Groundwater resources in MENA

The map above is a part of a recently released world map that shows, in blue, the presence of the underground water. I've cropped the part that shows the Middle East and North Africa. The part that are shaded in red show aquifers that have been infiltrated by seawater, i.e. where the water salinity is high. This may be for different reasons, although generally (and specifically in Egypt's case) it is because overuse of underground freshwater is drawing in seawater.

Link to full world map.
Link to World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Programme (WHYMAP) site.

Comments

[ash-shakkak]

Very interesting. Thank you for this. The red icons represent oases? And the red buttons?

[arabist]

It's best to refer to the full-size map, but most of the red icons refer to groundwater mining, i.e. places where there is major extraction of groundwater by humans taking place. Some coincide with oases (you can see that clearly for Bahariya in Egypt).

Some of the red icons (those not enclosed in a hexagon) indicate places where there is over-exploitation on underground water resources (notably near Nouakshott, Tripoli and Amman). Best to view the map in PDF for full explanation.

[Free Thinker]

Dear Arabist,

Thanks for the information, however, you need the mention that the underground water acquifers in most of the mideast are fossil underground water which means that it is not renewable.

Regards,

FT

[Andriy]

The water will not be enough anyway for the Gulf countries.

This is why those nations need to establish links to countries in the north. And what better partners could be than Central Europe!

Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, et al, do not have political agenda toward the Middle East, which make them ideal to provide 'guarantees' the Arab countries from water and food crisis.

Check my blog on these issues.

[Cairene]

Thanks.

Far too little attention is paid to water security even though this is one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. Egypt should have spent the last 2 decades extending its influence in East Africa. (For shame that Mubarak hasnt extended his reign of security and stability to the rest of the Nile Basin. Poor sods dont know what they're missing.) The opec members will have to come up with something more sustainable than oil-powered and petrodollar-funded desalination. And the Levante states will just have to fight it out with Israel and Turkey.

Woe is us.