Water demand management in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Purpose

To provide an overview of current trends and developments in water demand management (WDM) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted based on a questionnaire, approaching members of the German Technical Cooperation network in the Mediterranean and the EMWIS internet platform. Survey results were compiled, analysed, and compared, tabular data was compiled and visualised.

Findings

Paper summarises main trends and issues related to water consumption, water pricing, water awareness, and water efficiency in the MENA, and derives changes compared to an earlier study. WDM efforts now focus more on drinking water supply than irrigation, the breadth of efforts has increased in the recent past.

Research limitations/implications

No information for Israel and Lebanon could be provided. It is recommended to repeat this kind of research in, i.e. five year intervals to be able to track the further development of WDM in this water scarce region.

Practical implications

Very useful primer for WDM in the region, summarising current trends, facts and figures. Deduces fields of action for policy makers, development agencies and NGOs active in WDM in the region.

Originality/value

Most recent overview on the topic available. Provides benchmarks for decision makers in the countries covered, encourages regional dialogue on best practices in WDM.

Citation

Magiera, P., Taha, S. and Nolte, L. (2006), "Water demand management in the Middle East and North Africa", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 289-298. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777830610658700