GCC faces water deficit in long run

Gulf oil producers are expected to suffer from a severe water supply shortage in the long term given the rapid growth in their population and the absence of any river in the region, according to a study published this week.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and neighbouring Yemen are already among the poorest countries in natural water resources due to their desert nature and the problem is expected to worsen unless heavy investments are pumped in more sea desalination projects, said the study published in the Arab Oil and Cooperation quarterly magazine issued by the Kuwaiti-based Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC).

The deficit in water supply will also hit other Arab nations because of the rapid growth in the population and the steady expansion or urban areas, which usually consume more water, the 10-nation group said in the study.

It showed the combined population of the 21 Arab League nations stood at around 318 million at the end of 2005 and is projected to exceed 500 million in 2030. Given the limited water wealth in the region, estimated at 350 billion cubic metres per year, the Arab individual’s share of water resources dipped from as high as 3,430 cubic metres in 1960 to 1,430 cubic metres in 1990 and is projected to plunge to only around 667 cubic metres in 2025, the study said.

It also showed nearly 60 million people in the Arab world are suffering from a shortage in sweet water while 90 million are deprived of sufficient sewage water. It quoted a recent UN report as warning that 19 Arab countries could become under the “water poverty line” within the next 10 years.

“In the Gulf region, which has an area of more than three million square kilometers, its population will likely grow to around 75 million in 2030 from around 57 million in 2005…the problem is that the Arabian Peninsula does not have one single running river except for seasonal floods coming from the mountains during raid….estimates show that the proven water resources in the GCC and Yemen do not exceed 262,600 million cubic metres while annual natural feedback does not exceed 1,540 million cubic metres,” the report said.

“Due to such low supply and the rapid population growth, all GCC countries and Yemen are expected to suffer from heavy water supply shortages in the long term and this should prompt measures to cover the deficit, including massive investments in desalination projects in the region.”

A breakdown showed Saudi Arabia could be the main victim of the shortage, which is forecast at 7.32 billion cubic metres in 2030. The report projected the deficit at 7.24 billion cubic metres in Yemen, 1.83 billion cubic metres in Oman, 1.35 billion cubic metres in Kuwait, 0.84 billion cubic metres in the UAE, 0.29 billion cubic metres in Qatar and 0.29 billion cubic metres in Bahrain.

GCC states, the world’s richest in oil but poorest in water, already rely heavily on desalination projects, which supply in excess of 70 per cent of their water needs and drain their annual budgets for operation and maintenance of those plants.

Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia alone pumped nearly 26 per cent of the world’s total water desalination production while the UAE accounted for about 14 per cent and Kuwait for nearly 10.4 per cent. The report put the number of desalination units in Saudi Arabia at 1,417 in 2005 while they stood at 290 in the UAE, 133 in Kuwait, 129 in Bahrain and 59 in Qatar.

Recent reports released by regional governments showed desalination units and production in the GCC have sharply increased as member states are pushing ahead with mega projects to expand their existing desalination plants and set up new units to face a rapid rise in demand.

Current production in Saudi Arabia is officially estimated at around 600 million gallons (2.27 billion liters) per day (over one billion cubic meters a year) through nearly 2,000 miles of pipeline. More than 50 cities and distribution centers in Saudi Arabia receive their water from these plants.

Industry sources expect desalination to remain a major industry in Saudi Arabia for generations to come. The government is planning to build 16 water desalination facilities worth $14 billion over the next 17 years. These facilities will have a combined capacity of 2.1 million cubic meters of water a day.

The funds are part of a massive $60-billion investment programme involving the expansion of water distribution networks, construction of new desalination units, and maintenance of existing facilities.

In the UAE, officials said last month the country pumps nearly Dh11.8 billion per year on the production of desalinated water to ensure its fast growing needs of drinking water and offset its dwindling reserves.

The investments cover nearly 70 major sea desalination plants, accounting for around 14 per cent of the world’s total output of desalinated water.

Abu Dhabi, the main oil producer in the UAE, accounts for nearly 67 per cent of the country’s desalination capacity. Around 18 per cent is produced by Dubai, 10 per cent by Sharjah and the rest by other emirates.

The figures showed desalination output in the UAE and other Gulf nations accounts for nearly 41 per cent of the world’s total desalinated water.

Water consumption in the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is the highest in the world because of the hot desert climate.

Given their scarce natural water resources and rapid population growth, GCC nations rely heavily on sea water desalination facilities, which require massive funds for production and maintenance.
 

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