Arab World Facing Water Shortage, Threat of War over Water

Egypt Today - Full Story:

With the threat of a major food and water shortage looming large, rapidly diminishing water sources will be one of the most critical challenges facing Egypt in the coming decades.

"Under a 1959 water-sharing agreement with the other African nations that share the Nile Basin, Egypt is entitled to 55.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Nile water each year.....

"With a population of just 30 million in 1959, the 55.5 billion figure, giving the nation 2,100 cubic meters of water per person per year, must have seemed more than enough to the leaders of the July Revolution. Today, with a population of 70-72 million that grows at a clip of a little over 2 percent each year, Egypt has just 792 cubic meters of water per capita each year.

"The commonly accepted international definition of water scarcity is anything less than 1,000 cubic meters per person per year......

"Funding for the AWC should come largely from the World Bank, UNESCO and the UNDP, as well as Saudi Arabias Islamic Development Bank, which has funded a number of large-scale water projects in Africa and Asia since 1976."