water security policy,
• Desalinated water is the origin of the potential
and future source of water; wastewater,
• Securing desalinated water will secure the
most vital portion of water security,
 Security of Desalinated Water
• Supporting and implementing desalination &
renewable energy R&D,
• Monitoring and protecting intake points of
desalination plants from current and potential
sources of pollution,
• Deep intake design of desalination plants to
reduce risk of pollution,
• Economic-environmental production of water;
from oil to gas, renewable energy, ZLD
desalination,
• Developing national manpower management &
technical skills (short-term & long-term),
 Security of Desalinated Water

• Private sector-Public sector Partnership,

• Implementation of the GCC Water Linkage
Project,
• Implementation of Integrated Water
Resources Management,
• Activate the role of ROPME Sea Area to
enhance and protect the Arabian Gulf
environment.
 Agriculture and Water Security
• Agriculture is the most consumer of
water in the GCC (40%-80%); mostly
from groundwater,
• In Kuwait, agriculture needs of water
covered from two main sources advanced
treated wastewater and groundwater,
• Water security requires:
– High tech. efficient irrigation systems,
– Economic selection of crops,
 R&D and Water Security

• Harsh climate and water scarcity of GCC

necessitate compatible R&D role and
applications towards the following:
– Innovative desalination/treatment
techniques,
– Innovative renewable energy systems,
– Efficient management of water resources.
 Water Security & Food Security
• From where we start?
– Food security to meet the minimum
healthy food need,
– Can be met from local, regional,
international sources depending on
availability of agriculture infrastructure;
water, soil and climate,
– Virtual Water should be part of water
security equation.
 Water Security & Energy Security
• Energy security is having a sustainable
source of energy for strategic needs of the
country; water, electricity, health &
sanitation.
• Water and electricity production consumes
huge quantities of fossil fuel/gas (main
sources of income to GCC),
• Renewable energies is the key factor for
both energy security and water security for
the GCC.
 Success Stories on
Water Security
• USA:
– Long-term vision for water security by
investing billions of dollars in the united water
infrastructure believing that water would either
unify the states or divide them,
– The cost of USA dams since 1920 is 200 billion
$, however, the USA gained 700 billion $ from
these dams,
– USA and due to water security plans applied
raised the per capita of available water storage
to 6000 m3, compared to 150 m3 for the the
GCC.
 Success Stories on
Water Security
• Japan:
– Water is part of the Japanese culture with long
history of transport management and flood
control.
– Before the boom of the Japanese economy and
just after the 2nd world war, the loses of one
flood was equal to 10% of the GDP,
– Between 1950 and 1975 Japan invested 2
trillion yen to improve the water infrastructure;
the loses of floods did not exceed 1% of the
GDP.
 Road Map for GCC
Water Security
• Unify the general outlines of the GCC water strategies
and regulations; tariff system, specifications,
groundwater management, etc.,
• Implement the water link between the GCC Countries
(2000 Km from Oman to Kuwait, two desalination plants
on Oman’s Arab Sea producing together 500 M m3/d).
• It is not advisable to bring water from outside the GCC.
• Virtual water is vital approach (Kuwait import from
GCC only, an equivalent of 258 Mm3-around 25% of
Kuwait water resources annually)
• Re-evaluate the subsidies to agriculture, which
consumes from 40% to 80% of water resources at the
GCC,
 Road Map for GCC
Water Security
• Economic and environmental re-
evaluation of desalination and treatment
techniques and energy sources used, on the
light of latest R&D Innovation,
• Coordinate the efforts of R&D institutions
at the GCC through collaboration,
transparency and joint projects towards
more water security for the GCC,
• Coordinate the GCC efforts in
manufacturing essential parts of
desalination plants.
THANK YOU
for your kind attention