NEWSRAEL: The need for water in the Middle East is real and just getting worse. Population explosions in many of the countries is just aggravating the situation. While Israel has built salination plants and has gotten over its reliance on the rain, other countries are far behind. Bedouins of the desert have always fought other tribes over water. Will the Arab countries come to Israel for the technology, or face these types of wars?
A few days ago, Egyptian President al-Sisi declared that his country had reached a state of "water poverty" according to the criteria set by the UN.
According to him, the average consumption of water in Egypt ranges from 500 to 600m3 per year per capita while the world average is over 1000 m3 per year per capita.
97% of water consumption in Egypt is supplied by the Nile River. The rapid population growth and construction of the Renaissance Dam by Ethiopia are a deadly combination for the Egyptian water economy. Despite this, al-Sisi promised that he would try to resolve the crisis with Ethiopia diplomatically.
And in the meantime, what is Egypt doing? Trying to reduce consumption, streamline water management and import agricultural products instead of growing them locally.